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<p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/e-learning" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></p><p class="financial-disclaimer"><i>When you buy through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. <a href="https://www.insider-inc.com/commerce-on-insider-inc/">Learn more.</a></i></p><p><a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fmicromasters%2Fberkeleyx-marketing-analyticsng-analytics" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored"><div type="image" title="berkeley marketing micromasters" height="926" width="1235" msid="75478766" hostid="261"></div></a></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong><keyword id="6354839" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="marketing">Marketing</keyword> analytics are essential to a company's core business, driving important decisions related to the four P's of marketing: product, price, place, and promotion. </strong></li><li><strong>If you want to learn more about marketing analytics and advance your role in your company without spending thousands of dollars, we recommend the <a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fmicromasters%2Fberkeleyx-marketing-analyticsng-analytics" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">Marketing Analytics MicroMasters Program ($896.40)</a>, offered by <keyword id="201630" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UC-Berkeley">UC Berkeley</keyword> through <a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fw.edx.org%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">edX</a>. </strong></li></ul><p>Marketing comprises everything a company does to attract and retain customers, which includes determining where and when a product is sold, its optimal price, how it's creatively positioned in consumers' minds, and even actual attributes of the product itself.</p><p>Behind such important decisions is the quantitative data, which takes skill and practice to analyze. </p><p>An MBA or Master's in Marketing degree helps professionals gain a more in-depth understanding of marketing analytics and adds value to their marketing careers. But the degree comes at a cost: top business schools such as those at Columbia, USC, and Vanderbilt charge annual tuition fees of $50,000 to $60,000. Unless you're lucky enough to have your company sponsor your time in school, you're likely to be set back financially. </p><p>Online programs are increasingly accepted by students, employers, and schools as legitimate and cost-effective alternatives to traditional academic programs. <strong>The <a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fmicromasters%2Fberkeleyx-marketing-analyticsng-analytics" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">Marketing Analytics MicroMasters Program</a>, offered by UC Berkeley through leading <keyword id="23248" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Online-learning">online learning</keyword> platform <a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fw.edx.org%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">edX</a>, is one popular, well-received example. </strong></p><p>The program is comprised of a series of four courses, each of which takes about five to seven hours per week and four weeks to complete. Completion of all four courses grants two useful benefits:</p><ul><li>A verified certificate that can be shown to future employers and educational programs. </li><li>75 credits towards a Master's of Marketing degree at Curtin University, a globally-ranked Western Australian university. </li></ul><p><strong>As its name suggests, the <a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fmicromastersmicromasters" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">MicroMasters Program</a> is a mini precursor to a full <keyword id="719221" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Masters-degree">master's degree</keyword>.</strong> It provides a more affordable and convenient pathway to postgraduate <keyword id="6355445" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="education">education</keyword>. If you apply to the university that accepts the MicroMasters certificate for credit and are accepted, the certificate will bring you closer to your degree, and you don't have to spend as many thousands of dollars to do it. <keyword id="1175348" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="edX">EdX</keyword> offers MicroMasters in a variety of other highly relevant, in-demand fields, including <a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fmicromasters%2Fmitx-supply-chain-managementn-management" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">Supply Chain Management</a> (MIT) and <a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fmicromasters%2Fdesign-thinkingign-thinking" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored nofollow sponsored">Design Thinking</a> (RIT). </p><p><a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fmicromasters%2Fberkeleyx-marketing-analyticsng-analytics" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored"><div type="image" title="youtube micromasters marketing" height="668" width="1260" msid="75478768" hostid="261"></div></a><strong>Here's what students learn in the <a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fmicromasters%2Fberkeleyx-marketing-analyticsng-analytics" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">Marketing Analytics MicroMasters Program</a>: </strong></p><ol><li><a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fcourse%2Fmarketing-analytics-marketing-uc-berkeleyx-busadm466-1x-0sadm466-1x-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">Marketing Measurement Strategy</a>: Best approaches and practices for marketing measurement, including how to use metrics to measure success.</li><li><a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fcourse%2Fmarketing-analytics-price-promotion-uc-berkeleyx-busadm466-2x-0sadm466-2x-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">Price and Promotion Analytics</a>: How to use price and promotion analytics to effectively allocate your marketing budget to maximize profits.</li><li><a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fcourse%2Fmarketing-analytics-competitive-analysis-uc-berkeleyx-busadm466-3xbusadm466-3x" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">Competitive Analysis and Market Segmentation</a>: How to analyze your competition and effectively segment your market to improve overall customer satisfaction and company profits.</li><li><a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fcourse%2Fmarketing-analytics-products-uc-berkeleyx-busadm466-4x-0sadm466-4x-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">Products, Distribution, and Sales</a>: How to identify what your consumers want in a product and the best distribution and sales channels to engage with your chosen markets.</li></ol><p>The instructor, Stephan Sorger, guides you through it all and has taught for over a decade at UC Berkeley Extension. He previously led product management and strategy at Oracle and SAP and is the author of two marketing textbooks. </p><p>Right now, the full program costs $896.40, or $224.10 per course, a significant discount from traditional grad school marketing programs, which can cost at least $1,000 per credit taken. As with any edX course, you can also audit the courses for free, though you would not receive official recognition or credits for doing so. </p><p>According to past students, the program gives back everything you put into it, and then some: </p><p>A common complaint about academia is its lack of real-world application. However, the <a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6798&amp;awinaffid=257137&amp;clickref=&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fmicromasters%2Fberkeleyx-marketing-analyticsng-analytics" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">Marketing Analytics MicroMasters Program</a> clearly offers real value for professionals looking to make a measurable impact in their company. </p><h2>Looking for more e-learning? Here are some of the best online classes you can take</h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/where-to-take-classes-online" target="_blank" rel="noopener">6 places to take free and affordable classes online, on everything from programming to photography</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moma-musuem-of-modern-art-free-online-coursera-course" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I use Coursera to take all the fun classes I never got to take in college, like the history of modern art — they're completely free and I can work at my own pace</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/data-science-courses-online" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10 affordable data science courses and programs you can take online — offered by Harvard, MIT, and companies like IBM, Google, and Amazon</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-online-resources-to-learn-new-language" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The best cheap or free online resources to learn a new language</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/online-courses-to-advance-your-career" target="_blank" rel="noopener">12 affordable online courses that could help advance your career, according to a professional career coach</a></li></ul>

