Online learning has revolutionized education in recent years, offering affordability, effectiveness, and flexibility compared to traditional methods. As a result, more individuals are opting for online study.
Taking control of your academic journey and learning at your own pace is now easier than ever with online classes. No longer do you need to feel the pressure of strict timelines.
If you’re seeking the best online learning platforms to enhance your knowledge and make the most of MOOC courses, you’re in the right place. Here, we present the top 8 online learning platforms recommended by IMHO Reviews, featured on reputable news networks.
Here are the top 10 online learning platforms in 2023:
- Coursera: Coursera offers a wide range of courses from top universities and organizations, providing certificates and degree programs.
- edX: edX is a platform that offers courses from renowned universities, covering various subjects and providing verified certificates.
- Udemy: Udemy is known for its extensive library of courses taught by industry professionals, offering both free and paid options.
- Skillshare: Skillshare offers a diverse range of creative courses, including design, photography, writing, and entrepreneurship.
- Khan Academy: Khan Academy provides free educational resources and courses on subjects like math, science, humanities, and test preparation.
- Pluralsight: Pluralsight specializes in technology and IT-related courses, covering programming, cybersecurity, data science, and more.
- Codecademy: Codecademy is dedicated to teaching programming and coding skills through interactive exercises and projects.
- FutureLearn: FutureLearn offers courses from leading universities and institutions, with a focus on lifelong learning and professional development.
- Udacity: Udacity focuses on providing courses in cutting-edge technology fields, such as artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, and blockchain.
- LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn Learning provides courses on business, technology, and creative skills, with a focus on professional development.
- Mindhub: MindHub stands as the pioneering coding club, introducing innovation to children and teenagers aged 6 to 18 years.
1. Coursera:
Coursera is considered the best overall online learning platform. Here is an overview of its features:
Price:
- Coursera Plus Subscription (includes unlimited access to most courses, Specializations, and Professional Certificates): $399/year
- Individual Courses: $29 to $99 each
- Specializations: $39 to $79 per month
- Professional Certificates: $49 each
- Online Degree Courses: $15 to $25,000 each
- Audit Option: Free
Library:
- 4,300+ courses
Who Is Coursera Best For?
- People seeking upskilling opportunities for career advancement or career change.
- Individuals with skills but lacking a degree.
- Those interested in business, data science, computer science, IT, personal development, health, and language learning.
Certificates Offered:
- Specialization Certificate: Earned after completing all courses in a Specialization and hands-on projects.
- Professional Certificate: Enhances resume and portfolio, showing real-world applied skills from tech giants.
- MasterTrack Certificate: Allows earning credits toward a degree by completing an online module of a Master’s program.
- University-Issued Certificate: Offered by universities, not co-branded with Coursera.
Accreditation:
- MasterTrack programs offer university-issued certificates and credits toward degrees.
Free Trial:
- 7-day free trial for Coursera Plus subscription.
Overview:
- Coursera provides university-level courses and certification programs taught by instructors from top institutions.
- Course prices range from $29 to $99, with free audit options available.
- Courses are offered in multiple languages and cover various topics.
- Specializations consist of a series of courses lasting 4-6 months.
- Professional Certificates are course series issued by course developers.
- Online degree courses are granted by accredited universities, offering flexibility and cost savings.
- Coursera Plus subscription grants unlimited access to most courses, certificates, and specializations.
For more details and a comprehensive review of Coursera, please refer to our in-depth analysis: “Coursera Review: Is It Worth It?”
2. edX:
Edx.org is renowned for its accredited courses. Here’s an overview of its features:
Price:
- Verified Track Courses: $50 to $300 each
- Audit Track Courses: Free
Library:
- 3,500+ classes
Who Is edX Best For?
- Individuals seeking high-quality courses from prestigious universities at an affordable cost.
- Students with busy schedules who prefer self-paced learning.
Certificates Offered:
- edX offers certificates to students who pass courses in the paid track.
- Program certificates are available for enrolled students in Professional Certificate, XSeries, MicroMasters, or MicroBachelors programs.
- Certificates from top universities can enhance resumes or LinkedIn profiles.
Accreditation:
- MicroMasters programs consist of graduate-level courses from top universities, some of which offer credit for the program certificate.
- Online Master’s Degrees are also available on edX, suitable for those considering graduate school.
Free Trial:
- No free trial offered.
Overview:
- edX is a prominent provider of college-level online courses founded by Harvard and MIT.
- Most courses on edX can be audited for free, providing access to lectures, videos, and ungraded assignments.
- The Paid (Verified) Track allows for graded assignments and verified certificates.
- The platform offers a wide range of courses in various subjects and levels.
