We’re happy you’re interested in becoming a Academy instructor. At Academy you can teach what you know, or teach what you love, and millions of students are waiting, eager to learn.
Below are answers to the most frequently asked questions we receive regarding how to become an instructor.
Can I teach a course on any topic?
You are free to choose the topic you wish to teach on Academy . Please refer to our restricted topic list, however, for details on the topics that we do not accept.
Do I have to pay any fees in order to become an instructor?
There is no fee to be an instructor on Academy. Instructors are paid according to a revenue share model outlined here. When a student buys your course on our marketplace, revenue is shared between you and Academy, according to our revenue share model.
What approval do I need to get started?
No approval is needed to get started. You can start creating your course via this link. Please note, in order to create paid courses, you’ll need an active PayPal or Stripe account.
Before your course is published on our platform it will need to meet our course minimum requirements, which can be viewed here.
How will I get paid?
Instructors can connect a PayPal or Stripe account to their Academy account. You are paid on a monthly basis (more details on our payment schedule for instructors can be read here).
What’s the general structure of a Academy course? What is the primary teaching method?
A standard Academy course is video-based. Courses must have at least 30 minutes of video content and at least 5 lectures or learning modules. Additional teaching tools (like assignments, quizzes, and coding exercises, etc) can be added to create a rich learning experience for students.
For courses regarding certification preparation, we also offer instructors the ability to create a Practice Test course. These courses are comprised solely of practice questions (more info can be viewed here).
Are there any requirements that my course must meet?
Yes. Courses must have at least 30 minutes of video content and at least 5 lectures or learning modules.
In order to ensure that students have great learning experiences, we also have a Quality Review Process that every course goes through. For more information on this please click here.
How do I get my course materials on your site?
Since we function primarily as an on-demand, video-based platform, you’ll need to upload your video files directly to Academy . In other words, students must be able to view your course lectures on the Academy platform.
Does Academy retain exclusive rights to my course if I sell it on your platform?
No. Our marketplace model means that when you publish a course on our platform, you retain all the rights to your content. You simply grant us a license to host the course and make it available to our users, and to advertise your course on our platform and on third party services.
These license terms are outlined in detail in Academy’s instructor terms. You can also offer your course on other services, but we ask that your course is never offered for a lower price than on Academy. Note that if your course is included in the Academy for Business content collection, per the Promotions Policy, there may be additional distribution restrictions.
Can you tell me more about the existing demand for my course topic on Academy?
With our Marketplace Insights tool, we offer robust reporting on student demand, search volume, and revenue for a particular topic to help you decide what course to teach. If no data exists for a topic you’re searching, it likely means that there’s an opportunity to fill this gap in the Digital Treed Academy marketplace and you should get started right away.
While success as an instructor on Academy is not guaranteed, this tool offers some powerful data to help you make your decision.
Will Digital Treed Academy promote my course?
As an instructor, you have the option to enroll in the Academy Deals Program, which is made up of two marketing channels that spotlight your course(s) in different ways. For more information on the program, please click here.
Enrolling in the Digital Treed Academy Deals Program gives Academy the option to promote your course, at a discount. Selection for promotion is not guaranteed.
In addition, we provide instructors with extensive articles, resources and features at Academy to help you effectively market your course(s). To learn more, please click here.
Can I teach a course in this language?
You can teach a course in English Only.
Do I have to use my real name to teach a course?
In order to maintain the integrity of our learning community, we do before publishing any courses on the site. Instructors are free, however, to use a pen name or pseudonym in their instructor profile. You are not required to display your legal name.
How do I create a Academy course?
This section includes extensive resources on how you can create a Academy course and get started.
