Kadenze

What Kadenze is

Kadenze is an online learning platform for art and creative technology. Its own description, repeated in the footer of every page, is that "Kadenze, Inc. partners with leading universities and institutions across the globe to provide world-class online education in the fields of art and creative technology." The homepage puts it more simply: "Join kadenze.com to take online courses from the world's leading universities, brands, and institutions in creative education." It is a learner product. You do not publish courses here as an independent creator; you enroll in courses built by Kadenze's university and brand partners, submit work, and earn certificates, and on some courses college credit.

That university connection is what places Kadenze in two directory categories at once. For a creative learner it is a catalog of courses in art and creative technology. For someone comparing MOOC-style providers, it is a platform where the courses come from institutions, carry certificates, and in select cases count for credit at the institution that offers them. The homepage has a "University & Brand Partners" section and an "All Partners" page, and a community line that says Kadenze has been "A community of learners growing together for over 7 years."

Three ways to learn

The catalog page splits the offer into three formats.

Courses are the core. They are "Developed by top-tier universities and industry partners," and a Premium membership opens every course in the library, along with the ability to submit assignments and earn certificates, "for just $20/month." Courses can be filtered by subject and by level. Some run with a cohort: the course interface asks whether you want to wait until "your cohort starts or jump right in," so you can either start with a group on a set date or begin straight away. Some advanced courses have prerequisites, and the platform locks them until you hold a certificate in each of the earlier courses, which builds a natural sequence through a subject.

Programs bundle several related courses into a specialization. The catalog says "Becoming an expert requires a highly tuned curriculum connecting multiple related courses," and that Programs include exclusive courses from university and industry partners, meant to help you "master your subject and develop the skills you need to transform your career or accelerate your studies." A Program ends in a Specialist Certificate, and some Programs offer optional college credit. Programs are bought separately from the membership, at prices that "vary based on program and credit-eligibility," and buying a Program comes with 1 free month of Kadenze Premium.

Micro-courses are the short format: a selected catalog of "short, easily digestible courses, independently developed by educators, creative professionals, and industry experts in a variety of creative subjects." The catalog page calls them "Bite-sized Courses in Hot Topics from Industry Professionals." They suit a learner who wants one technique rather than a full term of study.

What learning on Kadenze is like

The features page describes the learning environment. Lectures come "across videos, animations, demonstrations, and interviews," and lessons are built to be "fully optimized mobile friendly," so you can follow a course on a phone or tablet as well as a computer. Every course has forums to "Discuss lessons, coursework, and important announcements," and a set of interactive tools called Kadenze Connect lets you "collaborate with your peers, share valuable feedback, showcase your work, and stay up to date on all your courses."

The part that matters most for creative work is that you submit it. Premium members hand in assignments and "receive grades and feedback," and build a portfolio on the platform with its "professional portfolio building tools." The site also has a Gallery section alongside the catalog. Kadenze calls the whole setup "A Global Classroom," where "students from all over the world can inspire one another to learn and grow together." For an art or creative technology course, that combination of assignment, feedback and a visible body of work is closer to a studio class than to a video library.

Signing up takes an email address or an existing Facebook, Google, Microsoft or Clever login, and the sign-up form accepts a coupon code.

Premium membership and price

Kadenze has one membership, Premium, at "$20 USD a month." The pricing page lists what it includes: enrolling in courses, access to the exclusive lessons in each course, earning "a Certificate of Accomplishment in every course and share with the world using a verified link," submitting assignments for grades and feedback, forum discussions, collaborating with peers, building a portfolio, and the right to enroll in Programs and credit-eligible courses (both at extra cost). Premium members also "gain access to exclusive discounts on course materials like software."

New members can start with 7 days of Premium free: "Pay nothing today, and cancel anytime." The catalog page frames the trial as a way to start courses free, open their additional content and earn a certificate. One limit is stated plainly on the pricing page: Premium is "Not available for purchase in India."

There is also a referral offer, "Give $10, get $10": a friend you invite gets $10 in Premium membership credit, and you get $10 in credit once they sign up for Premium.

College credit

College credit is the feature that sets Kadenze apart from most creative course sites. The pricing page says "Kadenze has partnered with leading academic institutions to offer select courses for actual college credit," and that "Upon completion, these rigorous college-level courses will provide credits that are recognized by the institutions that offer them." Credit costs extra, with "additional fees calculated based on the number of credits enrolled in," and there is a separate list of credit-eligible courses. The page is careful about what credit means: "Participation in these courses does not represent an acceptance decision or admission from the institution that offers them." In other words, you earn credit from that institution for that course, and whether it counts anywhere else is a question for the school you plan to use it at.

Institutions and business

Kadenze also works with organizations. Every page invites institutions to get in touch ("Kadenze is always looking for new partners"), and the footer links to a For Business page and an accessibility statement. The footer also notes that "Kadenze and Kannu are trademarks of Kadenze, Inc."

Who it suits

Kadenze suits creative learners who want structured courses from universities and industry partners, with real assignments and feedback, at a single monthly price. It fits a student who wants college credit for a creative course, an artist exploring creative technology, and a working creative who wants to add a skill through a Program or a Micro-course and keep the results in a portfolio.

It suits less a learner in India, where Premium cannot be bought, or someone who only wants free video lessons, since grading, certificates and the exclusive lessons sit behind the membership.