Course community: Discord, Facebook group, Reddit or other

[RonErez]

Hello Everyone, 

A student in my course just requested I create a Discord group. Namely he asked:

"What do you think about creating a course community, for example on Discord or a different platform? I think it would be motivating for some people, being able to share their projects (not only the ones you showed) or find collaborators to create projects with, so it'd have another educational value. As far as I know, programmers usually create projects in groups. It'd be inspiring as well, seeing that others create various things. Udemy has its Q&A section, but I think that many people are not accustomed with using this platform's messaging system, but they know something like Discord much more."

Does anyone have experience with this? I actually thought of making a course Facebook group but perhaps Discord is better for Q&A and sharing projects, etc. I'm not really active on social media besides Reddit. I think this would be an extension of the Udemy platform. There should also be some way to deter self-promotion. I don't want the platform to become a place for annoying promotions. Maybe I could create a dedicated section for promotions although I think this might be a bad idea.

Thanks!

Ron

[MarinaT]

Hi @RonErez, 

I hope you are doing well. Great question!😊

It's amazing that you're considering implementing your students' feedback, as creating groups for learners can indeed foster more personal relationships and potentially boost course promotion.

Determining whether Facebook, Discord, or Reddit is the optimal choice for you isn't easy to answer, as it can also be influenced by your course subject and target audience. For example, Discord or Reddit may be more accessible to young professionals and learners interested in gaming or technology.

While we await input from other instructors regarding their experiences with groups, I encourage you to explore some of the posts here:

Do you run a group for your students? 

5 Tips for building a FB community group 

Facebook Group or Website?

I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions. 

[RonErez]

Hi Marina,

Thank you for your suggestions. I'm open to hearing from other instructors as well. My course focuses on iOS development. Discord appears to be a suitable platform based on the information you provided. I've also reviewed the links you shared.

I plan to include a link to the Discord site in my educational announcements. However, I want to ensure that this doesn't violate any terms set by Udemy. It seems like a straightforward process, but I want to be cautious. Since Discord doesn't require an email for entry, I won't have access to that information, which seems acceptable.

Best regards,
Ron

[MarinaT · Accepted solution]

Hi @RonErez, 

You are very welcome, and I'm happy to hear the provided resources were helpful 😊.

Yes, you can share the link in your educational announcements to guide your learners to your Discord channel. Please note that the link must be freely accessible, easy to access, and should not collect students' personal identifiable information (PII).

If you have more specific questions about the above, I recommend contacting our policy team directly at policy@udemy.com.

I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of success with your course 🍀. 

[RonErez]

Hi Marina,

Excellent, I appreciate the help.I'll get to work on the Discord group.

Best regards,
Ron