The Best Online Courses

Students question the worth of traditional bachelor’s and master’s degrees or learning new skills to adapt to changing technology. Higher education is changing. Online courses, also known as Massive Open Online Courses (or MOOCs), are becoming increasingly popular among students as an affordable and flexible way to learn new skills, explore a particular area, or start a new career. Choosing suitable online courses from so many providers can be challenging. We created this list to help you narrow down your search.

How we chose the best places to take online courses

You can find many companies that offer online degrees, certificates, and courses through a quick search. To find the best providers, we compared over a dozen and created a list that includes top-quality educational platforms to help students reach their professional goals.

The following were part of our evaluation process:

• We thoroughly analyze each provider’s course offerings and materials through catalog and website reviews.
• When possible, sample lessons and study materials are available.
• Analyse student reviews and comments on G2, Trustpilot, or Facebook Reviews platforms.

To determine which programs were included on our list, we used the following criteria:

Flexibility

Many students choose to take online courses because they have the freedom to study when and where they want. Our list makes learning easy and accessible with self-paced lessons and flexible virtual meetings. We also looked at how long it took to complete the courses offered by a provider. We searched for studies that could quickly be completed in just a few weeks or months to ensure students had minimal time commitments.

Value

Online courses are often significantly cheaper than traditional four-year degrees. We wanted to ensure that these courses offer high-quality education, even though they are more affordable. To give students the knowledge, skills, and support they need, we compared course materials and lengths of access to different providers.

Satisfaction of students

There are so many online courses that one organization needs help to test. We contacted former students to find out their opinions about the experience. Reddit and Trustpilot were some of the platforms we used to search for user reviews about their experiences with these companies, such as the quality of their education, interactions with faculty, and customer service.

Faculty and course developers

We also looked into who taught these courses and designed them. Several online providers, such as edX or Coursera, combine classes from top universities around the globe, including MIT, the University of Toronto, and Kyoto University. This gives students access to renowned faculty. Codecademy is another provider that partners with leading companies in the industry to offer courses focusing on skills in high demand across many industries.

EdX – The Best Overall

EdX was founded in 2012 by Harvard and MIT as an open-access online course provider. It has grown to be a powerful online education platform, offering individual classes, professional certificates, boot camps, and degrees. EdX aggregates courses offered by respected universities worldwide, giving students access to top-quality education worldwide. We chose edX because of its extensive course offerings, connections to renowned institutions, and affordable prices.

What Do We Like

We love the diversity of courses available on edX. Over 3700 methods are available in 31 subject areas, including business, computer science, and humanities. There are classes at all levels, including introductory, intermediate, and advanced.

Students have many options when it comes to completing their education via edX. edX also offers individual courses, professional certificate programs, and complete degree programs. We love their unique learning paths, such as the XSeries, which provides a detailed study of a topic, or their MicroMasters/MicroBachelors programs that can accelerate students’ journey to a full-time degree.

While most courses on edX are in English, there is some language variety. There are many courses in Mandarin and Spanish.

What We Didn’t Like

Prospective students can filter through edX’s courses by subject, level, and the educational partner institution. However, you can’t filter for the price. Students can sort through edX’s classes based on their budget, as courses are free or for a few hundred dollars. EdX can also help students to find a suitable type by providing a questionnaire or assessment and personalized course recommendations.

Codecademy

Skillsoft, a leading SAAS company, created Codecademy to teach students computer programming. This is one of the most sought-after skills in the tech industry. The online course allows students to learn basic coding skills for free. It also offers professional development programs, including career coaching, in-depth practice, career coaching, and certificates upon completion. Codecademy allows students to learn all the most in-demand programming languages, including JavaScript, PHP, and Ruby.

HubSpot Academy

HubSpot was founded in 2006 and has been a pioneer in software development for sales, customer support, and inbound marketing. HubSpot Academy is their online education platform. They want to help the next generation in sales, marketing, and development get the training they need to fulfill their careers. HubSpot Academy is an excellent choice for students looking for online sales and marketing courses because of its industry knowledge and affordability.