Outschool
By Erin Brereton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Interesting course offerings involve both time, dollar cost.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this website.
Videos and Photos
Outschool
Community Reviews
Based on 83 parent reviews
We're HOOKED after our FIRST class!!!
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Dissatisfaction to what could be a great education platform
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What’s It About?
OUTSCHOOL describes itself as a marketplace for more than 4,000 live online classes for K-12 learners. But courses are actually listed for kids ages 3 to 18. They cover a wide range of topics -- from coding and tech to art, music, and languages. Users can search by age, subject, course format, and other parameters. Many classes meet for several weeks at a designated time via group video chat, although some are held only once. Although many instructors have teaching credentials, that's not required to teach a course on the site. But Outschool does vet their instructors to make sure they're capable of delivering content correctly.
Is It Any Good?
This wide-ranging online education site offers a many traditional and somewhat creative topics to keep students interested. The wide range of topics -- everything from multiplication to taming your temper and exploring folktales and urban legends -- gives parents an opportunity to sign kids up for classes that can supplement what they're learning in school, help them find out more about a future career field (such as veterinary science), or just encourage them to learn something new for fun, like how to make an animated movie. Some courses are also designed specifically for summer or weekend schedules, which could help keep kids occupied in a positive way during periods when they have free time.
It would be great if educators used a standard format for course descriptions; currently, some have detailed information about what kids will learn each week, while others offer fewer specifics. And as in any educational program with several different teachers, inconsistent course quality could be a possibility. But the site makes a number of efforts to make sure the content is worthwhile -- including interviewing potential instructors to ensure they have the necessary technical skills, providing training, monitoring their review scores and responsiveness to messages, and offering improvement suggestions after watching recordings of their classes. Course costs may be too steep for some families (some are more than $200), but parents can get a refund if they're not satisfied with the content. Despite a few procedural issues, Outschool provides a wealth of learning options for students who are looking for new topics to be interested in -- or more info on subjects they already like.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about constructive ways to share opinions and ideas. Many of Outschool's courses involve online discussions; how can students get their point across while still respecting others' opinions?
How can you stay committed to finishing a project? How can you keep yourself motivated to working on something over the span of multiple weeks?
How can talking about things help you learn, and how can reading help you understand new concepts?
How does taking classes online compare to learning subjects from someone in person? Which works better for you? Why?
Website Details
- Subjects: Language & Reading: discussion, reading, speaking
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: applying information, investigation, thinking critically, Self-Direction: academic development, initiative, personal growth, time management, work to achieve goals
- Genre: Educational
- Topics: Numbers and Letters
- Pricing structure: Paid (Course costs vary but can be as low as $9 or more than $200.)
- Last updated: September 13, 2019
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