What is a Cohort Program?

3 minute read

Have you heard the term cohort program, or cohort learning lately?

This kind of learning approach is growing in popularity thanks to its many benefits. So, let's see what is a cohort program and how you can start one.

What is a Cohort Program: The Meaning

A "cohort" is defined as a group of people who come together for one common reason or some people are treated as a group.

A cohort program is when a group of people (a cohort) comes together to learn and go through the content of an educational program as a group.

You can think of a cohort program as a group of students or classmates that learn together and attend lessons at the same time.

In online education, a cohort program refers to an online course where bathes of students (cohorts or groups) start learning at the same time and go through the content simultaneously.

Benefits of Cohort Programs

Cohort programs offer many advantages.

Like being in a classroom together, online students who take a virtual cohort program can interact with each other through an online platform and build a sense of community as they consume the learning content at the same time.

In fact, one of the key benefits of cohort programs is the community: the group of people who are learning together.

These kinds of learning programs were created based on the idea that people learn more effectively when they study together in groups.

So, the main benefit of a cohort program is that learning is enhanced when people learn as part of a group, or cohort.

Cohort programs create an engaging and dynamic environment for students to expand their knowledge and skills.

Instead of the usual teacher-focused learning, cohort programs gather students to form a community, boost creativity, develop leadership abilities, and promote better progress.

Learn more about cohort-based learning:

Key Features of Online Cohort Programs

Let's compare cohort-based programs (the online ones) with traditional self-paced online courses and explore their similarities:

Start and End Dates: Cohort programs have specific start and end dates, creating a shared learning journey and a sense of togetherness among students.
Pre-Recorded Lessons: Similar to many online courses, cohort and self-paced courses tend to use pre-planned and pre-recorded lessons, ensuring everyone simultaneously covers the same material.
Group Interaction & Community: Cohort learning promotes teamwork and interaction among students within the same group. This is facilitated through online communities, group projects, or live discussions. Cohorts help build a strong community of learners who share common interests, extending connections beyond the course.
Support and Accountability: In cohort learning, students receive support from both the instructor and peers. This offers timely feedback and motivation, creating a sense of responsibility for learning.
Real-time Engagement: Cohort courses might include live classes or interactive sessions, enabling students to engage with instructors and peers in real-time.
Time-Bound Progression: Cohort learners often have specific deadlines and time limits for lessons or assignments, boosting motivation and accountability.

Cohort-based learning has become popular in online education due to its structured and engaging approach compared to self-paced courses.

It not only enhances the learning experience but also nurtures a feeling of belonging and community among students, making the learning journey more enriching for participants.

How to Create a Cohort Program Online

Heights Platform offers a unique tool called "Challenges" that simplifies the management of cohort-based programs.

A Challenge is similar to an online course, but with specific start and end dates. What's interesting is how students access the course materials.

You have the flexibility to establish the availability dates for your Challenge and determine when each lesson will become accessible. Unlike regular courses, in a Challenge, the lessons become unavailable to students after a certain period, which you can adjust as needed.

Every participant who enrolls in your Challenge gains access to the course content and new lessons simultaneously with their fellow students.

Learn more about creating online challenge courses:

The exciting part is that after completing a Challenge, creators using Heights Platform can easily relaunch it with just a single click. You have the freedom to select the launch date for the new challenge, and the system will automatically arrange the lesson dates based on your previous settings.

Running Challenges has become a popular approach for creators to engage their audience. However, before the introduction of this feature in Heights Platform, there wasn't an efficient way to make it hassle-free.

Fortunately, with Heights Platform's Challenge feature, you can easily repeat this process multiple times, streamlining the experience for both creators and participants.

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Post Topics: How We Learn