TOOLS & IDEAS TO TRANSFORM EDUCATION.

Virtual Reality For Schools

Transform Your Classroom with ClassVR Virtual Reality
Technology.

ClassVR Learn More

TOPICS Resource Library Magazine Advertise T&L Contests AI Webinars Grants What to Buy

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

How-to > Classroom Tools

What is Khan Academy?

By Luke Edwards published August 06, 2021

The Khan Academy offers free online courses to help students

learn from anywhere


(Image credit: Khan Academy)

Khan Academy was launched with the goal of getting quality education to more
and more children across the planet. It does this by offering free-to-use online
learning resources for all.

Created by former financial analyst Salman Khan, it offers access to more than
3,400 instructional videos as well as quizzes and interactive software to help
elementary, middle, and high school students learn. It can be used both in and
outside of the classroom since it's free and easily accessible from almost any
device with a browser.

While the Khan Academy website was initially created to bring learning to those
that either couldn't afford or didn't have access to education, it's now grown into
a powerful resource used by many schools as a teaching aid.

Sponsored Links

This Simple Trick Will Block All Ads On Your Windows

Safer Online Tips Learn More
 Write
Read on to find out everything you need to know Sharper
about and Work
Khan Academy for Smarter With This Writing
teachers and students. T l

Best Tools for Teachers

New Teacher Starter Kit

What is Khan Academy?

Khan Academy is primarily a website chock full of useful content for learning,
organized by grade level, making it an easy way to advance in line with the
curriculum. The course materials cover math, science, art history, and more.

The idea behind the academy is also to help students learn based on their
abilities. It isn't age-based, as grades in schools are, and so the extra optional
learning platform allows those ahead or behind to advance further or catch up
at their own pace.

Khan Academy helps students that struggle with a topic to become more
proficient. It also allows those who enjoy a topic to learn even more, driven by
their enjoyment. This should help pupils to specialize and find themselves doing
more of what they enjoy. An ideal start in finding a future career.

There is also a service for younger learners from ages two to seven, available in
the app, Khan Academy Kids.

(Image credit: Khan Academy)

How does Khan Academy work?
Khan Academy uses videos, readings, and interactive tools to teach students.
Since Khan himself is from a math background, the academy still provides very
strong math, economics, STEM, and finance resources. It now also offers
engineering, computing, arts, and humanities. Plus, there is test and career prep,
and English language arts.

Another benefit is that there is no limit on the number of courses that can be
taken. Classes are divided into useful subsections, such as precalculus or U.S.
history, for example.

Materials are available in multiple languages, so more students can be learning

the same course materials. Aside from English, other supported languages
include Spanish, French, and Brazilian Portuguese.

(Image credit: Khan Academy)

What are the best Khan Academy features?

One very powerful feature of Khan Academy is its ability to offer AP courses for
college credit. These Advanced Placement courses allow high school students to
complete a college course before they have paid for university. Then, by taking
an exam at the end, they can earn course credit that can be used in their college.
While Khan Academy handles the teaching, the exam needs to be taken
wherever its officially given for that school.

While courses are laid out in a way to teach before testing, using quizzes, it is
possible to skip ahead if you've already covered an area. A great feature that
keeps everything feeling fresh and exciting.

Videos, many by creator Khan himself (who initially started this platform to tutor
his nephew), are shot on a virtual background in which notes are written. This
allows for both audio and visual input to support learning.

Some very impressive specific videos made by great resources are available. For
example, there is a TED Ed-made video, one by UNESCO, and another made by
The British Museum.

The gamification side of learning uses quizzes, which are usually multiple choice.
All that data is then collated and can be viewed. This includes time spent
watching videos, reading text, and scores on quizzes. You earn points as you
progress and even get badges as rewards.

How much does Khan Academy cost?

Khan Academy, quite simply, is free. It's a nonprofit organization with a mission
to "provide a free, world‑class education for anyone, anywhere." So don't expect
it to start charging.

You don't even need to make an account or provide any of your personal
information to start using the resources. However, creating an account does
make it easier to track progress and to share learning history with a teacher,
guardian, or fellow pupil.

Best Tools for Teachers

New Teacher Starter Kit