The Teaching Company

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Some of the course materials produced by The Teaching Company, July 2013

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A former company logo

The Teaching Company, doing business as The Great Courses Plus, formerly Wondrium, is a media production company which produces educational, video, and audio content in the form of courses, documentaries, and series. The company distributes their content globally through a mix of direct-to-consumer models, such as their streaming service Wondrium.com and TheGreatCourses.com, as well as distribution through third party platforms like the Apple TV app, Audible, Amazon Prime, and Roku.<ref name=":13">Template:Cite web</ref>

The Teaching Company, founded by Tom Rollins in 1990, changed its name to The Great Courses and then to Wondrium, It is currently owned by Brentwood Associates PE and is headquartered in Chantilly which is west of Fairfax, Virginia.

History

In 1990, the company was founded by Thomas M. Rollins, former chief counsel of the United States Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.<ref name=CJ>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="katebales">Template:Cite news</ref> He had been inspired by a 10-hour video-taped lecture series by Irving Younger which he watched to prepare for an exam while at Harvard Law School. He never forgot the series and wanted to share the experience with others.<ref name="twsNYT11">Template:Cite web</ref> He recruited professors and experts to record lectures, with the first courses covering psychology, political theory, and Shakespeare.<ref name="CJ" /><ref name="twsNYT11"/>

By 2000, the company was well-established, with about $20 million (USD) in annual revenue.<ref name=CJ/> In October 2006, the company was acquired by Brentwood Associates, a private equity investment firm.<ref name="NYT2013">Template:Cite news</ref> After the acquisition over 6,000 hours of content were digitized, and the number of courses circulated rose from 20 million to 70 million.<ref name="twsNYT11" /><ref name="NYT2013" /> Sales increased more than 35% the first year and continued to grow at a double-digit pace.<ref name="NYT2013" /> The company added indirect distribution channels like Netflix and Audible to their business model in 2013.<ref name="twsNYT11" />

The company introduced its online subscription service in 2015 called The Great Courses Plus, which gave consumers streaming access to the majority of The Great Courses content library through a web browser or iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV app.<ref name="twsNYT11" /><ref name=":6">Template:Cite news</ref> A year later, it introduced The Great Courses Signature Collection, a subset of Great Courses content offered as a subscription video service through third party platforms like Comcast, Apple TV, and Roku Channels.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":14" />

In 2016, the firm earned $150 million in annual revenue.<ref name="twsNYT11" /> In April 2021, the company announced the rebranding of its global streaming platform from the Great Courses Plus to Wondrium.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Along with the rebranding, the company announced 1,000 hours of new content sourced from licensing agreements with Kino Lorber, MagellanTV, and Craftsy.<ref name=":0" /> In 2024, the company abandoned the Wondrium name and rebranded again, changing the name back to The Great Courses Plus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As of 2021, it included over 7,500 hours of content in the format of documentaries, independent films, docuseries, short-form series, featurettes, courses, and tutorials.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> There are over 1,200 titles with more than 26,000 lectures.<ref name=":0" />

Content

The Great Courses Plus produces educational video and audio content with the promise of learning outcomes.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref> The Wondrium line of content, while also educationally focused, focuses on learning experiences outside of the influence of traditional university curriculum and takes other forms of content outside of courses such as documentaries, docuseries, and travelogues.<ref name=":0" /> The Great Courses line of content typically features University level experts and professors presenting in-depth learning across multiple lectures. Courses are developed by the experts and the company's production team.<ref name=":4" /> Many of the programs' episodes are around thirty minutes.<ref name=":4" />

The production quality of the courses is "a cut above" free courses offered on YouTube, according to a report in The New York Times.<ref name="twsNYT11" /> President and CEO of Wondrium, Paul Suijk, said that the company is the "Netflix of learning."<ref name="twsNYT11" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Content covers different subjects and categories such as science, math, economics, literature, language, history, religion, philosophy, fine arts, music, better living, health, wellness, how-to courses, personal enrichment, hobbies and leisure, and travel.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":3" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":0" /> The company has partnerships with The Culinary Institute of America, the Smithsonian Institution, the Mayo Clinic, National Geographic, Penguin Random House, Scientific American, and others.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="twsNYT11" /><ref name=":6" /> Self-described fans include Bill Gates and George Lucas, who delivered taped opening remarks to a Great Courses conference in 2015.<ref name=":6" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Professors and experts

