Congratulations!
Based on your quiz responses, it’s clear that your independent professor teaching style is the…
Trailblazing Teacher
(... a force to be reckoned with in the academic world!)
As a Trailblazing Teacher…
You lead your classroom with a natural confidence and undeniable decisiveness… fueled by your passion and drive.
Your experience has taught you that teaching is not about taking charge. It’s about guiding and inspiring your students.
And this is exactly what you do.
You steer the ship (a.k.a. your class) with a steady hand - empowering your students to aim high and achieve more than they ever thought possible.
Assertiveness is in your DNA
And it helps you skillfully communicate ideas and maintain discipline in the classroom (a balance you easily achieve because you’ve got some finesse in your DNA as well!).
And setting goals? That’s where you truly shine! Your laser-focused style wows every time - ensuring that your students not only meet their targets… but surpass them - fostering a sense of accomplishment and progress (feelings you understand very well!).
Your teaching approach makes room for risk-taking and problem-solving… meaning you readily dive into new teaching methodologies and embrace the chance that they could lead to groundbreaking educational experiences.
As a Trailblazer, you elevate education to exhilarating new heights!
You have an inherent drive that propels you toward creating your own path in the world of academia.
This is why embracing independence comes so naturally to you.
And also why the concept of self-hosting your own learning experience resonates so deeply. This concept mirrors your unique vision and desire to take ownership of your educational journey.
I’m going to tell you more about self-hosted learning experiences (and which ones are perfect for you as a Trailblazing Teacher!).
But first, let me answer the question you’re probably asking yourself right about now.
What is a self-hosted learning experience?
(... and why should I create one?)
A self-hosted learning experience is an educational setting or platform that is created and managed by an individual or an organization outside of traditional educational institutions. It involves designing and delivering learning experiences independent of a formal academic structure or university framework.
Perhaps you've had a topic on your mind where you have expertise, knowledge, and experience but it goes beyond the scope of the disciplinary courses you teach at your university.
You can take this topic and create your own self-hosted learning experience!
“Would I have to create a semester-length course?”
Not at all! It can look however you want it to look.
I've personally created self-hosted learning experiences that have taken the following forms:
a workshop
a masterclass
a course
a training
a book
a presentation
The beauty of self-hosted learning is the space it provides for continuous improvement. A space where you can sculpt your teaching persona, refine your techniques, and explore uncharted territories in academia (perfect for a Trailblazing risk-taker!).
And the cherry on top?
Increasing your income and the meaningful impact you make on the world (because teaching is more than what you do for a living). Well worth the calculated risk!
But, of course, any calculated risk comes with potential challenges.
One challenge that a Trailblazer like yourself might face is balancing your independence with collaboration.
Unlike teaching in the classroom, the best self-hosted learning experiences are co-created with the students inside of these experiences.
And the feedback they share with you is the key to success (yours, theirs… and that of your future students).
But you can’t sit around hoping they share their thoughts with you.
You have to ask for it.
Here’s why.
Asking for feedback is THE MOST PROFITABLE THING you can do for your self-hosted learning experience.
The important process of soliciting feedback before, during, and after your self-hosted learning experience is something I teach in my Independent Professor Workshop.
It’s a framework that I've named the NLT Co-Creation Method.
(NLT = Nudge, Learn, Teach.)
Before I share the magic of the NLT Co-Creation Method, let me make a quick point about a feedback process you're already familiar with…
End of Semester Student Evaluations
(... annnd there’s that wave of soul-crushing dread… right on cue.)
As you know, at the end of each semester, your students are asked to share feedback about their experience in your classroom. The hope is that they provide constructive feedback (unlikely!) that will help you learn and implement smart adjustments for your next semester’s classes.
This is where I see a big flaw in the logic.
The feedback that your students give you AFTER the semester is over only helps the next group of students. It doesn't help support your students who actually provided the feedback because they have now completed your class and are moving on!
The NLT Co-Creation Method flips the script. With this framework, you solicit feedback before you spend a lot of your time and effort creating a self-hosted learning experience… that no one is interested in. 😅
Then, when you teach your content for the first time, you KNOW it's content that your potential students and clients are interested in (because they’ve already told you what they want)!
And while you’re teaching your self-hosted learning experience for the first time (and every time after), you ask for feedback DURING THE EXPERIENCE.
This is key! 🔑
And it’s what allows you to go back (activating your decisiveness and top-notch goal-setting abilities) and update your learning experience for the next group of students or clients you teach.
It’s what allows you to make the experience even better. Even more valuable. And even more aligned with what your ideal students and clients want.
This benefits your future students… and IT BENEFITS YOUR CURRENT STUDENTS because you can smoothly shift course along the way!
Pro Tip: Give your current students access to all of the updates that you make inside of your self-hosted learning experience!
This is one of the biggest advantages that self-hosted teaching has over university teaching - your current students benefit from their own feedback and can continue learning from you long after the initial experience has ended.
Talk about increasing your impact!
So now that you know...
→ What a self-hosted learning experience is
→ How these experiences make you and your students more successful
→ Why soliciting feedback before, during, and after a learning experience is key to increasing your meaningful impact
… let’s dive into which self-hosted learning experiences are perfect for you as a Trailblazing Teacher!
Blaze new trails with your best-fit self-hosted learning experiences.
(... two options perfect for your independent professor teaching style!)
Your best-fit self-hosted learning experience is one that maximizes your Trailblazer strengths… making the creation process something you are excited to do (even during your busiest semester!).