- Courses are available in multiple languages.
- Course content includes text, videos, assignments, and discussions.
- Group projects are included in some courses.
- Offline viewing is possible by downloading edX course content.
For a comprehensive review of edX and to determine its value, please refer to our detailed analysis: “edX Review: Is It Worth It?”
3. Udemy:
Udemy is a top choice for upskilling. Here’s an overview of its features:
Price:
- Individual Courses: $9 to $200 each
- Personal Plan: $30/month
Library:
- 213,000+ courses
- 6,000+ courses (with Personal Plan)
Who Is Udemy Best For?
- Individuals seeking to acquire specific skills in both creative and professional fields.
- Not ideal for those who want to learn different skills daily, unless opting for the Personal Plan, offering unlimited access to over 6,000 courses.
Certificates Offered:
- Udemy provides a certificate of completion for paid courses.
- These certificates include course details and can be included on resumes.
Accreditation:
- Udemy is not an accredited institution.
Free Trial:
- 7-day free trial available with the Personal Plan.
Overview:
- Udemy is a popular online learning platform with a vast library of over 150,000 courses.
- It excels in content diversity, covering various fields ranging from business and marketing to hand weaving and clowning.
- Unlike other platforms, Udemy doesn’t offer unlimited subscription plans; courses are purchased individually.
- Courses are affordably priced, starting at $9, and offer a 30-day refund policy.
- The platform features courses in 13 categories, catering to different interests and proficiency levels.
- Courses are available in multiple languages.
- Each course includes video tutorials, additional resources like quizzes and assignments, and can be downloaded for offline viewing.
For a comprehensive review of Udemy and to assess its value, please refer to our detailed analysis: “Udemy Review”
4. Skillshare:
Skillshare is the go-to platform for everyday learning. Here’s a breakdown of its key features:
Price:
- Premium Membership: $32/month or $168/year (unlimited access to 27,000+ classes)
- Free Membership: Free (unlimited access to 2,000+ classes)
Library:
- 34,000+ classes
Who Is Skillshare Best For?
- Individuals looking to learn new skills or enhance existing ones, even with limited time.
- Skillshare offers a wide range of subjects, with a focus on creative topics but also includes tech classes.
Skillshare Certificates:
- Skillshare now offers certificates of completion.
- These certificates include course details, teacher information, completion date, and student details.
- While not accredited, they showcase your project, reflecting your skills and knowledge.
Accreditation:
- Skillshare courses are not accredited.
Free Trial:
- Skillshare offers a 30-day free trial.
Overview:
- Skillshare is a highly popular online learning platform.
- It features a vast collection of over 30,000 classes, categorized into Thrive, Build, and Create.
- Skillshare emphasizes a project-based approach, allowing students to apply new skills creatively.
- Courses consist of video presentations (20-60 minutes) and class projects.
- It’s important to note that Skillshare courses are not accredited and do not offer certificates of completion.
- Skillshare’s Premium Membership provides unlimited access to the entire library, downloadable for offline learning.
- With its affordable monthly price and diverse class selection, Skillshare offers excellent value for money.
- A 30-day free trial is available for users to explore the platform before committing.
For a comprehensive review of Skillshare and to determine its suitability for your learning needs, please refer to our detailed analysis: “Skillshare Review: Is It Worth It?”
5. Khan Academy:
Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization founded in 2006 by Sal Khan. Its mission is to provide online tools for student education. The organization offers short video lessons covering various academic subjects, initially focusing on math and sciences. In addition to videos, the website provides practice exercises and resources for educators. Khan Academy has created over 8,000 video lessons and offers all its resources for free. As of 2018, the platform has been used by over 70 million people, with 2.3 million students utilizing it for SAT preparation. The Khan Academy YouTube channel has 7.74 million subscribers and its videos have been viewed over 2 billion times as of February 2023.
Sal Khan’s journey in online tutoring began in 2004 when he started helping his cousin with mathematics using Yahoo! Doodle Images. As more cousins sought his assistance, Khan decided to make his tutorials available on the internet, publishing them on YouTube. Initially, he used a drawing application called SmoothDraw and later switched to a Wacom tablet with ArtRage for drawing. The video tutorials were recorded on his computer.
Positive feedback from USA Today encouraged Khan to establish Khan Academy in 2008. He left his job that year to dedicate himself full-time to creating educational tutorials under the name Khan Academy. In 2014, Khan Lab School, a school associated with Khan Academy, was established in Mountain View, California.
Khan Academy is primarily funded through donations from philanthropic organizations as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In 2018, the organization reported $31 million in revenues, and in 2019, it reported $28 million, with Khan himself receiving $839,000 in compensation as CEO.
