YouTube Provides New, Ad-Free Player for Classrooms, New In-Stream Courses for Educational Creators

Whether you need help with a home DIY project, or you’re looking for assistance on your math homework, YouTube has become a default education resource for many, with some 93% of YouTube viewers now using the platform to gather information.

Leaning into this, YouTube has today announced a new, dedicated YouTube Player for Education, which will enable educators to display YouTube content without ads via certain third-party platforms, while YouTube’s also giving qualified creators the option to offer free or paid courses directly in-app.

First off, on the new education player – as per YouTube:

“To improve the YouTube experience in educational environments, we’re launching YouTube Player for Education – a new YouTube embedded player that shows content on commonly used education apps without distractions like ads, external links or recommendations.”

That will make it easier for teachers to use YouTube content within their curriculum, and to share relevant links with students without additional disruptions.

YouTube says that it’s partnering with established edtech companies like EDpuzzle, Purdue University and Purdue Global on the initial stages of the initiative, with further expansion planned in the near future.

Worth noting, too, that YouTube is already available via Google Classroom, which is now used by over 150 million students, educators and school leaders around the world. YouTube says that the new Player for Education improves on the Classroom experience, offering enhancements to these users also.

In addition to this, YouTube will now give some creators the opportunity to offer free or paid courses ‘to provide in-depth, structured learning experiences for viewers’.

YouTube’s new courses will be purchasable in-app, providing another avenue for educators to make money from their content.

It’ll also provide a more structured means for users to learn more in-depth skills, matching up rising demand for informational videos with immediately accessible course options.

YouTube will first launch Courses in the US and South Korea, before expanding it to more countries in future. The option will initially only be available to selected YouTube creators.

And finally, YouTube’s also adding Quizzes, which will enable creators to help viewers test their knowledge.

“For example, a math creator who recently posted a series on algebra can create a Quiz on the Community tab to ask their viewers a question related to a concept taught in their latest video.”

Quizzes, as you can see in this example, will also link back to the reference video, providing a more encompassing educational loop to help reinforce key knowledge.

YouTube says that Quizzes will be launched in beta ‘over the coming months’, with all creators who have the Community tab set to be able to access Quizzes next year.

These are some valuable updates, which are especially beneficial in the modern age, where kids are spending more and more of their time online. One of the lasting impacts of the pandemic has been in education, and changing the ways in which students learn, with many now becoming increasingly accustomed to tuning up their classroom skills via YouTube tutorials, where they can find information presented in a way that best connects with their approach.

In this sense, these new course and quiz elements could be hugely beneficial, while improved access for classrooms will also broaden access to key reference and resource material for educators everywhere.