You’ll want to lean heavily on your leadership skills, decisiveness, and goal-oriented nature. You’re an innovator!
There are two types of learning experiences that fit you best:
Short Live Classes
Challenges & Bootcamps
Aspiring academic entrepreneurs often believe that a valuable learning experience must be a weeks-long endeavor - like it is at a university.
But that’s not the case!
Not even close.
You can teach a favorite topic or provide a transformation in 1-3 hours.
I’ve personally taught a two-hour workshop that was quick to create and provided my students with exactly what they needed to know to be successful!
Live classes (even short ones) provide an opportunity for immediate interaction - allowing you to deeply engage with your students and encourage diverse viewpoints. This helps to balance your independent spirit with real-time collaboration, feedback, and discussion.
Your stand-out assertiveness and lightning-fast decisiveness allow you to move ahead quickly and confidently - ensuring a dynamic and engaging class environment that is meaningful to both you and your students.
Option #1
Short Live Classes
Option #2
Challenges & Bootcamps
Challenges and bootcamps can be as short as 3 days or as long as one month (are you loving these options?!).
Every semester, I host a Back to Grad School Challenge where I help grad students set themselves up for a successful semester and create a productive weekly schedule that they can easily follow week to week.
As a Trailblazer, you’re a natural at setting clear objectives, creating structured learning environments, and driving students toward specific desired outcomes.
Short live classes, challenges, and bootcamps are not the only self-hosted learning experience options that I recommend for independent professors. (I share 10 recommended types in the Independent Professor Workshop.)
But they are the best-fit options for a Trailblazing Teacher (that’s you!) who wants to achieve engagement, balance, and meaningful impact… all while keeping your independent spirit intact.
So who is the academic entrepreneur behind this quiz?
(a.k.a. Your Guide to a Well-Rounded Academic Life!)
Hi, I’m Dr. Toyin Alli, Math Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, and Independent Professor.
The independent online education industry is growing and innovating at a rate beyond what is happening in colleges and universities, and it’s wild to me that academics and professors are NOT at the forefront of this movement.
As lifelong learners, academics are uniquely suited to share our expertise, education, and experience beyond the scope of our university courses.
I created my first self-hosted learning experience in 2017, and I haven’t looked back. These learning experiences have built my personal brand, supported my academic goals, and brought me financial freedom!
I truly believe that it’s possible to be successful in academia and live a fulfilled life at the same time (I’m doing it!).
Because of my personal brand built by teaching self-hosted online courses:
→ I was promoted to Senior Lecturer a year early
→ I won two teaching awards
→ I surpassed $100,000 in course sales per year
How? I’ve created an education business that I run alongside my academic career. I spend about 5 hours/week operating this self-hosted learning experience business (which is exactly how I like it).
And I help other academics do the same.
Upon reflecting on the work that I’ve done with academics who are interested in expanding their impact beyond their university, I’ve noticed that they all have one thing in common.
They all want to share their knowledge on their own platform outside of the university structure.
And through their work with me, they have all created self-hosted learning experiences.
Here are several topics that past clients have created self-hosted learning experiences around:
helping healthcare professionals complete doctoral programs quickly so they can get back to their careers
helping junior faculty get past their third-year review so that they are on track for tenure
helping leaders write memoirs to share their life lessons
helping Ph.D. students navigate paying their quarterly or annual taxes when they receive fellowship stipends
helping law students pass the bar exam
Traditional academia (the institution) hasn’t changed, but academics (the people) have.
As educators and researchers, we have a wealth of knowledge and expertise that often goes untapped within the confines of our university classrooms. We tend to teach the same topics semester after semester - year after year.
Teaching from our expertise, experience, and knowledge as independent professors is an opportunity for us to create something outside of our university, either for profit or to freely share our expertise with others.
By designing these experiences, we gain full control over the content, structure, and delivery methods - ensuring that our knowledge reaches a wider audience in a meaningful way.
Did you know that the independent online education industry brought in over $12 billion in 2022 alone?
Yup!
Now, I help professors gain access to this industry by creating their own teaching experiences independent of their university contracts.
You can have a successful academic career AND live a fulfilling life.
I 100% believe it - because I live it!
And I want the same for you.
Your Next Steps
Check your email. I’ve sent a link to these results for you to review at any time.
You’ll also receive a weekly newsletter from me called The Independent Professor Weekly Series. In the newsletter, I share more details about 10+ different types of self-hosted learning experiences that I recommend for professors who are ready to expand their impact and increase their income.
Ready to jumpstart your independent professor journey?
The Independent Professor Workshop is your comprehensive guide to choosing, designing and launching your first self-hosted learning experience.
The Workshop is an audio experience that you can easily consume on-the-go while it walks you through all the steps (we’re talking from choosing your experience to launching it… no leaving you hanging part-way through!). And when it’s all said and done, you’ll have a perfect-fit self-hosted learning experience that your ideal students are excited to PAY for.
It offers 10 different types of self-hosted learning experiences that are perfect for professors like you to create! Each experience description provides a detailed roadmap that will guide you through the creation process with step-by-step instructions, recommended tools and realistic timelines.
The Independent Professor Workshop includes the necessary resources and strategies to initiate and manage your self-hosted learning experience so you can start expanding your impact and building your own thriving digital education business!
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I’m so excited to see the impact you create with your self-hosted learning experience!
I’d love to see what kind of self-hosted learning experience you create and cheer you on! Feel free to tag me or follow me on LinkedIn and learn about building a semester-proof business on my YouTube channel.