This online marketing analytics program from UC Berkeley will give you 75 credits toward a full Master's of Marketing degree for less than $1,000

<br /> Anand Kumar, the founder of <keyword id="153248" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Super-30">Super 30</keyword>, has been invited by edX, a Harvard and MIT-backed education portal, for teaching mathematics.<br />
 <br /> It was in 2002 that Kumar had established Super 30, offering <keyword id="3458431" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Free-IIT-coaching">free IIT coaching</keyword> to 30 meritorious students from economically backward sections, who want to enter IITs.<br />
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edX also offers a few free courses, said MIT professor Anant Agarwal’s letter to Kumar, highlighting the similarities between the format and purpose of edX and Super 30. Reportedly, he added that by working together, they would be able to benefit a large number of students from across the world.<br />
<br />
Kumar, who wanted to get into Cambridge University but couldn’t because of financial issues, said that it was heartening that institutions like MIT and Harvard were not only praising his efforts, but were also trying to make him and Super 30 a part of their system.<br />
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"I am very happy that an organisation like edX is working with positive thinking about poor and disadvantage groups. I am thinking on the offer. Let's see how I can help students from across the world," he said.<br />
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<a href="https://www.google.co.in/search?q=Super+30+Anand+Kumar&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiz06qyk9LNAhXEKY8KHRT3DpkQ_AUICigD&amp;biw=1366&amp;bih=667#q=Super+30+Anand+Kumar&amp;tbm=isch&amp;tbs=isz:l&amp;imgrc=G2KHGy3gWaXpPM%3A"><em>Image source</em></a>

Super 30 founder Anand Kumar to teach Maths at Harvard and MIT-backed education portal

<br /> The New Year has brought <keyword id="6354458" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="US">us</keyword> some much-awaited good news on the hiring front and along with that, some concerns. According to experts, it may rain jobs in 2014 as Indian <keyword id="22917" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Companies">companies</keyword> are gearing up to add more than 8.5 lakh new employees to their payrolls. But a robust hiring scenario may also see a rise in employee attrition. <keyword id="115437" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="India-Inc-">India Inc.</keyword> experiences the highest attrition rate globally and one in four employees in the organised sector could be set to switch jobs, according to a Hay Group study.<br />
 <br /> But there’s another side of the story. Ask employees why many of them tend to take flight and the responses would seem identical. At least 39% are concerned about opportunities regarding <keyword id="605173" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Learning-and-Development">learning and development</keyword> while 36% feel there is no <keyword id="2000020" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Supervisory-coaching">supervisory coaching</keyword> to ensure their <keyword id="42546" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Growth">growth</keyword>. In brief, a lot of attrition seems to be happening because <keyword id="6358610" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Businesses">businesses</keyword> fail to engage with their employees in the right way – be it <keyword id="6669200" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="induction">induction</keyword>, on-the-job training, breaking down silos or team-building.<br />
 <br /> <keyword id="1631069" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Corporate-training-programmes">Corporate training programmes</keyword> often turn out to be inadequate as they mostly follow a set pattern, instead of a need-based approach, and uphold the age-old ‘classroom’ training model, instead of making learning fun and interactive. But here is one start-up from Pune that aims to usher in a sea-change in the <keyword id="770011" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Employee-training">employee training</keyword> and engagement space. Two-year-old <keyword id="2000014" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="MindTickle">MindTickle</keyword> provides a Cloud-based <keyword id="2000035" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gamified">gamified</keyword> and <keyword id="2000036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="social-learning-platform">social learning platform</keyword> that makes the training experience extremely engaging. As ‘<keyword id="1071127" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gamification">gamification</keyword>’ gets hot all over the world, MindTickle, too, has created waves globally. Here is a snapshot that captures the start-up’s vision and viability.<br />
 <br />
<strong>Who runs MindTickle (www.mindtickle.com): </strong>Four <keyword id="382595" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="co-founders">co-founders</keyword> – <keyword id="2000038" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Deepak-Diwakar">Deepak Diwakar</keyword>, <keyword id="2000039" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Krishna-Depura">Krishna Depura</keyword>, <keyword id="1141504" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mohit-Garg">Mohit Garg</keyword> and <keyword id="2000016" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nishant-Mungali">Nishant Mungali</keyword>. Deepak has done BTech in Computer Science from IIT Mumbai while Nishant holds a bachelor’s degree in Design from IIT Guwahati. Krishna is an alumnus of IIT Roorkee and <keyword id="6357276" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="ISB">ISB</keyword>, Hyderabad. Mohit is an NSIT grad, has done MSEE from <keyword id="33081" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Stanford">Stanford</keyword> and holds an MBA from ISB. Krishna and Mohit were also batch mates at ISB.<br />
 <br /> Prior to starting up, Mohit was a director in PwC’s management consulting practice at New Jersey and worked with a number of telcos in the US, Europe, and <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> on various strategy projects. In addition, he has done <keyword id="187755" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="product-development">product development</keyword> for <keyword id="6357722" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="silicon-valley">Silicon Valley</keyword> start-ups such as <keyword id="270697" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Aruba-Networks">Aruba Networks</keyword>. The other three worked with <keyword id="1010923" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="PubMatic">PubMatic</keyword> before starting MindTickle although Krishna had an earlier stint with <keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword>. The start-up was launched in August 2011 and its products were rolled out in beta in early 2012. Besides its headquarters and development centre in Pune, the company has a sales &amp; marketing office in <keyword id="12161" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="San-Francisco">San Francisco</keyword> as it is aggressively targeting the <keyword id="35193" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="us-market">US market</keyword> for expansion.<br />
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<strong>What inspired the venture:</strong> A hobby activity by the foursome led to the Eureka moment. It was called <keyword id="2000046" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="TeraMeraIdea">TeraMeraIdea</keyword> and later evolved into an <keyword id="6541953" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="online-platform">online platform</keyword> that allowed users to experiment with new ideas in the Internet, media and social business space. “We had quizzes and knowledge-based treasure hunts covering loads of topics. And people simply loved to learn things through our quizzes,” recalls Krishna, one of the co-founders. That’s when the four realised that learning can be fun and interesting without being scary or boring. <br />
 <br /> At the same time, they saw the rise of some new technologies and new concepts – Cloud, for instance, and increasing mobile penetration; social networking, casual gaming and gamification. The four of them were quite convinced that a big opportunity was out there to transform the learning experience with the help of social and gamification elements. So they did some more experiments with knowledge-based games, and worked with <keyword id="2000019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="LD">L&amp;D</keyword> experts and researchers to learn the best practices in interactive learning. “Finally, we deployed pilots for corporate houses and the feedback was just awesome,” says Krishna. “It was noon-clear that <keyword id="2000051" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Conventional-learning">conventional learning</keyword> would take a backseat in the next few years. So we decided to take the lead and create a next-generation learning platform,” he adds.<br />
