"Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence." - Abigail Adams
The advent of the internet has brought many possibilities when it comes to education and learning. Thanks to sites like YouTube, you can learn anything without paying a single cent. With the plethora of options available, you might be wondering which sites are best for learning new skills and upskilling. Hopefully, you will find the information you require in this post.
Related: Best Online Certificate in Human Resources
Top 15 best online courses sites to boost your skills
The sites listed below are arranged in no particular order because the greatest site depends on the skills you want to master, I have largely picked sites that offer a diverse selection of courses.
1. Coursera
Coursera collaborates with top colleges and organizations to develop diverse courses. Stanford University, IBM, and Google are among the partners. The website offers a wide variety of in-depth courses. They provide various learning opportunities, ranging from hands-on projects and courses to certificate and degree programs that prepare students for employment. When you want to take various courses, Coursera is a great resource. This is the site for you if you want to take college-level courses without the hefty cost of college tuition. Coursera allows you to try out a variety of classes for free before paying $29 to complete the entire course and obtain a certificate. You can obtain one of their specializations or professional credentials for less than $50 each month.
Key features
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- Certificates that can be shared.
- Self-paced.
- Readings and videos from the course.
- Quizzes for practice.
- Peer Feedback on Graded Assignments
- Quizzes that are graded and provide feedback.
- Programming Assignments with Grades
2. Udemy
Udemy is an online learning platform that allows instructors to create online courses on their favorite subjects. They can create courses using Udemys course development tools, which will enable them to upload videos, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, audio, ZIP files, and live classrooms. Most online learning platforms host their curriculum content (such as Udacity and Khan Academy) or curate university course material (edX and Coursera). Udemy, on the other hand, describes itself as a "learning and teaching marketplace," which means that its users include both students and instructors. This means the courses on Udemy are created and managed by the users. These range from free to paid. Anyone can create a free course, but for users to charge for their courses, they need to apply to be a "premium instructor".
Key features
- Wide range of courses
- Content that is well-organized and compatible with smartphone apps Positive feedback
- Language compatibility(more than 50 languages)
- Low prices and frequent sales
3. Udacity
Udacity is a global, online, lifelong learning network that connects education and employment opportunities. Udacity creates project-based online learning programs in collaboration with industry leaders like Google and Microsoft. These one-of-a-kind partnerships ensure that students gain the technical skills that companies seek.
Key Features
- The interactive feedback
- Collaborations in education
- Expert in the field of technology
4. Edx
edX is a massive open online course (MOOCî‚‚ provider based in the United States, founded by Harvard and MIT. It provides a global student base with online university-level courses in various subjects, with certain courses available for free. It also conducts learning research based on how its platform users interact with it.
Key features
- Content from a leading university
- Open-source courses are available for free.
- Micro degree programs are available.
- Certificate Courses for Masters Programs
- App compatibility on smartphones
5. Skillshare
Skillshare is an online learning community for creative and curious people that offers a variety of training in fields such as drawing, design, photography, video, freelancing, and more. Skillshare members work together to gain inspiration and advance their creative careers.
Key features
- A huge video library
- Smartphone apps for iOS and Android Thousands of lessons are available.
- For busy students, bite-sized lessons are available.
- The film, writing, technology, lifestyle, photography, and illustration are some of the most popular Skillshare themes.
6. Alison
Alison is a free education and skills training platform that is one of the largest in the world. It is a for-profit social enterprise dedicated to enabling anyone to study anything, anywhere, at any time, for free on the internet, at any subject level.
Key features
- Free courses
- Easy to use
- Good content Wide range of courses
- Wide range of courses
7. Codecademy
Codecademy is an online platform based in the United States. It's a programming platform for those looking to learn programming languages, web development, and data science. It provides free coding education in many programming languages.
Key features
- More than 12 programming languages are taught.
- Scholarships for students who qualify
8. MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) publishes all educational materials from its undergraduate and graduate-level courses online, freely and openly available to anyone, anywhere.
Key features
- Free courses
- Content covers the entire MIT curriculum
- No enrollment or registration
- Downloadable content
9. Linkedin learning
LinkedIn Learning is an online training platform that uses expert-led course videos to help you find and improve business, technological, and creative skills.
You can find and complete courses. Once you've taken these courses, you can add them to your LinkedIn profile.
Key features
- Certificates of completion
- Expert teachers
- A one-month free trial is available.
- An in-depth preview of the content
- Flexible learning(mobile compatibility)
10. Open Culture Online Courses
Open culture is a website that offers free online courses, certificate courses, ebooks, and other resources. The courses offered are from top universities like Yale, MIT, Havard, Oxford, etc.
Key features
- Free courses
- Wide range of courses
- online certificates and degrees
11. Academic Earth
Academic Earth is another website that offers free online college-level courses provided by prominent colleges and universities. This website solely provides academic classes. It offers free online courses in the arts, economics, science, computer science, humanities, etc.
Key features
- Free courses
- Content from multiple top universities
12. Open Yale Courses
Open Yale Courses (OYC offers free access to lectures and other materials from chosen Yale College courses through the internet. Humanities, social sciences, physical and biological sciences, and other liberal arts subjects are represented in the courses.
Key features
- No registration required
- There is no credit, degree, or certificate available on this site.
- Free
13. Masterclass
MasterClass provides classes taught by some of the world's most well-known celebrities and experts on various topics ranging from cuisine to farming to mindfulness to science and well-being.
Key features
- Interaction between the instructor and the student on a one-on-one regularly
- Support via toll-free phone
- Support for several platforms
- Classes can be viewed on mobile devices, laptops, and televisions.
14. Google skillshop
Skillshop is a Google training site for improving your knowledge of Google's technologies and services. It's for everyone who uses Googles products such as android, Google Ads, and Google analytics.
Key features
- Free
- Curriculum around using Googles technologies
- Certification
15. Future Learn
FutureLearn is similar to edX and Coursera in that it offers thousands of free and paid accredited courses from major universities and institutions.
Key features
- Managing university collaborations.
- In-depth education
- It places a strong emphasis on skill development.