The co-founder of the high-end skills class startup Masterclass has launched a new education company called Outlier.org. Despite .org the domain, it's a for-profit venture that aims to replace universities' introductory-level courses with highly-produced educational online content.
"I think that the first two years of college — so the first 25 courses — amount to about a $50 billion-a-year spend by students. In those first two years, the brand name really doesn't matter that much. They're very skills-based competencies that you're going for," the company's founder and CEO Aaron Rasmussen told Cheddar.
"There are a million students a year taking Calculus I at an average of $2,500 per course. That means Calculus I is a $2.5 billion a year industry, and 40 percent of those students fail. So we're wasting a billion dollars a year."
In addition to video lectures, Outlier promises interactive content, unlimited practice questions, and a full refund of the $400 per-class price if the students don't pass. Outlier says its course credits are granted by the University of Pittsburgh, making them transferable to other schools (that recognizes that university's credits).
Class can be taken at any time and from anywhere, but the company says that students will be matched to study groups based on their time zones. The courses will begin this fall with two classes: introductory psychology and introductory calculus.
Students also have the option to switch between lecturers and styles. For instance, calculus students will be able to watch lectures from the British mathematician Hannah Fry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology doctoral student John Urschel (also a retired Baltimore Ravens football player), and Professor Tim Chartier at Davidson College.
But why would the top schools help facilitate a startup that aims to eat up its bread-and-butter introductory courses?
"It's probably not going to affect the top 100 universities that much. In fact, not a ton of those students are even taking calculus because they will have taken it in high school. I'm worried about the other 3,500 universities," said Rasmussen.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
Hear from Gabino & Stephen Roche on Saphyre’s institutional AI platform that centralizes pre‑ and post‑trade data, redefining settlement speed and accuracy.
