How Nexbooks compares to Khan Academy: “fun” is not a 4-letter word

We often get asked how Nexbooks compares to the Khan Academy.  The short answer is pretty simple … we are similar in that we are entirely video-based, but we offer complete courses, with recommended credits.  Also, our topics include never-before offered electives, and most importantly, we strive to make the material fun and interesting.

We’re long-time fans of Khan.  Started in 2009, Khan pioneered a great way to deliver K-12 instruction efficiently, enabling remote learning. That being said, Khan delivers the SAME content that has been around forever... just better. In other words, Algebra is still Algebra... but video is more engaging and usually better than text.
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Shortly after Khan Academy was founded, Nexbooks’ founder Ryan Teves wrote a book titled “In Defense of the American Teen”.  One of the key tenets of the book is that if students are allowed to pursue their passions, they will (1.) Do better and (2.) Enjoy school more.  So, we’ve leveraged the Big Idea of offering on-line video-based instruction, and improved it in a few ways.  The longer answer to the question is:

1. While Nexbooks also uses the video-based delivery model, we are more concerned that the information is relevant and engaging, even “fun”.  This helps to address the #1 problem that kids have with school – boredom.
2. Rather than focusing on the core baseline subjects, we deliver education that helps each kid find their strength/passion and to begin to be able to specialize at a younger age.
3. We offer complete courses, with self-graded quizzes and with recommended credits.
4. Our topics include never-before offered electives.  Most kids are already trying to pursue their passions, we formalize it and make it part of their school curriculum, so they get credit for doing what they WANT to do.
5. In all cases, we don’t expect the teacher/parent to have any subject-matter expertise, greatly expanding what can be taught.
6. We don’t assume that every learner is preparing for college, that many kids are examining life / career options, or simply want to get school credit for learning what interests them.