Do you want to expand your education? Do you want to develop skills to give yourself better work opportunities or to make a career shift? Are you looking for a way to do so without committing to a full degree program at a university? Do you need an accessible and flexible learning path? Massive Open Online Courses, MOOCs, might be a perfect option for you. Online courses offer a flexible learning environment, limitless subject areas, and are often free or cost a fraction of a traditional education.
What is a MOOC?
Massive Open Online Courses, MOOCs, are online learning platforms, and each MOOC has its own specialty and structure. In this article, GetEducated will review the largest and most well known MOOCs and what they have to offer. GetEducated is here to help you find the MOOC that is right for you. We will do so by giving you an honest, transparent, and unbiased assessment of each MOOC.
Four Types of MOOCs
MOOCs can be divided into four categories. They offer online courses in: General Studies, Digital Skills, Language, and Creative. General Studies MOOCs offer online courses in a wide range of subjects from Art and Design to Business to Personal Development, all on one platform. Digital Skills MOOCs focus on online courses in Computer Science, Data Analytics, Coding, and skills that are in high demand in today’s technology driven work world. Language MOOCs are foreign language learning platforms. Creative MOOCs offer online courses in everything from knitting to graphic design to how to play guitar.
This article’s primary focus is on Digital Skills MOOCs, and will briefly discuss General Studies MOOCs that offer courses in digital skills.
Digital Skills MOOCs
Codecademy
Codecademy was founded with the mission to build a learning platform for 21st century skills. They create their own online courses that are engaging, flexible, interactive, and accessible to as many people as possible. 180 free courses are available on Codecademy such as coding, data science, and machine learning. For unlimited access to all 1,800 courses, a person must purchase a subscription. The monthly subscription price is $39.99 per month. However, there is a 7 day free trial period for the subscription. With a subscription, the student also receives a certificate of completion for each finished online course. Codecademy is a great option if you are looking into expanding your digital skills.
Popular Courses:
- Learn Web Development
- Java Tutorial
- Learn Data Science
Free: Yes
Free Subscription Trial: 7 days
Subscription Pricing: $39.99/mo
Access: Limited number of free courses; Unlimited content with subscription
General Assembly
General Assembly is a leader in today’s most sought after skills. Their goal is to help students expand their knowledge, gain skills, and connect with professionals in the industry. The courses are held either online or at one of their 15+ campuses that can be found in 6 countries. There are full time, part time, and short-form courses available. By offering online courses and with multiple payment options, they are an accessible option.
Popular Courses:
- Data Analytics
- Product Management
- Software Engineering
Free: No
Free Subscription Trial: No, but there are some free events
Subscription Pricing: Dependent on the Program of Study
Access: Limited to the Enrolled Program of Study
Pluralsight
Pluralsight specializes in digital skills courses that are in high demand in today’s job market. They do not offer any free online courses. The platform does however offer two subscription levels. The Standard level is $24.94 per month and comes with access to the core library and assessments. The Premier level comes with unlimited access to all online course content for $37.42 per month. It is important to note that both subscription levels are billed annually. Both subscription levels have a free trial of either 10 days or 200 minutes of viewing whichever comes first. Certificates of course completion are not available through Pluralsight. Although, they offer practice exams for external certifications. Because Pluralsight offers two subscription levels, it is allows for a student to customize their educational journey.
Popular Courses
- C# Fundamentals
- Artificial Intelligence: The Big Picture of AI
- Core Python: Getting Started
Free: No
Free Subscription Trial: 10 day or 200 minutes of free viewing (whichever comes first)
Subscription Pricing: Standard $24.94/mo, Premium $37.42/mo (billed annually)
Access: Standard-core library & assessments/ Premium-unlimited
Simplilearn
Krishna Kumar launched Simplilearn as a place where people could transform their lives through a digital skills education. Now, Simplilearn has 2,000+ instructors teaching over 400 different online courses. The instructors of Simplilearn’s online courses come from top university and industry leaders such as Amazon and IBM. Simplilearn does not offer free online courses through its platform. Although, it does offer limited free content on the Simplilearn app. The price of each online course varies depending on the length of the course. And, there is a 7 day free trial period. Simplilearn also offers a masters degree programs in data science and data analytics through its platform.
