What you need to know
- YouTube announces its new "Player for Education."
- This new player hopes to improve the learning experience viewers gain while searching for information on the platform.
- YouTube will introduce paid or free "Courses" for qualified creators in the coming year.
- Creators will also have the ability to create quizzes for their viewers that may pertain to a recent video.
YouTube's latest additions seek to better help viewers learn while watching videos on the platform.
YouTube posted on its official blog the announcement of its new Player for Education. The video streaming platform is looking to "improve the YouTube experience in educational environments" with this new player. This will be a YouTube embedded player that "shows content on commonly used education apps without distractions." YouTube cited a recent study that said 93% of its viewers reported using the service for informational purposes.
YouTube's Player for Education will begin offering the chance for qualified creators to produce free or paid "Courses" next year. These will be in-depth and structured courses for those searching for an educational experience on a subject.
YouTube explains that viewers who purchase a Course can watch it ad-free and leave it playing in the background. These new Courses will arrive in the United States and South Korea as a beta before the platform expands the feature to more countries.
The platform will also add a new feature that seemingly expands the YouTube polls. Creators will be able to utilize quizzes to better help students. YouTube explains that a creator can post a new quiz in the Community tab of their channel that asks viewers a multiple-choice question.
The new quiz feature will roll out first as a beta in the coming months to creators with access to their Community tab for testing.
YouTube states that education and learning remain top priorities. Google recently expanded its Read Along feature, bringing it to web browsers for easier access. Google also hopes to use YouTube's Player for Education to improve the existing player within Google Classroom, which was also updated earlier this year to provide students with real-time feedback on answers and coaching as they work.
