Teachers, professors and subject matter experts try so hard to create online classes for students, but they are often unable to streamline this job and monetize their intellectual property.
This is when UHarvest steps into the light. UHarvest is a curri- culum sharing portal that allows educators to create unique classes and learning paths with a selection of video-content, quizzes, interactive elements, slideshows, worksheets, down- loadables, and other types of content.
When we began working on UHarvest, there were very few ways for professors and subjects matter experts in academia to make money on their original content
Professors work so hard to create online classes for students, but they are unable to take those assets and put them to work. As a result, those assets and potential profits lie dormant.
We worked with Rd. Jon Rust to create a content sharing portal that allows content creators and subject matter experts to monetize their original academic content by selling it to other learning institutions in need or unique classes.
Purchasing institutions simply register for the classes they want, enter the number students per class and pay with a credit card.
Universities have Learning Management Systems (LMS’s) in place that allow them to upload material and to provide it online to their students. These LMSs are adequate at what they do, but the vast majority do not provide a way for professors to sell their classes as a turnkey product.
There is a common perception in academia that the LMS is king, and that anything that even comes close to handling online material for the university falls within its sole jurisdiction.
UHarvest does not attempt to replace any features within a university’s LMS. UHarvest is not an eLearning or distance learning program. UHarvest is designed specifically for professors to have a user-friendly way to monetize their hard work by selling it to OTHER universities and learning institutions that have an academic need.
UHarvest brings money to professors and simultaneously meets the educational needs of other academic institutions through its curriculum-sharing portal.
We aim to expand usage of UHarvest by partnering with universities, subject matter experts, and original academic content creators to sell their online classes.
The NCSU UHarvest portal was built in 2015 as a proof of concept for North Carolina State University. The Zeis Textiles Extension currently shares textiles classes with universities in countries across multiple continents.