Online education has become not only a strong trend but a common choice for students and professionals of many disciplines from all over the world. Today it is, probably, the most convenient way of gaining additional knowledge, learning new skills or upgrading your qualification.
Let’s look at some of the best platforms on the web facilitating the journey to a better you.
1. COURSERA
Coursera is one of the most famous and popular online platforms for students. Anyone can register and enroll in different courses and receive a certificate in various fields from Math and Computer Science to Health and Art.
Coursera mission is to ensure that the best education in the world is free for anyone who seeks it. Platform creators envision people using the power of education to improve their lives and the communities they live in.
2. EDX
edX is, probably, Coursera’s closest competitor. It is connected to the most prestigious schools and universities including Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, Australian National University and many others all over the world. You can take courses from these respectable institutions for free, and if you are interested in receiving a validated certificate from the service, you will be required to pay a small fee. edX offers courses in hundreds of different fields from music to medicine.
3. KHAN ACADEMY
Khan Academy started out as a small YouTube channel with a couple of videos uploaded by its creator "Salman Khan" to teach his cousins the basics of math. However, it quickly developed into a complete math course that covered almost every aspect of undergraduate mathematics. The site has now evolved into something even bigger and offers various instructional videos on a wide range of topics. The courses are completely free and require no payment or subscription as it is a non-profit organization.
4. UDEMY
Udemy is another great alternative to Coursera, however most of the top-tier courses on Udemy are paid. Many courses start at $20; some go up to $100. There are also many free courses divided into different sections such as video lectures, reading materials, assignments and tests, just like in a real class. Udemy claims to have the widest selection of courses with over 100,000 options to choose from.
5. ALISON
If free education is what you're looking for, Alison is the perfect place to start your journey. The site offers great courses for free. Courses are designed by industry experts across many disciplines. Alison’s mission is to remove the complexity of online learning and allow beginners to enroll in courses and get started without much hassle.
6. UDACITY
Udacity combines free and paid education in a very simple and understandable way. If you're serious about learning anything online but don't really care about a verification certificate, you can get all course materials for free, including all videos and exercises. However, if you really want to access additional features like assessment of your work, assistance from instructors, a verified certificate of completion, etc., you will have to pay a monthly fee of $199.
7. CODECADEMY
If you want to write code, you'd better sign up for Codecademy. As the name suggests, the focus of this platform is coding and programming. The service offers interactive coding sessions instead of interactive lectures, so you don't have to watch long boring videos of other people coding while you try to keep up with them. Instead Codecademy will give you interactive problems and ask you to write your way to a solution.
8. DUOLINGO
The best way to learn a completely new language is to play games. This is not a joke, but a concept of language learning service known as Duolingo. If you want to learn English, German, Italian, Turkish, French, Spanish, etc., then Duolingo is the perfect service for you. You will be provided with interactive games – quizzes, “Name this item”, “Make a word”, etc. – to help you better understand the language you are learning.
9. OPENCULTURE
OpenCulture is an open-source learning project where you will find a wide range of free courses. They do not require registration; you can simply download them via iTunes as an audio file or watch them on YouTube in video format. Each media has been curated by leading professors from some of the most prestigious universities around the world. There are no assignments, so you can complete the courses at your own pace without too much rush.
IN A NUTSHELL
If you're serious about education, you'll love these platforms and the learning experience that comes with it. But if you don’t feel like it, you can watch... YouTube.
Yes, YouTube can be used not only for watching cute kittens and gameplay. There are YouTube channels that can teach you many new things, from simple crafts to serious science. Try channels like TheNewBoston, Codecourse, WP Carey and quench your thirst for learning.
Let’s look at some of the best platforms on the web facilitating the journey to a better you.
1. COURSERA
Coursera is one of the most famous and popular online platforms for students. Anyone can register and enroll in different courses and receive a certificate in various fields from Math and Computer Science to Health and Art.
Coursera mission is to ensure that the best education in the world is free for anyone who seeks it. Platform creators envision people using the power of education to improve their lives and the communities they live in.
2. EDX
edX is, probably, Coursera’s closest competitor. It is connected to the most prestigious schools and universities including Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, Australian National University and many others all over the world. You can take courses from these respectable institutions for free, and if you are interested in receiving a validated certificate from the service, you will be required to pay a small fee. edX offers courses in hundreds of different fields from music to medicine.
3. KHAN ACADEMY
Khan Academy started out as a small YouTube channel with a couple of videos uploaded by its creator "Salman Khan" to teach his cousins the basics of math. However, it quickly developed into a complete math course that covered almost every aspect of undergraduate mathematics. The site has now evolved into something even bigger and offers various instructional videos on a wide range of topics. The courses are completely free and require no payment or subscription as it is a non-profit organization.
4. UDEMY
Udemy is another great alternative to Coursera, however most of the top-tier courses on Udemy are paid. Many courses start at $20; some go up to $100. There are also many free courses divided into different sections such as video lectures, reading materials, assignments and tests, just like in a real class. Udemy claims to have the widest selection of courses with over 100,000 options to choose from.
5. ALISON
If free education is what you're looking for, Alison is the perfect place to start your journey. The site offers great courses for free. Courses are designed by industry experts across many disciplines. Alison’s mission is to remove the complexity of online learning and allow beginners to enroll in courses and get started without much hassle.
6. UDACITY
Udacity combines free and paid education in a very simple and understandable way. If you're serious about learning anything online but don't really care about a verification certificate, you can get all course materials for free, including all videos and exercises. However, if you really want to access additional features like assessment of your work, assistance from instructors, a verified certificate of completion, etc., you will have to pay a monthly fee of $199.
7. CODECADEMY
If you want to write code, you'd better sign up for Codecademy. As the name suggests, the focus of this platform is coding and programming. The service offers interactive coding sessions instead of interactive lectures, so you don't have to watch long boring videos of other people coding while you try to keep up with them. Instead Codecademy will give you interactive problems and ask you to write your way to a solution.
8. DUOLINGO
The best way to learn a completely new language is to play games. This is not a joke, but a concept of language learning service known as Duolingo. If you want to learn English, German, Italian, Turkish, French, Spanish, etc., then Duolingo is the perfect service for you. You will be provided with interactive games – quizzes, “Name this item”, “Make a word”, etc. – to help you better understand the language you are learning.
9. OPENCULTURE
OpenCulture is an open-source learning project where you will find a wide range of free courses. They do not require registration; you can simply download them via iTunes as an audio file or watch them on YouTube in video format. Each media has been curated by leading professors from some of the most prestigious universities around the world. There are no assignments, so you can complete the courses at your own pace without too much rush.
IN A NUTSHELL
If you're serious about education, you'll love these platforms and the learning experience that comes with it. But if you don’t feel like it, you can watch... YouTube.
Yes, YouTube can be used not only for watching cute kittens and gameplay. There are YouTube channels that can teach you many new things, from simple crafts to serious science. Try channels like TheNewBoston, Codecourse, WP Carey and quench your thirst for learning.