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<strong>What’s the pitch:</strong> <keyword id="2000054" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Effective-training">Effective training</keyword> and better <keyword id="610471" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="employee-engagement">employee engagement</keyword> that generate <keyword id="2000055" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Business-results">business results</keyword>. Most businesses are deeply dissatisfied with their training programmes although they have invested a large chunk into their human assets. Classroom methods are near-dead, especially in a corporate environment, as they are resource-heavy, limited in scope (not customisable), and lack the scale and global reach-out required for today’s mobile and <keyword id="2000092" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Distributed-workforce">distributed workforce</keyword>. On the other hand, a conventional e-learning system like the CBT or the WBT fails to engage and motivate the end user. “But at MindTickle, we have created a next-gen learning platform that enables enterprises to create and deliver very engaging and effective training,” clarifies Krishna.<br />
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<strong>Why the name MindTickle: </strong>During its research days, the start-up came up with a unique content creation technique that would transform chunks of data into interesting mind tickles – a series of brain-teasers that would help you gain knowledge through problem solving and content discovery. Hence, the name.<br />
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<strong>How it works:</strong> Simply put, MindTickle has created a Cloud-based learning platform, which enables enterprises to deliver their training programmes anywhere, at any time and on any device. Moreover, the same learning platform can be used to train their partners and customers. It features an in-built social and gamification engine that makes the entire learning experience really engaging. This has not only resulted into huge participation, but also ensured increasing level of <keyword id="2000060" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Training-completion">training completion</keyword>.<br />
 <br /> As of now, the focus is on <keyword id="2000062" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="New-hire-training">new hire training</keyword>, <keyword id="2000064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Product-training">product training</keyword>, <keyword id="2000065" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sales-training">sales training</keyword> and <keyword id="2000066" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Customer-service-training">customer service training</keyword>, but the range can be quite extensive. Also, a SaaS (software as a service) platform means totally hassle-free implementation – enterprises can simply sign up and start creating their own learning/training sites.<br />
 <br /> The start-up offers an intuitive admin interface with a number of templates that allow companies to create interactive training programmes by using their existing content (audio, video, PPT, PDF, Doc file, etc.). Once that is done, a trainer can invite end-users who can securely access the site via any Web browser. Detailed <keyword id="6359249" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="analytics">analytics</keyword> and reports are also generated on a real-time basis, which trainers can use to measure the effectiveness of their programmes and can also tweak it, based on the feedback. Overall, MindTickle has embraced the <keyword id="2000067" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="SoGaMo">SoGaMo</keyword> (social, gamified and mobile) technologies as its product backbone.<br />
 <br /> “Our platform has several pre-defined, <keyword id="2000070" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Customisable-features">customisable features</keyword>, which users can tweak to create their own <keyword id="2000071" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Personalised-experience">personalised experience</keyword>. However, we don’t create custom solutions for specific requirements,” explains Krishna.<br />
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<strong>Claim to fame: </strong>Traction and recognition. MindTickle has been awarded for ‘Best use of engagement techniques in Enterprise HR’ at the Global GSummit in 2012 and 2013. And the traction has been impressive over the past two years. More than 54,736 learners from a number of leading organisations have benefited till date while its customer base includes several <keyword id="542582" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Fortune-500-companies">Fortune 500 companies</keyword> and some reputed start-ups such as <keyword id="282568" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SAP-Labs">SAP Labs</keyword>, <keyword id="15492" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vodafone">Vodafone</keyword>, <keyword id="6357395" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="eBay">eBay</keyword>, <keyword id="180948" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Yahoo-India">Yahoo! India</keyword>, <keyword id="164941" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="inMobi">InMobi</keyword>, <keyword id="54613" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="makemytrip">MakeMyTrip</keyword>, <keyword id="1101579" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SHRM">SHRM</keyword> and ISB.<br />
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<strong>Show me the money: </strong>Unlike many start-ups, this one is a venture-funded company and raised an undisclosed seed <keyword id="6357455" type="EVENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Funding">funding</keyword> from <keyword id="144381" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Accel-Partners">Accel Partners</keyword> in January 2012. That’s not surprising as globally, the training market is worth $200 billion and growing. MindTickle targets medium-to-large enterprises in India and the US, and has in place a robust per-user subscription model. However, it is a <keyword id="2000069" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Product-company">product company</keyword> that needs constant cash-burning for ongoing design, development and implementation. “To meet that requirement, we are now putting all the money we earn back into the company and we are not margin-focused at present,” says Krishna. “Of course, no one can ignore break-even and profits, but our first priority is to build more and more world-class products and adopt a scalable go-to-market policy,” he adds. The start-up will also raise more funding as and when it requires the money for incremental growth.<br />
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<strong>Biggest challenge: </strong>Not competition, per se, feels Krishna. According to him, MindTickle’s platform actually complements a lot of existing learning solutions, rather than being a direct competition. For instance, the company has tools, which help create great videos from existing PPTs or help record or create screencasts for training. With the help of such platform integration capabilities, companies in the training space can actually improve their offerings by leveraging multiple content formats. On the other hand, quite a few education tech companies like Udemy, Coursera and <keyword id="1175348" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="edX">edX</keyword> have come up in the <keyword id="6561759" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="MOOC">MOOC</keyword> space (<keyword id="1071995" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Massive-Open-Online-Courses">Massive Open Online Courses</keyword>) and they are now entering the <keyword id="2000084" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Enterprise-environment">enterprise environment</keyword>. MindTickle is keeping a tab on the latest developments as these may ensure further opportunities for growth and <keyword id="6379846" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="collaboration">collaboration</keyword>.<br />
 <br /> “But one of the biggest challenges is to evangelise the concept – to make people aware of how easy it is to create great training programmes,” admits Krishna. Many of the <keyword id="2000089" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Subject-matter-experts">subject matter experts</keyword> feel intimidated when faced with the complexity of the current systems. Companies, too, struggle to cope with <keyword id="2000091" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Employee-learning">employee learning</keyword> and engagement, especially when they are growing very fast or trying to manage a distributed workforce. “Now that we have got a great platform whose effectiveness has been proven globally, our next challenge is to position our brand, create awareness and grow exponentially,” concludes Krishna.

