Knowledge Marketplaces: An Analysis of the Influence of Business Models on Instructors’ Motivations and Strategies

Unlike MOOC platforms such as Coursera or edX, which typically partner with institutions of higher education, online knowledge marketplaces allow anyone to broadcast courses and charge for them. In this article, we investigate, through a mixed-method approach, the motivations strategies instructors Udemy Skillshare. Semi-structured interviews quantitative analysis characteristics Skillshare’s courses, obtained using Web scraper, suggest that while significant proportion marketplace’s are outreach driven, majority income driven. They develop maximize their revenues, notably by adapting number videos, business model platform. Courses shorter on Skillshare than Udemy, where instructors’ incomes proportional registrations. We hypothesize latter platform’s incentivizes create longer in order attract wider audiences.