Khan Academy, created by Sal Khan in 2008, is a non-profit organization focused on education. The organization manages a website of the same name that contains thousands of videos, practice questions, and exams for over two dozen different subjects. Starting from kindergarten up until high school and SAT practice, Khan Academy is an invaluable resource for students who may be struggling in certain subjects or who want to get ahead. 

To expand my knowledge by hearing a different perspective, I spoke with Arcadia High School junior and Link Crew Leader Mohammad Hossein Shirmohammadi, to get his input on how and why he believes Khan Academy works.

“I believe that Khan Academy is such an effective and crucial resource for my studies because of the broad variety of topics it covers along with offering free lessons from certified instructors,” he said.

One of the major benefits of Khan Academy is that it is self-paced. Unlike traditional schooling, which adheres to a strict schedule meant to cram as much information in as little time as possible, Khan Academy users can take as long as they need to learn subjects. A concept that may only be given one day to be taught in school is broken down and can be learned over the course of a week using Khan Academy. This allows users to effectively absorb the material of a concept, and spend more time practicing it until they feel confident in their ability to solve problems related to the concept. Self-paced learning not only allows for more flexibility in when to learn but also where learning can be done. Each video lesson is short enough that it keeps the attention of the audience, while still explaining all the necessary information needed to grasp a concept.

“Khan Academy’s videos-no more than 20 minutes long- offer a tonal antithesis of what conventional instructors on YouTube use when instructing math and science. Through visualizing each of its lessons, I find that more information is retained in my memory than reading pages off of sleep-inducing school textbooks,” said Shirmohammadi.

Khan Academy’s resources teach beyond regular school subjects. The website offers extensive courses for AP classes and has an entire section dedicated to preparing for exams such as the SAT. These additional educational opportunities make Khan Academy the quintessentially qualified source of personal academic improvement.

For Shirmohammadi, “It is astonishing that I can actually practice verified SAT problems for free without having to pour hundreds of dollars into SAT prep books or classes. You can even submit your PSAT scores to Khan Academy via College Board and they will personalize your questions to match your skill level.” 

Khan Academy has also been implemented into school education as a pilot program meant to see the effects of in-school interaction with the website from students and teachers. The result was an increase in motivation and even excitement to learn, and a closing of the gap between excelling and struggling students, especially in math subjects.

“We saw a significant improvement in this group.  The number of Advanced or Proficient students increased dramatically, from 23% to 41%. This was very heartening.  Usually, the performance gap widens with students who struggle in Math, particularly when they get to more advanced topics like pre-algebra.  The fact that these students were closing the gap was very promising,” stated the website’s recollection of the pilot period.

However, Khan Academy’s vast resources come with a condition. In order for the user to make the most out of the material provided, one must be disciplined in sticking to a schedule that sets aside enough time for effective learning. Khan Academy helps users create schedules, especially in preparation for important exams such as the SAT, and doesn’t penalize users for not using the website at certain times. Despite this, without a sense of discipline, the user is not reaping the full benefits of the website. The website can’t force you to learn. It is dependent on the user to continually be motivated to improve themselves and set aside time in their day to ensure that improvement is done correctly. 

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