Online learning has dramatically grown and transformed the face of digital education in the last few years. Did you know that online schooling is significantly less expensive, more efficient, and needs significantly less time commitment than conventional education? That explains why an increasing number of people are choosing to learn online.
Nothing beats taking charge of your college life and studying at your own pace without feeling like someone is pointing a shotgun to your back. There is no safer or faster way to do this than by taking online courses.
SkillShare
Skillshare is a well-known online learning site. It has over 20,000 courses in three categories: Thrive (Lifestyle, Productivity), Construct (Digital Marketing, Freelance & Entrepreneurship, Teamwork & Management, Brand management), and Create (Animation, Film & Video, Graphic Design, Music, Creative Writing, Photography, Web Development, and more).
Skillshare believes in a project-based learning strategy that encourages students to develop their imagination and incorporate new knowledge in real life. All classes are divided into two parts: a video demonstration (typically 20 minutes long) and a class assignment.
Remember that, while many Skillshare courses are excellent, they are not approved by any institution and do not have a certificate of completion. It is simply a place where you can learn new skills and broaden your experience.
The Premium Membership at Skillshare gives you unrestricted access to all courses in the library. You will also take part in Skillshare Live Sessions and Workshops led by top professors. Many of the courses in the library are available for free, allowing you to continue studying on the go even though you don’t have Internet access.
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn bought one of the oldest e-learning platforms, Lynda, a few years back, and moved all content to its own website, LinkedIn Learning. The organisation also provides thousands of high-quality classes for students of all ages, from beginner to advanced, spanning a broad range of subjects such as Web Development, Software Programming, Economics, and Business Management.
LinkedIn Learning has a single monthly membership fee that grants you access to all of the platform’s content. The courses are divided into bite-sized modules that aid in knowledge retention. LinkedIn Learning lets you import any course for offline streaming, which I find extremely useful.
LinkedIn Learning is not accredited, but most courses have a Certificate of Completion that you can apply to your LinkedIn profile later.
LinkedIn Learning is a useful tool for launching a career or achieving professional objectives. If you want to enter the platform, you can do so by signing up for a one-month free trial.
MasterClass
Everyone is curious about MasterClass, an online learning site. What distinguishes it is that the lessons are taught by world-renowned professionals and celebrities. Natalie Portman teaches acting, Martin Scorsese teaches filmmaking, Christina Aguilera teaches music, Gordon Ramsay teaches cooking, Dan Brown teaches writing, and so on.
Unlimited admission to all courses is available for $15 a month. Each course has an average of 20 lectures, each lasting about 10 minutes. High-quality video lectures, homework, workbooks, and group events are all part of the curriculum. You will also participate in forums to ask questions, get input, and meet other students.
You will practise at your own speed and there are no deadlines. Using a smartphone app, all of the videos can be saved for offline streaming.
Film & TV, Culinary Arts, Writing, Music & Entertainment, Sports & Games, Business, Photography & Fashion, Business, Politics & Society, Lifestyle, and Science & Technology are the nine categories. MasterClass does not have completion certificates.
MasterClass is an excellent forum for creatives engaging in career growth and finding guidance from the industry’s top practitioners.
Udemy
Another well-known online learning site is Udemy. It has the largest library with over 150,000 lessons, making it the best in terms of content. Udemy allows you to broaden your experience and expertise in almost every area imaginable, from industry and marketing to hand weaving and clowning. Udemy’s mission is to undermine and democratise the educational system.
Udemy, unlike Skillshare, MasterClass, and LinkedIn Learning, does not offer unlimited membership plans; instead, you must buy each course separately, which is clearly inconvenient. The classes, on the other hand, are very affordable, with prices beginning at just $9. In addition, if you don’t like a course you bought, you can get a refund within 30 days.
Finance & Accounting, Growth, Business, Marketing, IT & Software, Office Productivity, Music, Personal Development, Teaching & Academics, Design, Lifestyle, Photography, Health & Fitness are the 13 categories that Udemy courses are categorised into. The courses are available at three different levels: novice, intermediate, and advanced. One thing I also appreciate is that courses are available not only in English but also in Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, German, and Spanish.
Udemy is not an approved institution, but after completing a paid course, you can receive a certificate of completion. Each Udemy course includes a video demonstration (the typical course is 5 hours long, but others are as short as 30 minutes) as well as additional tools such as quizzes, practice assessments, coding challenges, and assignments. Any Udemy course can be downloaded and viewed offline at any time.
Edx.org
edX is a top supplier of college-level online courses. The business was created by Harvard and MIT, and the course content is excellent. With the exception of adult education classes, all edX courses are free to take.
To participate in the course without paying, you must enrol in the Audit Track. For the length of the course, students on the Free (Audit) Track have access to all course content, including presentations, recordings, ungraded homework, and reading. You can not, though, obtain classified assignments or verified certificates of completion.
If you wish to gain access to graded assignments and receive a certificate upon completion, you must participate in the Paid (Verified) Track. You should have the credential on your resume or LinkedIn profile. If you join in the Audit Track but then feel you want to win the credential, you will have the option of switching to the Verified Track. Each course has a deadline for upgrading, so make sure you review it first.
Biology & Life Sciences, Architecture, Chemistry, Art & Culture, Electronics, Education & Teacher Training, Medicine, Food & Nutrition, Physics, Science, Music, Law, History, Language, and Environmental Studies are among the over 2,500 courses available on edX. The majority of classes are in English, but there are also those in Chinese, Russian, French, Italian, Spanish, and other languages. Text and video material, as well as tasks, are typically included in the classes. There are also course discussions where you can ask questions and engage with your classmates.
Udacity.com
Udacity’s Nanodegree programmes are well-known. A Nanodegree is a curriculum of ability and project-based learning. Each Nanodegree is made up of a series of courses in subjects such as Artificial Intelligence, Coding, Robotics, Mobile Programming, Business, and Data Science. The majority of services will be finished in 3-6 months. All Nanodegree students will get one-on-one academic mentoring from Udacity.
When it comes to online learning and teaching, Udacity is the concept of creativity. When you participate in one of Udacity’s Nanodegree classes, the odds of finding a career after finishing the course increase dramatically.
Udacity is not an accredited university, but the skills they offer are important and in-demand, and employers aggressively pursue them. However, as opposed to other online learning sites, Udacity’s pricing is very high. A Nanodegree programme usually costs between $1200 and $2400. If you pay for several months in advance, you will get a discount.
