How education is offered has changed drastically in the last few years ! 

Technology has developed rapidly, and with it, different methods for the delivery of education and courses.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to even more changes, with education being offered online for many.

These changes have meant that distance learning is no longer considered a second-rate way of giving and receiving education. It has finally been realised that distance education can be a flexible and effective way of teaching and learning.

• Do you feel passionate about teaching and educating others?
• Are you looking for new ways to offer courses?
• Do you want to run a profitable business?
• Do you have business or marketing skills from a previous career or role ?  These can easily be transitioned into running an online school ! 

If you can answer yes to these questions, why not turn that passion into a profitable online business?

ACS Distance Education offers over 700 distance and online learning courses and a wide range of eBooks and self-study courses. that are available for our affiliates to sell through their own branded websites.  We are an excellent example of an online school model offering various courses covering different topics.  

We have a wide range of topics from agriculture to horticulture to permaculture to zoology to creative writing to environmental courses and much more.

We offer 100 hour courses with tutor support. Twenty-hour self-study courses and eBooks. 

These courses and eBooks are available for people to set up their own online school.

Growth in the Education Industry – There has been a massive growth in the education sector as a result of COVID and changes in technology.  It is estimated that there will be a 50% growth in e-learning from 2020 to 2026, with an estimated market of US $50 - 250 billion.  ACS Distance Education has been offering distance learning courses since 1979. We have developed new technologies and methods of offering education. We know what doesn’t work, and what does!  Benefit from our excellent courses and substantial experience in distance education..

Sustainable Business Model – It is estimated that people will now change career, on average, 20 times in their lifetimes. Lifelong learning is also essential for promotion and development in a career. This means that there is a continual requirement for people to educate themselves throughout their lifetimes. Education does not stop at school anymore. Education is a lifelong process, which means that people will want that education in a way that is flexible and suitable for them. This means that ACS Distance Education offers a sustainable business model. People want education and we offer high quality education in a way that fits in around them and their lifestyle. By setting up your own online school with ACS DE, you can also develop a sustainable business.

Niche Model – We offer many niche courses. If you look online now, you will see literally hundreds of the same courses being offered. We offer general courses, but also offer very niche courses that are often not easily available elsewhere. This means that customers will come to your school to improve their knowledge in specialist and niche areas that they cannot get elsewhere.   You can choose to set up a general school offering all of our courses. Or you might want to start off with a niche model to suit you and your interests, or to fit in with existing products and services you offer. For example, you might want to offer courses in animal and pet care, to fit around pet care services you already offer.

The World are your Potential Students - Who are your potential students?  You can offer courses for –

• Younger people in school, college, university or education generally
• Staff training for organisations
• People who may not have enjoyed education can find a new way of learning in an enjoyable and interesting way.
• People who want to improve their knowledge and skills in a certain topic or area.
• People who want to study for fun and interest.
• People starting a new career.
• Mature students who want to study for interest and to expand their knowledge.
• People who want to set up a new business.
• Basically, anyone with an interest in studying!

 Decide on the type of school you would like to start 

ACS offers a range of different options to suit your needs -

• Selling 20 hour, automated courses and eBooks.
• Offering 100 hour courses and certificates with tutor support.
• Both

And if you want a –

• Niche college, offering courses in a particular area.
• Offer all of our courses.

Decide on the course content and the content provider you want to use.

When deciding who to use for their course content, consider –

• Do they update their courses regularly? ACS DE does. We update our courses regularly as a matter of routine. We also respond immediately to any feedback from our students, staff and affiliates and update our courses accordingly.
• Do they offer a wide range of courses and other educational products that suit your requirements? ACS DE does. We offer over 700 courses and dozens of eBooks in a wide range of topics.
• Do they offer good customer service? Our customer service is excellent. Our administration staff and tutors are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and keen to help.
• Are they experienced in offering distance education? A lot of providers are offering distance education today, but that does not mean that they are experienced and knowledgeable about offering distance education, so choose someone who has been around for a while and knows their stuff. ACS DE has been around since 1979!

Setting up the Business Side of Things

You need to consider -

• Do you need to set up or expand your existing website? You may need to purchase a domain name.
• Do you have social media set up to promote your product? What about paid social media advertising?/
• How will you be paid? There are different payment gateways available such as Paypal and Stripe, but you need to find one that suits you.
• Set up automated responses and email templates. You want a uniform style of responding as this is essential to present a positive and business-like image.
• Find out more about analytics on your website and social media. Analytics are essential for online learning systems, accounting software, google analytics and so on. 
• How to connect your accounting software, such as Quickbooks and Xero to your sales and enrolments.

Developing Online Services

When offering education to students, you need to ensure that there is 

• A protected students’ area to house your courses, so a secure learning management system.
• A storefront from which to promote and sell your services.
• A separate and secure administration area.

So, consider that ACS can help you to set up your online educational services .    Some content providers require you to find your own LMS (learning management system).  ACS Distance Education offers an LMS so there are no unexpected extra expenses.  Our LMS is also regularly updated. The updates are instant. As soon as a change is made and uploaded, it is available to our affiliates.  You can view an example of our LMS .   

It is better to go with a hosted online platform. ACS DE has developed their own LMS from scratch to fit specifically with the requirements of running an online education business. This allows you to launch a fully functional school without having to input thousands of pieces of information or writing code to get started.

You then simply upload your courses.

Marketing your School

When you have set up your school, you need to market it. There are many ways to do this –

• Through social media – this can be through paid and unpaid advertising, developing relationships with potential students.
• Networking – through networking events both face to face and online.
• Paid print and online advertising, such as Google Adwords, Facebook adverts etc.
• Joining industry organisations to promote your courses.
• Email outs and mail out.

It can feel overwhelming deciding to set up an online school. There is a lot to think about but ACS DE is there to help you every step of the way. We have been doing this for 43 years and we know what we are doing.

We offer a great business model that is easily broken down into small steps that we can guide you through to start your own online school.     You can start off with all of our courses or start off small in a niche area and grow your confidence and business!