Online education platform 42courses.com aims to make learning easier and more enjoyable.
Learning becomes a game in the 42courses app
Online learning has just become a whole lot more enjoyable thanks to the recent launch of the 42courses app. By introducing gamification techniques, 42courses have discovered a new route when it comes to how to make an app both educational and entertaining.
For a fee of $60, 42courses helps users learn new skills via series of short stories in courses provided by well-known brands. Each course takes no more than 20 hours to complete and once it's passed the user will be awarded a dated and signed certificate.
The courses rely on Branded Learning
This concept of Branded Learning has its benefits for both the user and the world of advertising. "We have a natural trust in brands, which is why we are willing to pay more for their products," says 42courses founder Chris Rawlinson.
"Globally, brands spend millions of dollars to get somebody's attention for as little as 30 seconds. With Branded Learning, they can get a person's attention for much longer and also provide them with a tangible benefit, deepening the relationship between brand and consumer. And they don't even have to pay for it," he adds.
In just 20 hours users can gain a certified new skill
The app's first course is already live, with TED speaker and author Rory Sutherland leading users through the basics of behavioural economics.
Should the concept take off, 42courses have more branded courses ready to roll, including stories covering advertising, entrepreneurship and social media. They also hope to allow brands to automatically launch courses on the platform.
"If it all goes to plan," adds Chris Rawlinson, "we could create a world where advertising can stop having to be an interruption in our lives."
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Dom Carter is a freelance writer who specialises in art and design. Formerly a staff writer for Creative Bloq, his work has also appeared on Creative Boom and in the pages of ImagineFX, Computer Arts, 3D World, and .net. He has been a D&AD New Blood judge, and has a particular interest in picture books.
