NFHS Learning Center Delivers 20 Millionth Course

The NFHS Learning Center eclipsed yet another milestone last month when it surpassed 20 million courses delivered since its inception in 2007. Amazingly, after 10 million course deliveries in the first 13 years of the Learning Center, another 10 million courses have been taken in the past 3½ years.

Founded as the NFHS Coach Education Program, the Learning Center has evolved from just two courses for coaches (Fundamentals of Coaching and First Aid for Coaches) to more than 90 online education courses, more than 60 of which are available at no charge. Learning Center course offerings extend across 17 different sports with sport-specific courses and to performing arts programs.

“Delivering 20 million courses is significant,” said Dan Schuster, NFHS director of educational services. “It is not simply 20 million visits to a website – it is 20 million courses that have been accessed by learners across the country that we believe will help create a better interscholastic experience for young people. In year one of the Learning Center in 2007, we delivered around 16,000 courses. Over the past year, more than three million courses have been delivered and we need to continue the momentum.”

A number of significant courses have been added to the Learning Center the past three years that have contributed to the record number of courses taken online at www.NFHSLearn.com. Since early 2020, the NFHS Learning Center has added The Collapsed Student, Implicit Bias, Introduction to Esports, Football Tackling, Middle School Coaching, Name/Image/Likeness, Title IX and CPR & AED Training, among many others.

“The NFHS Learning Center has had amazing support from member state associations across the country, athletic administrators and schools,” Schuster said. “This support has allowed the reach of the program to grow to more individuals – coaches, administrators, students, officials, parents and educators in the performing arts. The fastest-growing group has been students, which is very exciting, because not only are they participating in our programs, they are the next generation of coaches, administrators, parents and officials.”

Among the 90-plus courses, the Learning Center offers several important courses focused on risk minimization. In 2010, Concussion in Sports was the first course to be made available at no cost, and it remains the most popular with more than seven million course deliveries. Three other significant courses are offered for free: Heat Illness Prevention, Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Concussion for Students_._Combined, these four courses account for nearly 14 million of the 20-plus million courses that have been delivered.

“Over the next couple of years, the NFHS Learning Center will continue to expand its coursework and create valuable professional development opportunities for the interscholastic community,” Schuster said. “The NFHS is committed to investing in its learning platform to ensure learners have the best experience possible, while accessing these pertinent online educational resources. The NFHS Learning Center looks forward to continuing to grow its National Credentials Program, which honors individuals who complete courses, as well as the NFHS School Honor Roll Program, which recognizes schools with banners when coaches at the school complete a designated set of courses.

“This is an exciting milestone for the NFHS Learning Center, but we truly believe this is still the beginning of a long journey of providing valuable resources to coaches, administrators, students, parents, officials and individuals within performing arts programs across the country.”