Create Cohort-Based Courses on These 11 Platforms: An In-Depth Guide

As an avid tech geek and online educator myself, I‘m excited to dive deep on the world of cohort-based learning platforms. Cohort models are transforming online education, and I‘m thrilled to share my insights with you.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll unpack what defines cohort-based learning, why it‘s becoming so popular, key benefits for both students and educators, top course platforms to consider, must-have features to look for, and more. I‘ll draw on the latest market data and my own experience running cohort-based courses online. Let‘s get started!

What Are Cohort-Based Courses Exactly?

Cohort-based learning is one of the most innovative and engaging models of online education I‘ve come across. Here‘s an overview of what defines it:

Fixed start/end dates – Cohorts begin and end on a predetermined schedule, like a traditional academic term. This creates structure.
Group learning – The cohort, typically 5-30 students, participates in activities together like discussions, projects, and peer reviews.
Instructor guidance – An instructor facilitates the course experience through guidance, feedback, Q&As, and lecturing.
Live learning sessions – Courses include live video sessions for lectures, discussions, workshops, and other collaborative activities.
Community environment – The shared experience creates a learning community and accountability to peers.

This collaborative model sets cohort-based learning apart from self-paced courses. Students support and motivate each other under the guidance of an expert instructor.

According to Ambrose and colleagues (2010), five key elements facilitate productive collaborative learning:

Positive interdependence between group members
Considerable interaction that promotes learning
Individual accountability alongside group responsibility
Social skills like communication, leadership, and conflict resolution
Consistent reflection on how well the group is collaborating

Quality cohort-based courses intentionally design for these elements. The result is an highly engaging experience centered around community.

The Surging Popularity of Cohort-Based Learning

What accounts for the rapidly growing popularity of cohort-based learning? A few key factors:

Proven results – Research shows cohort models lead to higher course completion rates, improved learning outcomes, greater student satisfaction, and more.

Scalability – Cohorts allow educators to deliver interactive learning experiences to larger numbers of students. Activities like small group discussions scale better than 1:1 teaching.

Flexibility – Platforms make cohort courses accessible anytime, anywhere from a laptop or mobile device. This flexible access expands student markets globally.

Profitability – For entrepreneurs and course creators, cohort models are profitable. You can enroll new cohorts continuously and leverage group activities to teach more students with less effort per student.

Post-pandemic demand – Virtual cohorts gained immense popularity during the pandemic as isolation left people craving community. This trend continues as more activities move online.

Let‘s analyze some statistics that reveal the cohort learning boom:

Global online course market predicted to grow from $180 billion in 2021 to $350 billion by 2028 (HolonIQ 2022)
41% higher retention rates for cohort-based vs. self-paced courses, per Learnopoly
90%+ course completion rates with cohorts versus 12-15% for self-paced classes, per Learnopoly
71% of students feel more engaged with cohort-based versus self-paced online learning, per latest Pearson survey of 500+ students

The data makes clear that cohort-based learning is here to stay and will continue disrupting traditional online education models.

Benefits of Cohort-Based Courses

Cohort models offer compelling advantages for both learning and teaching. As an educator who has taught both cohort and self-paced courses, I‘m a big believer in the cohort model. Here are some of the key benefits I‘ve observed:

For students:

A built-in community for connecting with like-minded peers
Ongoing support, motivation, and accountability from the cohort
More engaging learning experience through interactive group activities
Development of teamwork skills through collaborating
Networking opportunities with fellow cohort members

For educators:

More predictable enrollment cycles by starting distinct cohorts
Higher student completion and satisfaction rates
Deeper student engagement through interactive group activities
More scalable teaching model that raises profit margins
Opportunity to reuse curriculum across multiple cohorts
Group administrative tasks vs. supporting self-paced students individually

On both sides, cohorts lead to an educational experience centered around community support and collaboration. The research on learning science shows this type of social environment enhances outcomes.

Top Cohort-Based Learning Platforms

If you‘re ready to create your first cohort course, choosing the right platform is key. As an online educator, I‘ve explored most of the top contenders and want to share my insights on the standouts:

1. Teachfloor

Teachfloor is my top recommendation based on the user-friendly course builder and robust cohort management tools. I‘m currently using it to run multiple cohort-based courses.

With Teachfloor, you can:

Build an entire academy of cohort courses under one account
Create courses in their intuitive drag-and-drop builder
Organize students into distinct cohort groups
Communicate with cohorts through announcemtns and messaging
Analyze each cohort‘s engagement and progress
Integrate live sessions via Zoom
Accept one-time payments or subscriptions

It‘s been a game changer for easily creating and filling cohort after cohort within my online academy. I highly recommend Teachfloor to any educator looking to maximize the cohort model.

2. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks stands out for the community-building features like member profiles, social feeds, and categorized members. If you want your cohorts to feel like a tight-knit community, Mighty Networks facilitates that well.

I also like the versatility of embedding articles, videos, and live chat directly in your Mighty Network. You can drive engagement by blending media formats.

One key downside is that their course builder is more limited compared to a platform like Teachfloor. You‘ll have more flexibility designing your curriculum there. But for community-building, Mighty Networks is tough to beat.

3. Thinkific

Thinkific is another very popular course platform that includes strong cohort management features:

Custom portals for each cohort community
Automated drip-releasing your course content
Tools to host live Q&As, discussions, and more
Bulk messaging and reminders to students
Robust course builder and content library

Thinkific essentially enables you to divide your course into mini-courses for each cohort. It‘s not as dedicated for cohorts as Teachfloor, but gets the job done.

Downsides are that it lacks built-in video chat and may nickel-and-dime you for extras like domains and removing branding. But on the whole, Thinkific is a solid pick.

Honorable Mentions

A few other cohort learning platforms I recommend checking out:

Scenes – Great for building cohort communities with video chat and member portals
Disco – Intuitive course and cohort management tools
EducateMe – LMS and analytics tailored for cohort learning
Virtually – Event management for live cohort sessions

Each has unique strengths, like Scenes for cohort community-building or Virtually for cohort logistics and automation. Assess your needs and try out free trials to gauge the best fit.

Key Features to Look for in Cohort Platforms

When evaluating platforms, there are a few must-have features to enable a quality cohort experience:

Cohort course builder – Look for an intuitive builder to create your curriculum specifically for cohort delivery. Premade templates help accelerate course creation.

Cohort management tools – Be able to organize students into distinct cohorts, communicate with them, track progress, and more. This is essential for administering your cohorts.

Instructor-led live learning – Native video chat capabilities or integration with web conferencing tools is crucial for conducting interactive live sessions.

Cohort content dripping – Slowly releasing content keeps students paced together. Automated schedules prevent students rushing ahead or lagging behind.

Community discussion areas – Students need gathering places like forums and social feeds to interact as a cohort and form community bonds.

Interactive group sessions – Host live Q&As, workshops, assessments, and other activities that get the whole cohort engaged together.

Prioritize platforms with these features purpose-built for cohort-based courses. They‘ll enable you to deliver an elevated learning experience centered around meaningful community connections.

My Parting Thoughts

I hope this deep dive has provided a comprehensive look at the world of cohort-based learning platforms. As education moves increasingly online, cohort models are proving to be more engaging, effective, and scalable than traditional self-paced courses.

By leveraging purpose-built platforms, you as an educator can create transformative cohort-based courses tailored to today‘s social, mobile-first learners. I encourage you to try out cohort teaching – the ability to foster such rich learning communities is incredibly rewarding.

Have questions or want to discuss further? I‘d love to chat more! Don‘t hesitate to reach out. Wishing you all the best as you empower others through the power of cohort-based learning.