Are You Game To Transform Employee Training, Engagement? This Start-up Can Help…

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Shanna Goodman</span></p><p class="caption">Shanna Goodman.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Shanna Goodman is the creator of <a href="https://ampersandbusiness.com/">Ampersand Business Solutions</a>, a brand strategy agency that helps businesses identify the unique value they can provide to their unique set of customers.</li><li>She considered getting her MBA to help launch her career, but decided against it and pursued a free graduate assistantship in mass communications instead.</li><li>To make up for not attending business school, she pieced together her own "DIY" MBA, which included reading popular business books like "Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works" and taking online classes on edX and Udemy.</li><li>After having spent under $400 for her "education," Goodman went on to help hundreds of small business owners over the last 15 years and make a six-figure salary.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories.</a></li></ul><p>An elite MBA is an expensive endeavor, and one that may or may not pay off in the long run. </p><p>A recent <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/elite-m-b-a-programs-report-steep-drop-in-applications-11571130001">Wall Street Journal article</a> states that applications to MBA programs at top institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, and MIT have declined at a steep rate in 2019. According to the WSJ, all of these schools reported larger year-over-year drops in business school applications, with this trajectory expected to continue as a result of student loan debt and international students hesitant to apply for fear of not being able to obtain work visas in the US after graduation. </p><p>I'm one of the people who, after careful consideration, chose to opt out of an MBA. After working in business development and marketing for years, I now own a successful brand strategy agency, making six figures and helping businesses identify the unique value they can provide to their unique set of customers. Here's why I decided against business school, and how I managed to replace a degree with my own kind of specialized learning.</p><h1>I opted out of business school for a graduate assistantship instead</h1><p>I hadn't necessarily been considering an <em>elite</em> MBA, but when I was trying to figure out what to do with my life in my twenties, it seemed like an MBA would help me connect some dots in terms of my personal interests and skill set. </p><p>I'd like to say that from the beginning I knew exactly what I wanted to do and charted a clear, efficient path for myself. But that's not what happened. I studied psychology in college at Kansas State University, took a job as a case manager for a teen pregnancy program, and then was accepted into a graduate program for mass communications at the University of Central Missouri - with a <a href="https://www.ucmo.edu/offices/graduate-education-and-research/graduate-assistantship/">graduate assistantship</a> that waived my tuition. </p><p>Prior to accepting the assistantship for my graduate program, I'd looked into some MBA programs, both online and in the city where I was living (Kansas City). From what I could gather, it seemed that it would be a very costly venture - an investment in the $50,000 to $80,000 range for a two-year program completed locally at a state university. I was on the fence when I became aware of the graduate assistantship opportunity. (In my research for MBAs, I'd also broadened my search into media production and mass communications.) </p><p>After being accepted into the mass communications graduate program, I couldn't justify paying for an MBA, even an online MBA, if I could get an MA for <em>free</em>. So, that's what I did, thinking I could fill in the blanks later. Books, library resources, and online classes helped me acquire the equivalent of an MBA, DIY-style.</p><h1>I put together my own kind of "DIY" MBA</h1><p>I estimate my spending was under $400 on resources for my DIY MBA over several years. </p><p>The first book I read in this process was "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ten-Day-MBA-Step-step-Mastering/dp/0688137881">The 10-Day MBA: A Step-By-Step Guide To Mastering The Skills Taught In America's Top Business Schools</a>" by Steven Silbiger, which had categories on marketing, ethics, accounting, organizational behavior, quantitative analysis, finance, operations, economics, and strategy. These categories helped me define resources to seek out, specifically books (which I estimate I spent $120 on in all) and online courses. My favorite books include "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Balanced-Scorecard-Translating-Strategy-Action/dp/0875846513">The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy Into Action</a>" by Dr. Robert Kaplan of Harvard University and Dr. David Norton, "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Win-Strategy-Really-Works/dp/1491528796">Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works</a>" by A.G. Lafley, and "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280">The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It</a>" by Michael Gerber.</p><p>Over the years, I audited (for free) online courses from Harvard, Yale, and Cornell on entrepreneurship, behavioral economics, business strategy, and game theory on <a href="https://www.edx.org/">edX</a>. I listened to a couple of <a href="https://www.thegreatcourses.com/">The Great Courses</a> on economics and history, which cost $84, or $14 a month for six months. I also took classes on NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming, which is a psychological approach that involves analyzing strategies of thought, language, and pattern of behavior to get inside the mind of your customer), entrepreneurship, and business coaching from a variety of instructors on <a href="https://www.udemy.com/">Udemy</a>, spending at max $50. </p><p>Two years of <a href="https://www.toastmasters.org/">Toastmasters</a>, which cost me $130 and included learning manuals, pushed me out of a nervous panic over public speaking, which I felt was necessary to communicate effectively. I forced myself to prepare and deliver at least one speech per month for two years, which was painful, but it got easier. </p><p>And for hands-on accounting training I used <a href="https://www.lynda.com/">Lynda</a> for free with my library card.</p><h1>My self-taught education helped me grow my business</h1><p>The specific elements I studied on my own helped me fine tune business development and brand strategy for small businesses. I've helped hundreds of small business owners over the last 15 years, and my unique approach to my "MBA" education helped me identify unconventional ways to apply the various things I'd learned. And I'm always learning. Because it helps me do my job better. </p><p>I heard a business coach years ago ask the question: "What does it take to be successful? Knowledge? Then why aren't all people with PhDs rich?" That made an impact on me. </p><p>So, what's the key to knowledge, from my experience? Action and application. It's the application of knowledge that separates the PhDs from the successful entrepreneurs. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/candy-corn-ingredients-made-of-gelatin-lac-resin-halloween-sugar-syrup-2017-10">Here's what candy corn is actually made of</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

I opted out of business school and pieced together my own version of an MBA for a fraction of the cost - and now I make 6 figures running my own business

