On #1 - excited to see that team work on a project that has a lower baseline of competition (weed-out STEM classes seem like a better thing to disrupt than the bootcamps of 2015) and where they have customer ownership. I think that'll force them to have a better customer experience and building their own brand reputation, rather than relying on the reputations of colleges. OPMs make sense for the business and for the college, but (imo) rarely for the student.
On #2 - the Higher Ed Dive article equates the Google/Guild/Coursera partnership to AWS and Facebook's offerings, but there's a difference in incentive there. AWS cloud computing certificates and Facebook's Digital Marketing certificates create ongoing advantage for those incumbents - the more people trained to use AWS or Facebook services, the more businesses will be able to spend on cloud computing or digital marketing. Google doesn't seem to have as much a direct benefit from the program, at least from Project Management and UX Design (an argument could be made for Data Analytics and the new Associate Android Developer Certification).
On #5 - $1k for 8 weeks online is an interesting price point. From their homepage,
> "The weekly time commitment will range from 6 to 8 hours."
> "MB/A combines the collaboration of cohort-based courses with the flexibility of asynchronous online learning. While there are no formal lecturers, the program offers live virtual events and group-based projects with weekly deadlines."
which I guess is how the price makes sense. These short courses never seem to me like enough time to cover enough content in depth, but maybe they are. Another explanation is that the brand + the self-selection + meeting other motivated people + having some good cover fire on Twitter make it work for grads. For reference, AltMBA has dedicated facilitators, is ~20-30 hours/week for 4 weeks, at a price point of $4,450. More expensive, more intense, and at this point, a bigger brand and alumni network, though that might not last.
Great roundup!
On #1 - excited to see that team work on a project that has a lower baseline of competition (weed-out STEM classes seem like a better thing to disrupt than the bootcamps of 2015) and where they have customer ownership. I think that'll force them to have a better customer experience and building their own brand reputation, rather than relying on the reputations of colleges. OPMs make sense for the business and for the college, but (imo) rarely for the student.
On #2 - the Higher Ed Dive article equates the Google/Guild/Coursera partnership to AWS and Facebook's offerings, but there's a difference in incentive there. AWS cloud computing certificates and Facebook's Digital Marketing certificates create ongoing advantage for those incumbents - the more people trained to use AWS or Facebook services, the more businesses will be able to spend on cloud computing or digital marketing. Google doesn't seem to have as much a direct benefit from the program, at least from Project Management and UX Design (an argument could be made for Data Analytics and the new Associate Android Developer Certification).
On #5 - $1k for 8 weeks online is an interesting price point. From their homepage,
> "The weekly time commitment will range from 6 to 8 hours."
> "MB/A combines the collaboration of cohort-based courses with the flexibility of asynchronous online learning. While there are no formal lecturers, the program offers live virtual events and group-based projects with weekly deadlines."
which I guess is how the price makes sense. These short courses never seem to me like enough time to cover enough content in depth, but maybe they are. Another explanation is that the brand + the self-selection + meeting other motivated people + having some good cover fire on Twitter make it work for grads. For reference, AltMBA has dedicated facilitators, is ~20-30 hours/week for 4 weeks, at a price point of $4,450. More expensive, more intense, and at this point, a bigger brand and alumni network, though that might not last.