In addition to our standard class format, learn about some other class formats that teachers are experimenting with in our community.

In this article:

• Standard Class
• Short-form Class
• Challenge Class

Our Class Quality Guidelines outline our minimum expectations for classes on Skillshare, but there’s plenty of room to try something new! Below are a few formats we encourage for your teaching on Skillshare.

Standard Class

On average, a standard class on Skillshare includes 20-60 minutes of pre-recorded video content broken down into a series of short, 2- to 8-minute videos. The majority of classes on Skillshare fall into this type. To be considered complete, all standard classes must include:

• An introduction and a conclusion video.
• A class project that can be posted in the project gallery section.
• Several lessons that match what the teacher has included in the description for the class.

Outline Your Class shares our recommended approach for how to structure a standard class so it covers all of the required elements.

Short-form Class

A short-form class is a variation where we’ve relaxed some of the requirements in place for standard classes. To be considered complete, all classes of this type:

• Must be between 2 and 15 minutes in length.
• Must include a class project that can be posted in the project gallery section.
• Can consist of one short lesson or several. You do not need to include an introduction or conclusion video for short-form classes.

Short-form classes are a great opportunity to offer a quick tutorial, experiment in a new topic area, or use as lead generation to point to your other offerings on Skillshare. Here are a few examples:

• Sha'an D'Anthes, Palette Hunting: Finding and Crafting Impactful Colour Palettes
• Top Teacher Esther Nariyoshi, Quick iPad Patterns: Create A Simple Seamless Repeat Pattern with Procreate
• Paul Oxborrow, Layer Masks Made Easy: Using Shapes in Adobe Photoshop
• Top Teacher Fred Trevino, 5 min Cinematography Tip: 7 Shot Rule for Content Creators
• Top Teacher Ohn Mar Win, Instagram for Artists: How to Optimize Your Profile to Grow Your Creative Business

Challenge Class

A challenge class is another variation on a standard class. The overall structure is the same as a standard class, but centered on multiple projects (generally one per day) so the class is completed over a set time frame.

Challenge classes are great for providing multiple opportunities for practice, incentivizing engagement around projects, and goal-setting — it can be really meaningful to create a space for a student to commit to a learning goal and then give them incremental ways to achieve it.

For a challenge class, you’ll want to create a class outline that supports the number of projects you’re offering in the class, i.e. one video lesson per project, and specific instructions for how students should complete each project. From there, there are two ways you can launch a challenge class:

• launching all the lessons all at once so the class is offered on-demand from the start, or
• offering the class in a “cohort model” right after launch, and then transition to an on-demand model.

For the cohort model, here’s how it works: the teacher will upload their introduction lesson, a basic overview of what to expect in the class, and a lesson covering the first project upon class launch. Then, for each day of the challenge, they will publish a new lesson covering the next project, and so on, until the end of the challenge. Once all of the lessons are shared in the class, the class is fully complete and can be enjoyed on-demand like any other class.

Keep in mind the cohort model is generally more successful among teachers who have large followings on Skillshare to encourage a critical mass of students to take the class at the same time, and are willing to continuously engage with the group of students while the cohort is in session.

Sharing a few more tips to ensure your challenge class is a success:

• Choose a realistic time frame. Common time frames are 7, 14, or 30 days, but some teachers offer classes that are shorter or longer. Ultimately, it’s your choice, and it depends on the topic and skill being taught and how many projects you choose to offer.
• Label it as a challenge class. Signaling to your audience, our Moderation team, and to Skillshare’s search algorithms that you’re offering a challenge class is key to differentiating it from other classes you teach. Consider adding the time frame for the class (whether it’s 7, 10 or 30 days), and “challenge” to the class title so you’re clearly articulating the structure of the class up front; you may want to add specific written instructions for each project on the Projects & Resources tab as well.
• Consider how students will share their projects. Multiple project uploads are not supported on Skillshare at this time, so for a challenge class, you’ll need to direct your students to start a project and then update that project over time. We’ve got specific instructions here that you can share with your students: How do I post and edit a project?

Here are a few examples of successful challenge classes covering a range of topics:

• Top Teacher Jutta Schneider, Improve Your Drawing For Good - A 10-Day Drawing Challenge to Train Muscles And Brain
• Emma Gannon, Digital Decluttering: 11 Days to Organize, Simplify and Streamline Your Online Life
• Top Teacher Dylan Mierzwinski, Illustrated Journaling: 14 Days of Prompts
• Mike Dee, 21 Days of Purposeful Productivity: Forming Habits for Long Term Goals
• Top Teacher Tom Froese, Drawing Is Important: Develop a Sketchbook Habit in 30 Days
• Top Teacher Zaneena Nabeel, 30 Day Watercolor Challenge: Learn to Paint 30 Bold and Beautiful Skies
• Top Teacher Geethu Chandramohan, 100 Day Project with Watercolours - Practice Your Way Into an Expert