Most programs are delivered by experts in their respective field.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite web</ref> The lectures often involve computer graphics and animations; some offer an optional PDF guidebook to serve as a custom-made textbook for the course.<ref name=":9" />

Audio-only titles available through Audible

While many of The Great Courses titles are available through Audible under The Great Courses brand, the company also produces a line of audio-only titles exclusively for the Audible Originals brand. As of 2022, the company had produced over 75 of those titles including:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":8">Template:Cite web</ref>

• The Life and Times of Beethoven
• Falling in Love with Romance Movies
• Raising Curious Kids

Distribution

The Great Courses Plus

The Great Courses Plus is the company's direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service that offers most of what The Great Courses produces as well as additional licensed non-fiction content from select partners.<ref name=":1" /> The streaming service is distributed globally.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2021, it offered about 7,500 hours of content with three pricing options: a monthly plan, a quarterly plan, and an annual plan.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> It is available on mobile, web, and platforms including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, iOS, and Android.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> Wondrium offers both video streaming and audio streaming.<ref name=":0" />

The Great Courses Signature Collection

The Great Courses Signature Collection is the second streaming subscription service offered by the company that is distributed by third parties, including Comcast, Roku Channels, Amazon Channels, YouTube, and Apple TV, and focuses specifically on The Great Courses line of content.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":14">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> It contains a limited portion of the total count of Wondrium, and The Great Courses produces and releases it relative to the Wondrium streaming service. This collection consists of more than 300 courses on subjects such as philosophy, ancient and modern history, photography, professional development, science and cooking.<ref name=":3" /> As of 2024, courses are offered both through a subscription to The Great Courses library and for individual purchase.

Audible

In 2013, courses were made available through Audible under the Great Courses brand.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="twsNYT11" /> In 2019, the two companies announced their plan to create new audio-only nonfiction titles.<ref name=":8" /> The first three titles were Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories: What We Should Believe - and Why, Medieval Myths and Mysteries, and No Calculator? No Problem!: Mastering Mental Math.<ref name=":8" />

Great Courses (TheGreatCourses.com)

The titles are available to purchase digitally, audio or video, or on DVD.<ref name=":7">Template:Cite web</ref> Customers can choose from over 1,200 titles in subject categories including the arts, science, literature, self-improvement, history, music, philosophy, theology, economics, mathematics, business, professional advancement, photography, and cooking.<ref name=":7" />

True History

True History is a Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) channel<ref name="GetNews">Template:Cite web</ref> and it features over 650 hours of nonfiction programming from Wondrium. It is available through SelectTV (FreeCast) Roku, Xumo, and other services.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="GetNews"/>

Wondrium Journeys

Wondrium Journeys are immersive vacations "designed to bring the company's vast collection of travel courses, videos, documentaries, and series to life."<ref name=":15">Template:Cite web</ref> The first vacation was a 9-day, 8-night trip inspired by the company's course Exploring the Mayan World. The vacations are usually in Europe.<ref name=":15" />

Awards

Regional Emmy Award

Going to the Devil: The Impeachment of 1868 (Nominee, 2020)<ref name=":4" />

Buzzies Award

• Mind-Blowing Science - Season 1 (Nominee, 2021: Science/Long-form) <ref name=":10">Template:Cite web</ref>
• John Lewis: Witness to History  (Nominee, 2021: History/Short-format) <ref name=":10" />
• Black Inventors: Hair Care and Madame C.J. Walker (Winner: Best History Program/Content—one-off or series—short -short-format) <ref name=":12">Template:Cite web</ref>

Webby Award

• John Lewis: Witness to History (Winner, 2021: People's Choice Documentary in History) <ref name=":10" />

AIBs Award

• Solving for Zero (Winner, 2022: Science and Technology - TV/Video)<ref name=":12" />

Bibliography

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External links

• Wondrium
• The Great Courses