1. edX
Let’s start off with edX because it’s linked with the most prestigious schools and universities which include but not limited to Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, Australian National University, and many more from all around the world. edX lets you choose and enrol in courses that are offered by different prestigious schools and universities from around the world. You can take part in these courses for free and if you are interested in earning a verified certificate from the service then you will have to fork out a small contribution which will automatically make you eligible for a verified certificate for the particular course. You are still supposed to complete the entire course and get passing grades to receive the certificate. edX provides courses in hundreds of different fields from Music to Medicine, you can choose and learn anything. You can also choose different languages which comes in handy when you want to study the courses in your native language.
2. Khan Academy
Khan Academy started off as a small YouTube channel with a couple of videos that the creator “Salman Khan” uploaded to teach his cousins some basic maths. However, it quickly grew into a complete mathematical course that covered almost every aspect of maths for students. The site has now grown into something even bigger and it offers different educational videos on a wide variety of subjects. The site has gone under a completely new redesign and it has become one of the best learning platforms for students. The courses are entirely free and there are no fees or subscriptions since it is a non-profit organisation. You can learn anything you want, anytime you want because the courses are flexible and you can complete them at anytime because there are no set time frames like other learning platforms.
3. Udemy
Udemy is another great Coursera alternative, however, most of the top class courses on Udemy are paid courses which means that you have to pay a fee in order to enrol in the course and start your learning journey. The costs starts as low as $20 for many courses and goes up to $100 and even more for some of the courses. You earn a verified certificate for the courses as well. There are many free courses as well that you can enroll in and start learning your favorite subject. There are over 32,000 courses available on the site from different categories so you can learn anything whenever you feel like it. The courses are divided into different parts, like video lectures, reading material, texts, assignments, and quizzes as if you were in a real-life class.
4. Alison
If free education is what you seek then Alison is the perfect place for you to start your educational journey. The site offers great courses entirely free of cost and you can even earn a certificate for the completion of the course successfully. The courses are developed by industry professionals in different disciplines so you can start learning anything that you like. Each course offers a complete hands-on approach so you will be given different assignments to complete and this is how you will be graded in the end. Alison takes away the complexity of online learning and makes it very simple for even newbies to enroll in courses and start learning without much hassle. You can also create study groups with other course-fellows and study together for even a better learning experience.
5. Udacity
Udacity combines free and paid learning in a much simple and easy-to-understand way. If you are serious about learning something online but really don’t care about a verification certificate then you can use Udacity for free and get all the course materials for free which includes all the course videos and exercises. However, if you really want to get access to more features like an assessment of your work, help from instructors, verified completion certificate, etc then you will have to pay a monthly fees of $199. Paying the monthly subscription fees gives you access to all the courses and a premium treatment. If you’re not sure about the fees then you can always start the 14-day trial on the site and see if it’s actually suitable for you or not before paying the hefty amount. Udacity has a large collection of courses for people who are interested in technology and computers.
6. Codecademy
If you want to code then you better enrol at the Codecademy because as the name suggests, this site’s main focus is on coding and programming. If there’s anything that requires programming then you will be able to learn it at Codecademy. The sites uses interactive coding sessions instead of the video lectures, so you don’t have to watch long boring videos of other people coding while you try hard to keep up with them. Codecademy will provide you with interactive problems and ask you to code your way to the solution. You will be given useful hints and tips along the way to help you with your coding skills and this way you will pick up any coding language within the least amount of time possible.
7. Lynda
If you don’t mind paying a very small fee for you education then Lynda is the perfect place for you because they have many different subscription plans that let you access a wide variety of course materials on different topics that include Photoshop classes, CAD classes, and much more. You can get a 10-day free trial on the site and see if it’s suitable for you after that you can choose any of the 4 different learning plans. Basic plan will cost you $24.99 per month and you will get unlimited access to all the and new courses and video lectures on the site. The premium membership on the other hand will set you back $29.99 per month and you will get all the privileges as the basic members and on top of that, you will be able to download the video lectures for later offline viewing and you will also get access to course specific project files giving you a better learning experience.
8. Duolingo
The best way to learn a completely new language is to play games with it. That’s not a joke instead that the whole model of operations for the new language teaching service known as Duolingo. If you want to learn languages that include but not limited to English, German, Italian, Turkish, French, Spanish, etc then Duolingo is the perfect service for you because it gamifies the learning experience. You will be provided with interactive language based games that you have to play and complete, these mini-games will include quizzes, name that item, make a word, etc and each game will enhance you understanding of the language that you’re learning. You will get scores and advance in levels as if you were playing a game on your device.
9. Team Tree House
If you want to build your own website or publish your personal app on any mobile platform (Android, iOS, Windows, etc) then you should put your money in Team Tree House because that’s one of the best websites to learn those skills. You need to pay a monthly subscription fees of either $25 for the Basic plan or $49 for the Pro plan. The Basic plan grants you access to a large collection of HD video tutorials, access to the member only forums for extra help, and access to the online coding platform provided by the site. With the pro plan, you get all the basic perks as well as exclusive bonus content and featured live talks with industry experts but if you’re only interested in learning then the Basic plan should serve you well. You can choose to become a web developer, web designer, Ruby developer, Android developer, iOS developer, and much more by enrolling in the amazing courses provided by Team TreeHouse.
10. OpenCulture
OpenCulture is an open-source learning project where you will find a wide variety of free courses. These courses don’t require enrolment at all and you can just download them via iTunes as an audio file, or watch them on YouTube in video format. Each media has been curated by top professors from some of the most prestigious universities from around the world. There are no assignments so you can complete the courses at your own pace without much rush. You can also download free ebooks, audiobooks, and even educational movies to further augment your learning. OpenCulture makes it easy for young learners to learn anything without a time constraint.
11. YouTube
Yes, we know you’re thinking that YouTube is only used to watch cute kitten videos and gameplays but that’s not all. Even the above mentioned Khan Academy utilizes YouTube to deliver its videos which makes the Khan Academy a YouTube channel. There are many different channel on YouTube that will teach you a lot of new things from simple DIY stuff to some serious science related education, you will get it all. Just search for your favorite subject and you will get plenty of videos that will teach you each and everything regarding your favorite subject. Here are a couple of educational channels should you choose to use YouTube for education. TheNewBoston, Codecourse, W.P. Carey. SEE ALSO: 30 Websites to Learn Something New All these great places to learn something new will definitely quench your thirst for some online education. If you’re really serious about learning something then you will love each of these platforms and the learning experience that comes with each different service. If Coursera doesn’t have the courses that you’re looking for then these Coursera alternatives will definitely provide you with something interesting.
