There’s a reason why so many individuals are flocking to online learning. Students can learn at their own pace, save money on tuition and other expenditures, and try out small courses before committing to more rigorous or costly programs.
Some e-learning sites are free, while others charge a nominal price or charge a monthly cost to take as many courses as you like. Earn professional certifications, gain skills that will help you get hired in a rapidly changing market, and even work toward master’s degrees by learning how to be happier, make money on Etsy, or get published; earn professional certifications; gain skills that will help you get hired in a rapidly changing market, and even work toward master’s degrees.
Online courses, whether free Ivy League courses like Harvard’s CS50 or paid Ivy League courses, are one way the internet is democratizing information, whether you want to enhance your profession or pick up new hobbies. All you need is an internet connection.
Index
- Coursera
- edX
- FutureLearn
- One Day University
- MasterClass
- LinkedIn Learning
- Codecademy
- Coursera
Coursera offers thousands of classes from some of the world’s leading universities and educational organizations, including Martin Seligman, the pioneer of positive psychology. There are courses from Yale, Columbia, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and Duke. The platform also allows you to gain degrees and certifications.
From public health to personal development, the topics are diverse. Pre-recorded videos, quizzes, and projects are all included in the courses. You can also earn certificates for your work that you can add to your LinkedIn profile and resume for a price.
How to Start: Please include an email address while registering. Individual certification courses cost between $29 to $99 on average, however, there are lots of free courses to audit.
- edX
edX, founded by Harvard University and MIT, provides classes from the world’s top universities, organisations, and institutions, and is the only major MOOC provider that is both a nonprofit and an open-source platform.
Berkeley, MIT, and Harvard are among edX’s more than 100 institutional partners. Its tens of thousands of courses include everything from the arts to architecture, economics, and law. MicroMasters, master’s programmes, and professional credentials are also available.
How to Start: Use your email address to register. edX courses are free to enrol in and audit, except for professional education programmes. There is a charge (typically between $50-$300, depending on the course) if you want a certified certificate (which you can add to LinkedIn and your résumé).
- FutureLearn
FutureLearn, like edX and Coursera, offers tens of thousands of free university courses and paid certificate programmes from renowned universities, charities, and corporations. It varies from other platforms in that it is situated in England, which means it includes more options from UK schools and businesses, as well as a variety of international institutions.
Short courses, Microcredential programmes, ExpertTracks, and online degrees are all available through FutureLearn.
How to Start:Use your email address to register. You can audit several courses for free (typically for up to five weeks), pay for particular programmes, or subscribe to FutureLearn’s Unlimited subscription plan for $189.99 per year, which gives you unlimited access to hundreds of courses.
- One Day University
OneDayU is a hybrid of traditional education and TED Talks. Professors from Harvard, Yale, and Columbia speak on topics ranging from how music affects the brain to how a film professor watches movies. It’s a good choice if you want to learn something new but don’t want to spend hours watching videos or doing homework; each lecture lasts around one hour.
How to Start:Start a free two-week trial by entering your email address. After it expires, you’ll be charged $9 per month (an yearly membership is significantly cheaper).
- MasterClass
MasterClass offers online lessons taught by world-class educators in a variety of fields, including Gordon Ramsay, Margaret Atwood, and Serena Williams, to name a few. The classes are open to students of all skill levels and include anything from cooking to gardening to meditation and sleep science.
MasterClass offers over 100 courses, all of which are divided into bite-sized, high-quality videos. The instructor designed each class, which usually includes pre-recorded video content, a PDF of the class workbook, interactive assignments, and occasionally community activities. Students can also submit work to specific professors for feedback on a regular basis through MasterClass.
How to Start:Sign up for an All-Access Pass ($180 a year or $15 per month) if you want to take numerous classes. You’ll have access to unlimited course lessons for as long as your membership is current.
- LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning is a subscription-based online learning platform where you may enrol in over 16,000 job development courses ranging from coding to time management. One advantage of this platform is that it provides courses based on LinkedIn’s hiring data on what firms are seeking for.
Short films, quizzes, and occasional tasks are common components of courses. At no additional cost, LinkedIn Learning users receive certificates of completion to add to their LinkedIn accounts.
How to Start:With your LinkedIn profile, you may sign up for a free month. The subscription costs $29.99 per month once the trial finishes, or $19.99 per month for the annual plan.
- Codecademy
Python, Java, Go, JavaScript, Ruby, SQL, C++, Swift, and Sass are among the programming languages covered by Codecademy, as are markup languages like HTML and CSS.
It also features well-structured curriculum roadmaps such as Career Paths that teach essential computer science, data science, and web development skills, as well as Skill Paths that focus on more specialised, short-term goals. If you’re not sure where to begin, you may take a quiz here or sign up for a free class before committing to a subscription plan.
How to Start:Fill out the form with your email address. Basic membership is free, however the site’s Pro subscription costs $20 per month (paid annually for $240) and grants users access to resources such as step-by-step instructions and projects. Eligible students can also sign up for a Student Pro membership ($150/year) that includes the same benefits.