<p class="financial-disclaimer"><i>When you buy through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. <a href="https://www.insider-inc.com/commerce-on-insider-inc/">Learn more.</a></i></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>"<a style="font-family: LabGrotesque-Black, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fprofessional-certificate%2Fhumorx-remotely-humoroushumorous" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Remotely Humorous</a>" is a three-part course available on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/edx-overview-faq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">edX</a> focused on using humor and levity to create better workplaces — both in employee satisfaction and in results.</li><li>Designed by two Stanford lecturers and some of the top writers from Funny or Die and Comedy Central, the course is an adaptation of one of Stanford Graduate School of Business's most popular courses.</li><li>Studies show that humor can contribute to more highly connected teams, more creative and effective ideas, more trustworthy leaders, and more persuasive arguments. </li><li>The class practices what it preaches and uses a blend of sketch comedy, lecture, and team-building exercises for a fun learning experience.</li><li>The three-course program is $147, but BI readers can sign up for "<a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fprofessional-certificate%2Fhumorx-remotely-humoroushumorous" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored nofollow sponsored">Remotely Humorous"</a> for 20% off now until September 2021 with the code "<strong>EDXHUMOR</strong>" at checkout.</li></ul>Table of Contents: Static<p>Naomi Bagdonas and Connor Diemand-Yauman, two Stanford Graduate School of Business Management lecturers, have created an online course on an unconventional aspect of leadership: levity.</p><p>"<a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fprofessional-certificate%2Fhumorx-remotely-humoroushumorous" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Remotely Humorous</a>" — a new online specialization offered on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/edx-overview-faq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">edX, the nonprofit education site founded by Harvard and MIT</a> — aims to help leaders create an effective and rewarding company culture, even if it's currently online.</p><p>According to the duo, by using humor, leaders can create more bonded, creative, and effective teams, and they can seem to employees like more authentic, competent, and trustworthy people. And while many understand this intuitively (<a href="https://hbr.org/2017/01/research-cracking-a-joke-at-work-can-make-you-seem-more-competent" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">science</a> just confirms what they already know), they're less sure how to utilize humor as an effective tool in the workplace. So, in Bagdonas and Diemand-Yauman's class, that's most of what students learn.</p><p>A course on humor in the workplace isn't a class about how to construct a tight 10-minute set. Nor is it Improv 101. Instead, students learn about the mindset and conditions for lightheartedness to arise naturally. Bagdonas and Diemand-Yauman talk about the "five enablers" that act as precursors to humor and levity. </p><p>As well as lecturing at Stanford, the pair teaches improv together. Additionally, Bagdonas has coached executives and celebrities before appearances on shows such as SNL and The Today Show, and Diemand-Yauman is the CEO of Philanthropy University, a small company that has a <a href="https://www.greatplacetowork.com/certified-company/7015073" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100% employee approval rating</a> on Great Place to Work. </p><p>But Bagdonas and Diemand-Yauman didn't just rely on their own impressive backgrounds to develop the content for the class. Not only is the online course adapted from a popular class the two teach at Stanfords GSB with Dr. Jennifer Aaker, but the pair also created a makeshift writers' room made up of top comedy minds from places like Comedy Central and Funny or Die. The end result is an array of engaging content and learning tools that blends sketch comedy, lecture, and team-building exercises. If the point is that coworkers function better in joyful environments with humor and levity, Bagdonas and Diemand-Yauman practice what they preach in creating what Diemand-Yauman refers to as "Hollywood meets Harvard edu-tainment." </p><p>Bagdonas expanded on the idea behind the class and the process in an interview with Business Insider. "We need to drop this façade that we need to be serious all the time to accomplish very serious, very important things," Bagdonas says. "Not only are we teaching about why humor is powerful, but we're actually doing the thing that we're teaching and embodying it in the content." </p><h2>How the class is structured</h2><ul><li><strong>Conquering Humor Fundamentals</strong></li></ul><p>1–2 hours per week for 2 weeks</p><p>In the first part of the course, students use professional comedy techniques to discover their sense of humor and how to use it to both bond and increase creativity and positive mental health on virtual teams.</p><ul><li><strong>Priming Your Remote Team for Humor</strong></li></ul><p>1–2 hours per week for 2 weeks</p><p>Students learn about the five enablers of humor and use team-building techniques to create the ideal conditions for humor to occur in virtual teams.</p><ul><li><strong>Making Remote Humor Stick</strong></li></ul><p>1–2 hours per week, for 2 weeks</p><p>Finally, the class tackles how to use the three facilitators of levity — what the instructors call "legends, rituals, and offers" — to create a long term virtual company culture of "joy, connection, and effectiveness."</p><p><strong><em>Note: BI readers can sign up for Remotely Humorous: Build Joyful and Resilient Virtual Teams with Humor for 20% off with the code EDXHUMOR at checkout. </em></strong></p><h2>Who should take this course?</h2><p>While the content is new, much of the foundational points come from the work Diemand-Yauman and Bagdonas do with executive team clients. And, ultimately, there are key takeaways to be learned that are helpful for pretty much everyone. The class can function as a team-building exercise for remote teams who no longer have the option of an offsite event, or provide useful mental health and interpersonal insight for nearly any career.  </p><h2>How does humor create a better work environment and more effective teams?</h2><p>Gallup, the popular analytics and advisory company, <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236213/why-need-best-friends-work.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote in 2018</a> that the question "Do you have a best friend at work?" was among the most controversial it had asked in its 30 years of employee engagement research. In part because some workers have a clear delineation between work and play, and because some would prefer — and think it best — that their employees "leave their humanness at the door." </p><p>On the contrary, Bagdonas, Diemand-Yauman, and <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236213/why-need-best-friends-work.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gallup research</a> tend to advise the opposite. Humanness — and, more specifically, connection and joy — make workplaces more efficient and satisfying. Members of highly connected teams benefit from feeling that they have meaningful relationships with their colleagues, effectively communicate, and work well together. </p><p>Scientifically, even talking about shared laughter connects people. Researchers found that having partners reminisce together about moments when they laughed together — as opposed to moments that were merely positive or neutral — <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.464.5766&amp;rep=rep1&amp;type=pdftype=pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> being more satisfied in their relationships.