Edtech startup StraighterLine will soon allow college professors to pitch courses

StraighterLine, the edtech startup that allows students to pay just $99 per month for introductory college courses, will enable “college professors to pitch their own courses” starting in November, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The long-term vision, [founder and CEO Burck] Smith said, is to empower professors — from lecturers to the tenured — to customize Straighterline courses and create an online platform where thousands of students can buy their college education — much like an eBay for college learning. [more]

Smith, who is also responsible for founding Smarthinking, an online tutoring company, originally founded StraighterLine in 2009. In April, StraighterLine raised nearly $10.5 million in equity debt financing, which the company will use “to expand its marketing and outreach to universities across the country,” reports the Baltimore Sun.

Smith believes his company differentiates itself from competitors by offering its students a way to receive credit toward a degree at an inexpensive price. University competitors typically charge the same price for online courses as their offline ones, while other companies aren’t yet able to offer credit. [more]

Last month, Smith’s company completed a move out of its office space on the Eastern Campus of Johns Hopkins University and into new space on Sharp Street, close to Federal Hill.