YouTube: Crash Course
The YouTube channel Crash Course was created and hosted by brothers John and Hank Green with the mission of making educational content accessible and free. Since its creation, the project has expanded significantly. Crash Course is funded through partnerships with organizations such as PBS and Arizona State University, grants from the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and crowdfunding platforms like Patreon. This diverse funding model allows Crash Course to remain largely independent from outside influence while maintaining its commitment to accessible education.
While Crash Course videos cannot fully replace in-class instruction, they serve as an effective supplemental tool for teachers. The videos incorporate strong visual and auditory elements that help engage students and reinforce material covered in class. With playlists spanning a wide variety of subjects—not limited to history and civics—Crash Course offers short, student-focused content that can be easily integrated into existing lessons or used as introductions to new topics.
The U.S. History playlist consists of forty-nine videos and, while it cannot cover every possible topic in depth, it does address each major period of American history. These videos can serve as effective introductory resources for instructional units. The U.S. Government and Politics playlist provides a broader range of topics due to its more focused subject matter, covering areas such as the intended functions of government based on the founding documents, how government operates in practice, and how citizens can participate in the political process. Additionally, the channel offers separate playlists on the United States presidency and political theory, allowing for even broader coverage.
Crash Course also includes historical playlists focused on world history, European history, women’s history, Black American history, Native American history, and art history, offering greater depth and representation across disciplines.
Beyond serving as introductory material, Crash Course videos can be used by students to review content, study independently, or catch up after extended absences. Teachers may assign students to watch specific videos and take notes, allowing educators to track progress. While Crash Course is not ideal as the sole basis for a lesson or activity, it is an effective and versatile supplementary resource for both teachers and students.