</p><p>Gallup also reported that only two out of 10 US employees strongly agreed to having a close friend at work at the time. And, if that ratio increased to six in 10, organizations would see 12 percent higher profit, 7 percent more engaged customers, and 36 percent fewer safety incidents. And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how humor, and close bonds, can help improve workplaces. Here are a few other significant ways levity can make teams for effective.</p><p><strong>It helps teams bond. </strong>"Neurochemically, laughing together gives us more bang for our buck when it comes to interpersonal connection than just about anything else," Bagdonas, who will <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Humor-Seriously-Secret-Business-harness/dp/0593135288/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Humor,+Seriously&amp;qid=1600458716&amp;sr=8-2&amp;linkCode=ll1&amp;tag=biip_092120_how-to-thoroughly-clean-your-kitchen-20&amp;linkId=a627e04aae4cb0d13e0629ff2984ada3&amp;language=en_USf2984ada3&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">publish a book on the subject in 2021</a>, explains. "Our brains release the hormone oxytocin, which makes us more bonded. Whether we're in person or over screens or six feet apart in lawn chairs in our driveways, it works the same way. What we find for leaders, but also just for anyone in our lives, is that humor is a really effective way to build trust, to build bonds."</p><p><strong>It creates an environment that encourages creativity and positivity, and that can enable better outcomes.</strong> <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1987-27192-001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One study</a> showed that people performed better on two tasks that require "creative ingenuity" after they'd watched a few minutes of comedy or received a small bag of candy. </p><p>"When we laugh, our brains suppress the release of cortisol. Cortisol is the stress 'fight or flight' hormone. When cortisol is high, [it's like] your fire alarm going off in the background. It's really hard to be creative in that space," Bagdonas says. "We know that when people laugh, it unlocks a broader range of connections. It unlocks more creativity, more innovation. People tend to be more risk-taking."</p><p>Psychological studies suggest that laughter has all sorts of positive effects, including <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6125057/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enhanced memory, improved judgment and decision making, and more willingness to take risks</a>. "People remember things more when we're laughing, because our brains flood with dopamine," Bagdonas adds.</p><p><strong>It helps leaders seem more trustworthy and competent.</strong> "Behavioral research suggests that humorous leaders are actually viewed as more trustworthy, confident, and competent," Diemand-Yauman says.</p><p><strong>It may help you advance in your career — or get hired somewhere new. </strong>A Hodge Cronin and Associates survey of over 700 executives <a href="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/humor-serious-business" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> found that 98 percent of respondents would rather hire someone with a good sense of humor over an equally talented but more serious candidate, and 84 percent thought that people with a sense of humor do better work. In terms of persuasion and negotiation power, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/3033903" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> has shown that people will pay more for something if the seller uses humor. </p><h2>Why is humor especially important with virtual work and during a pandemic?</h2><p>In place of company holiday parties and bagel Fridays, there are narrowing options for creating a highly connected company culture while your team is working virtually. And <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yale-professor-of-happiness-course-shares-advice-on-how-to-be-happy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many people in isolation feel disconnected</a> — not just at work. Laughter is a great bang for the proverbial mental health buck. </p><p>"Teams around the world are starved for a sense of connection," Diemand-Yauman says. "We have far fewer common points of reference; we aren't sitting next to each other and we aren't in the same time zones. We don't have water cooler talk." </p><p>In the void, laughter can do the heavy lifting. "When we laugh together, we are prompting our brains to fire with the same hormones at the same time, which enables us to trust one another more and to make all of the subsequent, two-dimensional interactions richer," he explains.</p><p>Diemand-Yauman says he understands that trying a joke in front of 50 muted icons on Zoom can be prohibitive, but he's started playing a laugh track after his own "offers" at levity to neutralize any awkwardness. Ultimately, what matters is that the leader is trying. The threat of a glitch or miscommunication may discourage attempts at humor, but Diemand-Yauman says there are also more opportunities to signal playfulness than ever. And they're simple: change your Zoom background to a funny photo or send a GIF over Slack. </p><p>And right now may be a particularly good moment to bond. Remote work has removed some of the more standardized boundaries of workplaces. Instead of sterile offices, we find ourselves routinely looking into our coworker's living spaces and confronted with a fuller picture of their humanity (wandering children, barking dogs, the messiness of everyday life). </p><p>In terms of company culture, remote work can offer its own silver linings, especially if leaders approach it as an opportunity rather than a challenge. </p><h2>The bottom line</h2><p>It seems unlikely that "Remotely Humorous" is the silver bullet that can solve all the woes you may be experiencing either as a virtual team or as a human being at the moment. But, it offers surprisingly substantial help for some of them and it can help people carve out a few more opportunities for joy and connection in their lives and the lives of their coworkers.</p><p>In my own experience, talking with Bagdonas and Diemand-Yauman for this article felt different than many interviews I've conducted. To be frank, it was fun. And, later, writing this now, I relied upon my notes less than normal. I did, for my part, retain the information better. </p><p>This is not to say that anything particularly magical happened. Instead, I was reminded of the Bill Murray quote: "The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything — the better you are with your loved ones, the better you are with enemies, the better you are at your job, the better you are with yourself." </p><p>It's Bagdonas and Diemand-Yauman's hope that, after "Remotely Humorous," you'll agree. </p><h3><a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fprofessional-certificate%2Fhumorx-remotely-humoroushumorous" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored"><strong>You can sign up here for Remotely Humorous: Build Joyful and Resilient Virtual Teams with Humor for 20% off</strong></a><strong> with the code EDXHUMOR at checkout until September 2021</strong></h3>

A new online class developed by Stanford lecturers and professional comedy writers is helping virtual work teams be more creative and effective

