There are a few other online beekeeping classes. Most are held by entomology departments at universities. I took one of these classes to see how they compared to mine and this is what I found.
A university class by an entomologist will teach you about bee biology and the basics of beekeeping. Once it comes to how to store equipment at your home, make supplies, harvest in your house and varroa mite treatments, that is where these classes lack. These classes are held by scientists that have bees at their job with a university budget. They are not hobby beekeepers and do not have to deal with some of the extra issues that come along with keeping bees at home.
These classes will teach you more about the entomology of bees. So if you really want a diagram of a bee along with all of the body parts labeled or want to learn how to mash up bees and put them under a microscope to see if they have nosema, a university class is for you.
If you're like me and do not plan on spending hundreds of dollars on fancy gadgets that won't help your beekeeping, then my class is better suited for you. Beekeepers are not entomologists and entomologists aren't beekeepers. It really depends on what you're looking to learn.
There are a few private companies that also have a beekeeping course. As far as I'm aware, our class is the only one that offers forever, unlimited access as soon as you sign up and is video-based. Some classes are text-based with no videos and others are a membership-based site where you are "dripped" content every month and lose access once you stop paying the monthly fee. I chose to make the class a one time fee because I believe it's important that you learn the steps before your bees and then rewatch when you have your bees. Simply watching and learning and then ending your membership isn't the best way to use an online course.
