Gearfuse Technology, Science, Culture & More
The 21st century has changed the way we think about and gain education. The conventional brick and mortar model of education is getting a serious run for its money by many other unconventional forms of learning. Some of these are online courses and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). While online courses still retain the basic format of learning followed in conventional courses, where the entire syllabus revolves around the instructor, the MOOCs have a totally different approach to learning, where the instructor only plays the role of a facilitator, and the learning happens from the students’ side.
While most of these courses are freely available and have no pre-requisites, some of them do charge a fee, and have minor pre-requisites that have to be fulfilled. Here are a few online courses and MOOCs that you should check out to keep up with the changing times.
1.Coursera
Coursera is one of the most popular MOOC platforms on the internet today. Being taught by professors of good repute from well known universities around the world, all the courses on Coursera follow a strict standard. There are courses ranging from the History of Rock Music to the Principles of Calculus, and everything in between. Most of the courses are free, whereas certain courses offer the option of providing a statement of accomplishment after the student pays a certain fee.
2. Udemy
Udemy is a platform where one can take up paid courses on diverse topic, ranging from purely academic ones to the everyday, skill-based ones. One can find courses like ‘Introduction to Philosophy: From Ancient Greece to Today’, ‘Introduction to Econometrics Theory’, and ‘How to Make Your Own Natural Skincare’ and ‘Master Rubik’s Cube in 4 Days’. Such is the versatility of this platform. While most of the courses are up for a price, ranging from $5 to $300, there are a larger number of courses that are free.
3. WizIQ
WizIQ is a platform where students can take up courses falling broadly in the categories of Music, Languages, Technology, Business and Lifestyle. This is a good platform if someone wants to take up courses on Personal Finance Management, Arabic 101, Hindustani Classical Music, etc. Many of the courses also utilise the “virtual classroom” feature where students can attend live sessions virtually. While a majority of the courses are paid, there are a few free courses also available here.
4. TreeHouse
TreeHouse is a platform where one can learn courses in technology related areas for a fee. There are courses on almost all kinds of programming languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, WordPress, etc and on courses in graphic designing, operating systems, etc. One can learn everything from how to build a website to the marketing and business aspect of the field. Students use an account with various levels of subscription to take up courses here. This is a platform recommended to all the techies, regardless of whether they are beginners or pro.
5. The Great Courses
The Great Courses is a company that brings high quality, university-level academic content to interested students across the world in the form of videos, lecture notes, etc. The company conducts multiple levels of selection to ensure that they have the better professors to teach the courses, best video recording and editing to ensure smooth learning, etc. This website is recommended for undergraduate students looking to explore deeper topics in their subject domains.
That’s it for the top 5 e-learning platforms. If you have done enough learning and want to take a break, you might want to check out this piece on
6. BitDegree
BitDegree is world’s first blockchain-based online education platform with token scholarships, that is focused on helping users to achieve digital skills and knowledge necessary to get a job or start creating something themselves. There are various free and paid courses, from app to personal development, and BitDegree offers free certifications for every course you complete. Moreover, if you’re interested in coding, BitDegree has various tutorials, a lot of free classes to get you started, programming database and even a code editor.