<p class="financial-disclaimer"><i>When you buy through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. <a href="https://www.insider-inc.com/commerce-on-insider-inc/">Learn more.</a></i></p><p><a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fp.com%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored"><div type="image" title="Screen Shot 2020 05 15 at 9.20.32 AM" height="1236" width="2472" msid="75764095" hostid="261"></div></a></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong><a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fp.com%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored nofollow sponsored">Shmoop</a> is an online <keyword id="6355445" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="education">education</keyword> provider that offers guides and online classes across a wide range of subjects from math to literature. </strong></li><li><strong>They also have resources and courses for teachers </strong></li><li><strong>Its content is clear, informative, and presented with a distinctive style that encourages rather than intimidates students. </strong></li><li><strong>You can take advantage of its high-quality free learning guides, or pay a little extra each month to get unlimited access to premium materials like test prep guides, which help boost confidence and scores, and online classes, which may fulfill <keyword id="6360288" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="College">college</keyword> admissions requirements or be transferred to college credit.</strong></li></ul><p>From classes that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-write-a-resume-free-course" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coach you through the dreadful job searching process</a> to the courses that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/free-online-coursera-courses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the country's best universities offer in their hallowed halls</a>, you can learn just about anything online today. Your only job is to figure out which platform offers what you need, in a style and at a price point that you like.</p><p>For high schoolers and college students — current and aspiring — who are looking for affordable options, <a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fp.com%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">Shmoop</a> is one of their best bets.  </p><p><a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fp.com%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">Shmoop</a> offers a large library of free and premium educational content, including in-depth <a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fstudy-guidesy-guides" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">learning guides</a> for a variety of subjects, <a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Ftest-prepest-prep" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">test preparation guides</a>, and credit-eligible <a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fonline-courses%2FcatalogFcatalog" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">online courses</a>. Teachers and homeschoolers will also find the content useful since it includes <keyword id="6356090" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="teaching">teaching</keyword> guides and homeschooling lesson plans. </p><p>Since 2009, the site has been drawing in students of all ages and levels (including myself) with its friendly and, at times, cheeky teaching style. Its casual, approachable voice and real-world references make you feel like you're learning from a friend, not an impersonal, intimidating textbook — a strategy that proves to be remarkably effective.  When you're already feeling stressed and pressured to attain certain grades or scores, the last thing you want is boring or convoluted content holding you back. </p><h2>Interested in more <keyword id="75859" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="60" keywordseo="e-learning">e-learning</keyword> opportunities?</h2><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/free-online-courses-from-best-colleges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">54 free online courses from the best colleges in the US — including Princeton, Harvard, and Yale</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-free-online-courses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">31 free Harvard University classes you can take online through edX</a></li></ul><p>Shmoop offers so many resources that the website can be a lot to take in as a first-time visitor. Here, we'll take you through some features you should focus on so you can see whether Shmoop is the right educational website for your needs. </p><h3>I highly encourage all students to take advantage of Shmoop's <a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fstudy-guidesy-guides" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">free learning guides</a>, which I personally used in both high school and college to help me understand the nuances of <a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fshakespeare%2Fpeare%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">Shakespeare</a>, <a href="https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/poetry" target="_blank" rel="noopener  nofollow sponsored">poetry</a>, and <a href="https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/history" target="_blank" rel="noopener  nofollow sponsored">US history</a>.</h3><p>Though my teachers and textbooks presented a respectable amount of information, these guides served as excellent supplements to round out my understanding of the subjects. With their summaries, themes, timelines, analysis, questions, and quizzes, they made things "click" in easily digestible ways that the traditional classroom couldn't seem to accomplish.</p><p>These learning guides, which cover a wide range of subjects, from English and literature to college resources and life skills, became indispensable parts of my exam study plans. Having sifted through plenty of free content of dubious quality, I was impressed with Shmoop's top-notch free offerings. However, the free content does include a lot of ads that can sometimes be bothersome. </p><h3>Access to premium content like test prep guides and online courses requires <a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fplans%2Fstudentsstudents" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">a paid subscription plan</a>, which can range in price from $14.99 a month to $300 a year. </h3><p>Here are the different options both students and teachers can choose from: </p><ul><li><strong>Month-to-month ($14.99/month):</strong> Unlimited access to all premium resources except ACE CREDIT recommended courses</li><li><strong>Yearly ($150/year):</strong> Unlimited access to all premium resources except ACE CREDIT recommended courses</li><li><strong>Homeschool ($300/year)</strong>: Digital classroom management, test prep programs for ACT, SAT, PSAT, and AP exams, access to more than 400 courses for multiple grade levels, and access to Shmoop's library of teaching videos and guides (for one teacher and 10 students)</li></ul><p>Each course starts with a general introduction and what you'll need to know before beginning (required supplies or software, expectations, grading policy). Then, each unit of the course offers readings and activities for you to practice and apply your knowledge. Accompanying study aids like flashcards are also provided. The types of activities will vary; some ask you to fill in text boxes while others may have you upload files of your work. </p><p><a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fp.com%2F" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored"><div type="image" title="Screen Shot 2020 05 15 at 10.07.53 AM" height="1226" width="1635" msid="75764102" hostid="261"></div></a></p><p>High schoolers who want to boost their confidence in test-taking and improve their scores on the dreaded AP, ACT, PSAT, SAT, and SAT subject tests will benefit from the intensive test prep programs. Shmoop has more than 30 AP test prep guides containing review topics, drills, videos, and practice exams, seven full-length practice exams and more than 1,000 practice questions for the ACT, and five full-length practice exams and more than 1,000 drill questions and 1,000 vocabulary words for the SAT.