Education Portal Academy Launches 300th Free College Class, Reaches 172,000 Students in May
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Valley start-up, Education-Portal.com, has published its 300th video lesson as part of a growing library of 11 free college courses. The website helps students save time and money by educating them for free while giving them a clear path to earning widely transferable college credit.
"There is a lot of buzz right now in the "free education" space with start-ups like Khan Academy, Coursera, and Udacity creating their own versions of free courses. We're doing something different here by building free courses that help students earn real college credit," says President and Co-founder, Ben Wilson.
Despite little marketing or PR, Education Portal Academy has grown virally since its launch, reaching 78,000 students in March, 121,000 students in April and 172,000 students in May.
"Although we've been amazed by the rate we're growing, there's no reason we shouldn't be reaching millions. Today's students are desperate for quality, free education, and we've removed all barriers to accessing our materials. We don't even require a login," says Wilson.
The video lessons are taught by 20 subject matter experts, many of whom have taught at institutions such as Stanford University, UCLA and Northwestern University. Each bite-sized lesson is 5-10 minutes long and designed to help students learn college-level material at their own pace and on their own schedule.
Education Portal Academy has received thousands of emails from students who are using the free courses to jump-start their education:
"This is a godsend for a single mom who is trying to put myself through college and start myself up again. Thank, thank, thank you."
"It is like you have your teacher with you 24/7."
Education Portal Academy is a self-funded venture by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Ben Wilson and Adrian Ridner. Their mission for the last 10 years has been to make education accessible using technology and innovation.