• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, August 17, 2015

With online and mobile media set to transform primary and secondary education, professional development won’t be far behind. That’s the bet Inc. magazine is making with the launch of a new online education program, bringing in experts and top execs from across the business world to teach courses -- and, yes, assign and grade homework (but no tests!).

The new online education program is kicking off with a five-week course on entrepreneurship, called “The Inc. Startup Accelerator,” which according to Inc. president and editor-in-chief Eric Schurenberg, will “help you with everything you need to know about creating a business -- starting it, protecting it, and marketing it.”

Schurenberg will host the course; individual classes will be taught by a series of guest lecturers, including Eric Ryan, the founder and CEO of Method, Susan Lyne, CEO of BBG Ventures, Sabrina Parsons, the CEO of Palo Alto Software, and Ben Huh, founder of I Can Has Cheezburger, among others.

Schurenberg noted that students will be able to interact personally with lecturers: “One of the great things about this program is all the people it gives you access to.”

As for homework assignments, Schurenberg explained that the guest lecturers have help: “There’s a consistent team of TAs, who will help you with homework. The TAs are CMOs or other high-level execs at companies -- not just grad students, if you will.”

Inc. isn’t the only magazine publisher getting into the online education business. Recently, the Readers Digest Association launched their own online education platform, called EnrichU. Courses include the Taste of Home Online Cooking School and The Family Handyman DIY University.