Popular Courses:
- Certified ScrumMaster
- Cloud Architect
- Digital Marketing Specialist
Free: No
Free Subscription Trial: 7 days
Subscription Pricing: Varies by Course
Access: Limited to Selected Course
Treehouse
Treehouse has the goal of being more than just a online learning platform. Treehouse developed a learning environment that provides a successful experience. The platform offers stand-alone online courses and course paths that lead to degrees. They provide networking opportunities and career resources. Treehouse also promotes Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the tech world. They have created apprenticeship programs with the Boys & Girls Club, Anita B, and the Salvation Army that connect youth interested in careers in tech. Treehouse is more than a learning platform. It is an engaged community. Treehouse is passionate about bringing tech opportunities to as many people as possible through online courses and career support.
Popular Courses:
- Learn to Code for Beginners
- Front End Web Development
- UX Design
Free: No
Free Subscription Trial: 7 days
Subscription Pricing: $25/mo
Access: Unlimited with Subscription
Udacity
Udacity provides a fast and effective way to learn job-ready skills for the careers of the future. Their learning model is based on four pillars: employable skills, project-based/active learning, individual schedule, and help when you need it. 200+ industry experts partnered with Udacity to build online course content.
The price of courses offered by Udacity depends on the length of the course. Because access to course material is limited to the purchased online course, you only pay for what you want to learn. Although Udacity does not offer a free trail period, they routinely offer discounts for their online courses. Udacity does offer scholarships, career services, and mentor support to its students.
Popular Courses:
- Data Engineer
- Deep Learning
- Ethical Hacker
Free: No
Free Subscription Trial: No standard trial or promotion
Subscription Pricing: Varies Program to Program
Access: Limited
The Breakdown: Digital Skills MOOCs
| Name | Year Launched | Free | Free Trial | Pricing | Access | Ivy League Courses | Degree/ Certification |
| Codecademy | 2011 | Yes-Limited | 7 days | $39.99/mo | Free-Limited | No | Available with Subscription |
| General Assembly | 2011 | No | No | Varies per Course | Limited to paid course | No | Available with Subscription |
| Pluralsight | 2004 | No | 10 days or 200 minutes | Starting at $24.94/mo | Depends on Subscription Level | No | No |
| Simplilearn | 2010 | No | 7 days | Varies per Course | Limited | No | Available with Subscription |
| Team Treehouse | 2011 | No | 7 days | $25/mo | Unlimited with Subscription | No | Available with Subscription |
| Udacity | 2011 | No | No | Varies per Course | Limited to Course | No | Available with Subscription |
General Studies MOOCs with Digital Skills Courses
Do you want to learn to code and also learn about ancient civilizations? A General Studies Massive Open Online Course, MOOC, that offers online courses in some digital skills might be the right fit for you. The following is a brief summary of those platforms and the digital skills online courses they offer.
Academic Earth
Academic Earth offers free online courses from top universities. All the online courses are free with unlimited access to course content. Academic Earth offers digital skill courses in Computer Science.
Digital Skills Subject Area:
- Computer Science
Free: Yes
Access: Unlimited
Coursera
Coursera partners with over 200 leading universities and companies to offer job-relevant, self-paced online courses. They offer digital skill courses in data science, information technology, and computer science. All online courses can be audited for free. Coursera offers degree and professional certificate courses for a fee that varies course to course.
Digital Skills Subject Area:
- Data Science
- Information Technology (IT)
- Computer Science
Free: all courses can be audited for free
Free Subscription Trial: 7 days
Subscription Pricing: varies by course
Access: Limited to selected course
edX
edX was launched because MIT professor, Anant Agarwal, believed that everyone deserves access to high quality education. 3,000+ online courses taught by 15,000 teachers from 160 partner universities are available on edX. The courses are free, and for a fee you can obtain a Certificate of Achievement for completing an online course. Programs & Degrees pathways are available for a fee. Computer science, and data analysis and statistics courses can be found on edX.
Digital Skills Subject Areas:
- Computer Science
- Data Analysis & Statistics
Free: Yes
Access: Unlimited
Future Learn
Future Learn is a UK based MOOC that was launched in 2012. All online courses are free, but only for the duration of the course plus 14 days. With a subscription, the subscriber has unlimited access to the online course material as long as they are a subscriber. Future Learn offers courses in IT and computer science.
Digital Skills Subject Areas:
- IT & Computer Science
Free: Yes
Free Subscription Trial: 7 days
Subscription Pricing: $279.99/year
Access: Free-Limited, Subscription-Unlimited
Kadenze
Kadenze aims to bring the best online education in art and creative technologies to the world. The online courses are free, but there is content within each course that is only available to Premium subscribers. The subscription includes a certificate of completion and unlimited access to online course content. Kadenze offers many online courses in digital skills from Game Design to Web Development.
