Best Online Learning Platforms for 2021

Best Online Learning Platforms For 2021

During the pandemic online courses are in demand. Below are online learning platforms where you can gain new knowledge about your interests and passions.

1. Shaw Academy

Shaw Academy is one of the primary beneficiaries of the online course boom in 2020.

Pros:

• Easy-to-digest training materials, even for complex topics.
• Lots of courses to choose from over a variety of subjects.

Cons:

• Was flagged on Trustpilot on 18 June 2020 for breaching the guidelines by inviting users to leave biased reviews.
• Confusing pricing structure; it charged some users for payment they didn’t intend on paying.

Since the Trustpilot debacle, people are moving away from Shaw Academy to its alternatives. For your safety, we suggest you do the same.

Try Shaw Academy

2. Skillshare

With more than 20,000 free and premium online classes to choose from, Skillshare is a great place to start with your online education.

Learn about practical skills you can apply in real life from industry experts to help you level up your game in the workplace and life.

Pros:

• Contains a variety of content about your interests that will keep you busy in a good way.
• Offers various free trials to its premium courses that will help you decide whether or not to subscribe.

Cons:

• Lack of closed captioning on some courses rendering some of it inaccessible.
• Doesn’t offer certification after course completion, which is a deal-breaker for some.

With an excellent track record of courses, you can’t go wrong with at least trying Skillshare out.

Try Skillshare

3. Udemy

Arguably the most popular online learning platform in this list, Udemy is home for over 130,000 courses that range across different topics under the sun.

By signing up, expect to learn from top instructors in their respective fields in easy-to-understand courses. If you run an orgnaization, the Udemy for Business grants you access to the top exclusive learning materials that will help you get to the top.

Pros:

• Wide variety of courses specific to your niche that you can take at your own pace.
• The presentation of the course and its sleek video player make learning more conducive.

Cons:

• Inaccurate course ratings – just because a course has lots of 5-star reviews, doesn’t mean it’s good.
• Low barrier of entry for instructors, which lends to subpar courses.

As a low-cost online learning platform, you will have to dig deep to find diamonds in the rough with Udemy.

Try Udemy

4. LinkedIn Learning

As the top social networking site for professionals, it only makes sense for LinkedIn to launch its own learning platform.

The result is a very concentrated but slowly growing collecting of courses from specific topics. Despite its limited coverage, LinkedIn Learning is an excellent choice for people who want to acquire skills that can help them level up their game at work.

Pros:

• Enjoy access to Linked Premium features to help apply your newly acquired skills in the site’s job network.
• Intuitive interface that lets you set goals, read the video transcripts, and check the course’s interactive Q&A.

Cons:

• Courses are not accredited educational materials. This means students can’t transfer the credits earned from finishing the course to a university certificate.
• Static delivery of course content – only limited to text and video.

LinkedIn Learning is a great source of insightful job-related courses to help you move up the ranks.

Try LinkedIn Learning

5. Treehouse

The demand for technical and web-related skills are high nowadays.

Therefore, instead of sticking with the things you know, you may want to expand your skill sets that businesses need with the help of Treehouse.

Pros:

• Arguably has the best library of courses related to coding and web development (Ruby on Rails, PHP, JavaScript, and more).
• Receive university-level education (at a fraction of the cost) to prepare you for high-paying jobs in the marketplace with the Techdegree program.

Cons:

• Once you cancel your subscription, you will lose access to the courses.
• Lack of course reviews from its former students, making it difficult to decide whether or not the course is for you.

Despite the steep price ($199/month), learning code doesn’t get any better than Treehouse.

Try Treehouse

6. Coursera

If you want to refine your existing skills or learn a new one, take courses that grant certifications as proof of completion and offer transferable credits to accredited institutions (but only if you’re currently enrolled in degree programs).

In this case, Coursera checks both boxes and then some. The platform is the place to find free and premium courses taught by top experts from the best universities and companies in the world.

Pros:

• Enroll to and audit premium courses at no cost to you.
• Hundreds and thousands of course takers to reach out to for networking opportunities.

Cons:

• Little to non-existent interaction with instructors for collecting feedback, making the training too sterile.
• Lacking in customer service and not enough online resources that answer concerns related to the platform.