SkipCourse LLC

SkipCourse is growing, and adapting. As the founder, I'm sensing a seismic shift in the way this thing works.

Last year, we were fighting for access to schools through the admin desk, asking large companies to let us join as their understudy.

This year, we decided to skip the middle management and go straight to the students and nonprofits who can benefit from letting us help tell their stories. And it's working!

Last week, hackathon competitors used SkipCourse to take a one day project and launch into Invention Convention, while others used their project demo's to land company internships (one with SkipCourse of course), while others are building businesses and expanding their networks.

Next week, SkipCourse is going to find out how it can take a long weekend Entrepreneurship Boot Camp, and transform the student pitches into full launch timelines.

In other words, we've pivoted. We are finding out that the students don't want another self-contained app. They want access. They want connection, mentorship, and opportunity. They want to tell their story, not to take a course.

In a few weeks, we'll be in the Invention Convention. After that, the Fostering Heroes golf tourney. After that, probably another Hackathon. And, with every event, the biggest wins are in finding ways to let the students continue their story, rather than trashing their work to make room for another teacher's assignment. The skills are real, the energy is building, and the opportunities are expanding.

Where does this leave the app? In the center, as our developers rush to catch every success story, and turn it into course credit. Just tonight we started testing out a conversation-based credit tool, that can tell who's talking, and give each person the credit they're due for the ideas they had. On the side, we're exploring opening up AI minigame development by teachers, hosted on SkipCourse. We're building a whole new branch, called YouthLink, piloted by a student, where businesses can tap into the energy and creativity of these kids while they run wild after their dreams of real impact.

It's all coming together, and it's from your support.

https://lnkd.in/gUTVY5G9

Hackathon was a hit! The community showed it, and the credits prove it.

The CodeHatch brought in 40 students, and their parents, from BASIS, public schools, and even a few homeschool students, and wow, those kids can code! At the end, they were invited to drop their projects into SkipCourse, and logged 349 State Standards in one day! That's 8x the normal upskilling rate, if those skills aren't already in their transcript. If you'd like to see what that number is like when we compare to their transcripts, help us continue to develop the system, and run more events!

If you're curious about how this fits with ESA funding: Our Standards Matching is approved as curriculum evidence by ESA for reimbursements for equipment, curriculum, and tutoring categories!

Hackathon is ON!

Today we have about 50 High School students competing for prizes based on the depth, quality, creativity, and impact of a brand new site, app, or game they're building...run by a High School student learning in live time how businesses work...mentored by ASU Capstone students learning how to drive UI development with live testing!

See the action in the photos. We have baked in students teaching students a way that can't happen in siloed courses.

If you want to see more of this happen, let us know through our GoFundMe! https://gofund.me/9d727a3f6

CodeHatch Hackathon is tomorrow!

If your High Schooler is into coding, apps, websites, or competing, we still have spots open to compete: https://codehatch.org/frostbyte/

Thanks to ASU, AYA, BASIS Charter, EZAMU, CodeHatch, and more for helping us get this event together!

If you're into building citywide infrastructure to capture student learning, and give students agency over how and what they learn (like running a business giving hackathons for other students), check out our GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/567ecdc8d

If your student is frustrated with course structures, and would rather work with a team to build their own education path, email me at [email protected]

Or...if you're curious how we're doing all these things, check out how we build transcripts with AZ State Standards out of any learning experience at www.skipcourse.com

Either way, you're welcome to come to ASU SkySong, Suite 151 tomorrow, and see the competitors building their own path to victory, one vibe code challenge at a time!

SkipCourse is now sponsoring and supporting three independent High School teams build businesses for course credits!

Thanks to the supporters behind our GoFundMe page, we are able to provide technical support, financial backing, and business clout to young entrepreneurs as they try out leapfrogging the education system for their dreams.

If you'd like to be part of our grass-roots, student-driven, AI-as-the-LMS efforts to transform education, sponsor us at https://gofund.me/c87319412

We'll share details of the success stories as a thank you for helping us scale.

Thank you!

Donate to Help students get life experience on their transcript., organized by Karl Ernsberger Students are learning, building, and creating every day, but to… Karl Ernsberger needs your support for Help students get life experience on their transcript.

💡 How does SkipCourse turn student work into real, transferable credit?

It’s all thanks to our four-step neural net approach:
1️⃣ Upload any work
2️⃣ Filter + assess against real standards
3️⃣ Match to courses
4️⃣ Auto-populate transcripts for credit

From photos to essays to videos, SkipCourse turns learning into recognition — powered by AI, designed by educators, and built for you.

✨ Credit for what you’ve already learned.
🔁 Without repeating.
📚 Without gatekeeping.

📌 Big things are happening at SkipCourse!
From new partnerships to powerful pilot programs, we’re building a platform that gives students everywhere the ability to earn real credit — faster, smarter, and on their own terms.
🎯 What’s next? More validation, more impact, and more opportunities for learners who’ve been left out for too long.

200 years ago vs. today:

People rode horses vs. people drive cars.
Blacksmiths forged by hand vs. automated manufacturing machinery.
Farmers plowed with oxen vs. GPS-guided tractors.
Telegraph vs. instant messaging.
Local marketplaces vs. global e-commerce.
Paper bank ledgers vs. digital banking and crypto.
Print newspapers vs. real time digital media streams.
Radio broadcasts vs. on-demand streaming platforms.
Artisans handcrafted goods vs. robotic assembly lines.
Gas lamp streets vs. smart LED systems.
Teachers stand in front of class vs. teachers stand in front of class.

It's been the same for 200 years, why change what used to work?

Except this survey from the Maricopa County Superintendents Office says something is wrong.

https://schoolsup.org/retention

I asked Copilot for the list of ten commercial sectors where the buyer and user aren't the same, and a summary of what problems arise in those situations. Education was at the top of his list. Here's what he said:

"1. Education.
Buyer: Parents, school boards, or institutions
User: Students
Problems: Decision-makers often prioritize measurable outcomes (test scores, graduation rates) or cost-effectiveness, while students crave engaging, personalized learning experiences. This misalignment can lead to curricula that meet administrative benchmarks but fall short in inspiring or addressing individual learner needs."

Couldn't have said it better myself. I might add that school district revenue is often based on enrollment and retention, not student outcomes or growth. I wonder what impact that has on school system development?

Teacher Retention Survey — Office of Maricopa County School Superintendent You can edit the text in this area, and change where the contact form on the right submits to, by entering edit mode using the modes on the bottom right. 

Just finished version 1 of our Admin Introduction video. Check it out at

Skipcourse Admin Introduction As an educator and a parent, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges and disparities in our K-12 education system. Traditional grading methods often fail t...