About three years ago I wrote a column about MOOC. I have gotten emails over time with questions about this and other online training so I think it is time for a short review and an update. The original article is found at, rd.dblclx.com/MOOC if you care to glance at it when you are done here. In case you are wondering, MOOC stands for, “Massive Open Online Course.” Everything in that article is still up to date so it is a worthwhile read if you are interested in “free” online classes. Some of those courses are found at universities throughout the world and are outstanding. Some are well, not the quality you may prefer.
I listed a couple of the larger sites; however, if you cannot find the facility or the course you want at those sites, go to the MOOC list site, mooc-list.com. There you may search and browse to find many. Some are live broadcasts/webinars, while others are recorded to watch at any time you choose. OK, that is enough of a refresher about MOOC.
Today I have another online training site to recommend, Udemy.com. I have used it several times and gotten lots out of. Udemy is not as vast as the MOOC sites which, in my opinion, makes it more simple to find what you may want. The courses at Udemy are not free. You know that my middle name is, “Free” and that is the way I roll unless I find something exceptional. Udemy is that, exceptional (IMHO to use an ancient expression).
Udemy has courses in many areas from hobbies, technology, to job hunting and everywhere in between. Though these courses are not always given by professional instructors. Many times everyday people like you and me have hidden talents that they want to share with the world. You will find them here.
At Udemy you can find courses that are somewhere around $12 per course. The courses may run from a couple of hours to many hours. They are broken into chapters so you can start one and continue it at a later date as they are not live but recorded. Once you take a course you will get offers for discounts to take others. Many times I get offers for them at $9.99 or $5 off your next course…if you sign up before a specific date.
All of my experiences have been great with one exception. I had one that they instructor had such a heavy accent that I could not understand what they were saying. So I used the Udemy, “Contact Support” form and had my money back in my account within an hour or so. They do have a couple of rules about refunds. “…all courses purchased on Udemy can be refunded within 30 days.” A couple of return caveats are that refunds are only allowed from courses purchased on the Udemy website as you could buy them through a third party) or the Android app. You should be aware that they do not allow refunds on the iOS Udemy app.
I take my courses on the computer, my Android phone and tablet regularly. They are always synced, so you start where you leave off no matter where you were the watching previously.
I highly recommend Udemy.com as a top choice for online courses if you need them.
