People are flocking to learn about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Image: Shutterstock.

In brief: Online learning platforms are seeing a huge surge of interest in Bitcoin and cryptocurrency courses.

Udemy has seen a quadrupling of demand for Bitcoin-based classes.

More people are turning to online education generally.

The number of people signing up for online Bitcoin and cryptocurrency learning courses has skyrocketed in the wake of COVID-19.

With the pandemic forcing a global trend of lockdown and quarantines, millions all over the world have sought refuge online. Daily routines are fractured, and many are left wondering how to fill their now-abundant time. As a consequence, online learning courses have soared in interest—and people want to learn about Bitcoin.

Popular online learning platform Udemy told Decrypt it saw a fourfold increase in demand for its Bitcoin and cryptocurrency courses in the past month alone.

Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency and remains the largest to this day. Image: Shutterstock.

“What we see on the Udemy platform is that demand for Bitcoin/cryptocurrency-related courses has quadrupled in the past month,” a spokesperson said.

Coursera, a service that collates courses from universities worldwide, similarly saw a huge uptick in Bitcoin-based classes in the last four weeks, compared to that of the previous year.

"In March, we saw a 293% increase in the total number of enrollments on our platform and a 200% increase for Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and Bitcoin courses specifically," a Coursera spokesperson said.

It’s not exactly surprising. While stuck at home, online courses are a way to stay productive without leaving the house.

Photographer Radi Konstantinov told Decrypt he was looking for an online course to learn more about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency.

"I've always enjoyed tech but never had any formal training." He explained. "Last week I started learning JavaScript on Udemy in an effort to expand my skills, so far I'm really enjoying it and given my interest in crypto/blockchain the next logical step is learning about the blockchain framework and smart contracts," Konstantinov said.

"Even though the courses are short, it would be difficult to do this if life were in full swing,” he said, adding, "This is why I'm taking the opportunity while I can."

As Decrypt reported, the lockdown has already seen an increase in interest for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency trading. Multiple exchanges said they saw large increases in signups in March. Kraken, in particular, cited an 83% rise in signups in March.

But people don’t solely want to learn about—or trade—cryptocurrency.

A collective thirst for knowledge

The increase in demand for online Bitcoin courses is part of a wider trend.

With schools, universities, and other educational hubs all shuttered to quell the spread of COVID-19, scholars are seeking new avenues for learning. EdX—a nonprofit offering free online courses by heavy hitters Harvard, MIT, and others—told Decrypt it saw a "massive increase in enrollments."

The coronavirus has led to lockdowns around the world. Image: Shutterstock

"This is 100% COVID driven," explained Lee Rubenstein, vice president of business development at edX. "Employees and students need courses and skills."

Class Central, an aggregator of online courses—including Coursera and edX—also saw a significant uptick in users, citing that it saw six million new users in the last three weeks.

If only they could teach people that the coronavirus isn’t caused by 5G.