</p><p>All these resources work alongside a dashboard that motivates students to study by creating to-do lists, awarding points for completing practice exams and drills, and encouraging them to compete against other users to earn more points. Through practice, these standardized tests can be mastered. </p><p><a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fp.com%2F" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored"><div type="image" title="Screen Shot 2020 05 15 at 10.12.09 AM" height="1224" width="1632" msid="75764107" hostid="261"></div></a></p><h3>If you want to learn something new, work towards college admissions requirements, or earn transferable college credit, take one of Shmoop's many <a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fonline-courses%2FcatalogFcatalog" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">online courses</a>.</h3><p>They cover important skills like <a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fcourses%2Fmicrosoft-excel%2Fexcel%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">Excel</a> and <a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fcourses%2Findesign%2Fesign%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">InDesign</a> that you might want to brush up on before applying to your dream job, are approved by the UC and CSU systems if you want to apply to their schools, and are legitimate alternatives to expensive college classes.  </p><p>ACE CREDIT recommended courses are affordable, flexible alternatives to traditional college classes, and credits can be transferred to more than 2,000 colleges nationwide. Students must take proctored final exams and earn at least a 70% overall grade in the course in order to qualify for credit. </p><p><a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fp.com%2F" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored"><div type="image" title="Screen Shot 2020 05 15 at 10.19.58 AM" height="1145" width="1527" msid="75764111" hostid="261"></div></a></p><p>Shmoop also has excellent resources for teachers, including teaching guides and classroom courses. Their teacher resource videos cover everything from hot-button items to dealing with parents. You can even access full lesson plans complete with quizzes, discussion topics, and activity ideas.  </p><h3>There's much more to explore on the site, including the robust <a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fcollege-resources%2Furces%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">college resources section</a> and <a href="https://www.shmoop.com/homeschool" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored nofollow sponsored">homeschool resources center</a>. The types of content introduced above, however, are great places to start for any learner. </h3><h3>You can experience all of Shmoop's offerings <a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shmoop.com%2Fp.com%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored nofollow sponsored">here</a>. </h3>

Online education site Shmoop helped me understand difficult topics and prepare for tests in school — here's why I recommend it to all students

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Whether you took time off to raise a family or you're experiencing a bout of unemployment following a layoff, explaining an employment gap can prove difficult for any professional.</p><p>What's worse, some hiring managers <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bias-against-people-laid-off-2015-10">stigmatize periods of unemployment they see on <span>résumés</span></a> and often don't realize when they discriminate unfairly against candidates who have been out of work for some time.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">But Amanda Augustine, a career-advice expert for </span><a href="https://www.topresume.com/">TopRésumé</a>, says there are a few proactive approaches you can take to fill in <span>the gaps </span>if<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> your work history has experienced a roadblock or two along the way.</span></p><h2>Seek out skill-based volunteer roles or internships</h2><p><span>"You don't have to receive a paycheck for your work in order to put it on your résumé," Augustine tells Business Insider.</span></p><p>Rather than fill your free time with a low-level job that doesn't utilize your skills, which <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/finding-a-job-while-unemployed-is-more-complicated-than-we-thought-2015-11">researchers have found could work against you</a> in the job hunt, Augustine suggests checking out volunteer<span> matching resources li</span>ke Catchafire and Hands On Network to find <span>skill-based volunteer opportunities </span>or FlexJobs for flexible and telecommuting internships that will allow you to keep your skills sharp.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Describe each opportunity as you would a paid job by listing your responsibilities and highlighting your major contributions and accomplishments," she says.</span></p><h2>Don't discount your stay-at-home skills</h2><p>If you left your job to care for your family, you should include the experience on your <span>résumé, Augustine says.</span></p><p>"There are many skills you may have honed during your years of managing the household and raising your kids," she explains. "Consider all the times you've relied on your budgeting and expense control, fundraising, logistics and project management, and negotiation skills over the years and find concrete examples you can list on your résumé."</p><p>Coaching your kid's soccer team, becoming a troop leader, or heading a school committee are all great examples of team management and leadership, and Augustine suggests <a href="http://info.theladders.com/career-advice/resume-advice-for-stay-at-home-parents">quantifying your home-management achievements</a> by including details like budget sizes and number of volunteers you managed.</p><h2><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Seek out professional development opportunities</span></h2><p>"Show prospective employers that you've been making good use of your unemployment by learning a new skill or technology that's considered valuable in your field," Augustine suggests.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">From becoming more productive to communicating better, </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/free-career-focused-online-courses-every-professional-should-take-2016-5">Coursera offers a number of courses</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> that can help you hone skills that are useful to have in the working world. You can also check out </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">SkillShare, edX, Lynda.com, and CourseHorse for o</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">ther free and low-cost courses.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Once you've successfully completed a course, you can include it<span> in the "Education and Professional Development" section of your résumé.</span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-would-happen-fired-gun-space-2016-5">Here's what would happen if you fired a gun in space</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="90ZHJnMzE6mC4tNDFSis6uXAptaFK2bb" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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