Digital Skills Subject Areas:
- Game Design
- Creative Computing
- Web Development
- Entertainment Technology
- Physical Computing
- Digital Fabrication
Free: Yes
Free Subscription Trial: 30 days
Monthly Pricing: $20/mo
Access: Free-Limited, Subscription-Unlimited
LinkedIn Learning
In 2015, LinkedIn launched LinkedIn Learning. LinkedIn Learning is accessible to anyone with a LinkedIn Premium account. The online courses offered on LinkedIn Learning are focused on up-skills in business, software, and creative fields. LinkedIn Learning offers digital skills courses in Cloud Computing to Cybersecurity.
Digital Skills Subject Areas:
- Cloud Computing
- Full-stack Web Development
- DevOps
- Cybersecurity,
- Data Science
- AI
Free: No
Free Subscription Trial: 30 days
Subscription Pricing: multiple tiers available starting at $29.99/mo
Access: limited
Shaw Academy
Shaw Academy is based out of Dublin, Ireland, and was launched in 2013. It offers 100+ online courses in 10 categories. It offers a 4 weeks free trial period. Unlimited access to all online course material costs $69.99/mo. With a subscription, a student has access to such digital skills courses such as Web Development, Data Analytics, and Coding.
Digital Skills Subject Areas:
- Coding & Computer Science
- Web Development
- Advanced Microsoft Excel
- Game Development
- Web Design
- Data Analytics
- Computer Science
- Data Development
Free: No
Free Subscription Trial: 4 weeks
Subscription Pricing: $69.99/mo
Access: Unlimited with subscription
Skillshare
Skillshare is a free online learning platform with the goal of connecting creative and curious people with teachers who are passionate experts in their fields. The number of free online courses is limited. With a Premium membership, there is unlimited access to online course materials. Skillshare offers popular courses in Graphic Design, UI/UX Design, and Web Development.
Digital Skills Subject Areas:
- Graphic Design
- UI/UX Design
- Web Development
Free: Yes
Free Subscription Trial: 14 days
Subscription Pricing: $19/mo
Access: Free-Limited, Subscription-Unlimited
Udemy
Udemy was launched in 2010 and aimed at professional adults and students who wanted to take their skills and education further. They offer a wide variety of online courses in 60+ languages making its content globally accessible. Some of their digital skills courses include IT, Network & Security, and Operating Systems. The price of online courses varies from course to course depending on the content of the online course. Access is limited to the purchased course. Udemy offers a variety of discounts and promotions on its online courses, but there is no free trial period.
Digital Skills Subject Areas:
- IT Certifications
- Network & Security
- Hardware
- Operating Systems & Servers
- Other IT & Software
Free: No
Free Subscription Trial: Offers Vary
Subscription Pricing: Varies by Course
Access: Limited to Purchased Course
The Breakdown: General Studies MOOCs with Digital Skills Courses
| Name | Year Launched | Free | Free Trial | Pricing | Access | Ivy League Courses | Degree/ Certification |
| Academic Earth | 2009 | Yes | n/a | Free | Unlimited | Yes | No |
| Coursera | 2012 | Yes-Limited | 7 days | $59/mo | Free-Limited | Yes | Available with Subscription |
| edX | 2012 | Yes | n/a | Free | Unlimited | Yes | Available for Purchase |
| Future Learn | 2012 | Yes | 7 days | $279.99/yr | Free-Limited | No | Available with Subscription |
| Kadenze | 2013 | Yes | 30 days | $20/mo | Free-Limited | Yes | Available with Subscription |
| LinkedIn Learning | 2015 | No | 30 days | Starting at $29.99/mo | Unlimited with Subscription | No | Available with Subscription |
| Shaw Academy | 2013 | No | 4 weeks | $69.99/mo | Unlimited with Subscription | No | Available with Subscription |
| SkillShare | 2010 | Yes | 14 days | $19/mo | Free-Limited | No | No |
| Udemy | 2010 | Yes-Limited | 7 days | $19.99/mo | Free-Limited | No | Available with Subscription |
In Conclusion
Massive Open Online Courses, MOOCs, are changing the landscape of online learning. You can find online courses from coding to calligraphy. There are free online courses, and there are subscription based platforms. Course are created by companies, industry experts, and universities. Some online courses stand alone. Some courses are combined with others to give the learner a comprehensive education on a subject matter. MOOCs are creditable and accessible. The options are endless. The opportunity to learn, grown, and gain new skills is limitless.