Several notable donations have been made to Khan Academy. In 2010, Google donated $2 million to support the creation of new courses and translation efforts. Carlos Slim from the Luis Alcazar Foundation made a donation in 2013 to create Spanish versions of the videos. AT&T contributed $2.25 million in 2015 for mobile versions of the content. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $1.5 million, and Elon Musk donated $5 million through his Musk foundation in January 2021.
Khan Academy’s website offers a free personalized learning experience. The content is based on videos hosted on YouTube and the Khan Academy website. The website includes additional features such as progress tracking, practice exercises, and teaching tools. Mobile applications are also available to access the material. The videos use an electronic blackboard format, with narrators explaining the drawings and concepts being taught. The platform covers a wide range of subjects and grade levels, serving as a resource for both students and teachers. Badges and energy points can be earned by users, and offline versions of the videos have been distributed in rural areas.
Khan Academy’s content is available in multiple languages, with thousands of subtitle translations. The platform is fully accessible in English and several other languages, with partial availability in additional languages. Khan Academy has also partnered with organizations like Code.org and the College Board’s Advanced Placement program to provide coding lessons and serve as an official practice partner, respectively.
Khan Academy has been the official SAT preparation website since 2015. Students who study for at least 20 hours on Khan Academy have reported an average score increase of 115 points. The platform is widely used for SAT preparation, with selected questions from Khan Academy being included in published book exercises.
In collaboration with Pixar, Khan Academy created a course called “Pixar in a Box” in 2015. This course explores how skills taught in school are applied by creators at Pixar.
Khan Academy offers free test preparation resources for exams such as the SAT, LSAT, and MCAT.
In 2018, Khan Academy introduced an application called Khan Academy Kids, designed for children aged two to six. It helps children learn basic skills, particularly in mathematics and language arts, before entering grade school.
Teachers can utilize Khan Academy’s classroom feature to assign courses to their students and monitor their progress.
Criticism of Khan Academy has focused on its creator, Sal Khan, lacking formal qualifications in pedagogy. Some videos have also faced scrutiny for technical inaccuracies. The organization has addressed these concerns by correcting errors, expanding its faculty, and collaborating with content experts.
While Khan Academy’s online lectures are seen as valuable, they are not considered a complete education. The platform aims to supplement in-class learning and empower teachers by freeing them from traditional lectures and allowing more personalized attention to students’ needs.
Khan Academy and Sal Khan have received recognition for their contributions. Sal Khan was listed among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2012. Khan Academy has won awards, including a Webby Award for Education and a Shorty Award for Best in Education. Sal Khan also received the Padma Shri, a prestigious civilian award from the President of India.
6. Pluralsight:
Pluralsight, LLC is a privately held American online education company that specializes in video training courses for software developers, IT administrators, and creative professionals. It was founded in 2004 by Aaron Skonnard, Keith Brown, Fritz Onion, and Bill Williams, with its headquarters located in Farmington, Utah. The company boasts a catalog of over 7,000 courses and employs over 1,400 subject-matter experts as authors as of July 2018. Pluralsight began offering its courses online in 2007 and has since expanded its offerings to include a full enterprise platform and skills assessment modules.
Pluralsight was originally established in 2004 as a classroom training company, providing in-person instruction to businesses and training events. However, in 2007, the company transitioned its focus to online video training. Since 2011, Pluralsight has experienced significant growth and has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies, earning a spot on the Inc. 5000 list. It has also been acknowledged for its workplace environment and ranked on various prestigious lists, including Forbes Cloud 100 and Great Place To Work.
In April 2018, Pluralsight filed for an initial public offering and debuted on the NASDAQ exchange in May 2018. Over the years, Pluralsight has gained a strong client base, serving around 18,000 corporate clients, including a majority of Fortune 500 companies. In December 2020, the company announced its acquisition by private equity firm Vista Equity Partners for $3.5 billion. The acquisition was successfully completed in April 2021, resulting in Pluralsight becoming a privately held company under Vista Equity Partners.
Pluralsight operates on a subscription-based business model, providing online professional tech training to both individual and business customers. Course authors are paid royalties based on the viewership of their videos, with some authors earning substantial amounts, such as Scott Allen, who became the first author to earn over $1 million in royalties from his courses.
In addition to its individual subscriptions, Pluralsight offers a comprehensive Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform tailored for enterprise users. The company has established partnerships with a significant number of Fortune 500 companies, working with approximately 40% in 2017 and 70% in 2019. Business-to-business sales make up a considerable portion of the company’s revenue, accounting for 86% of its billings in 2019.
Pluralsight is committed to corporate philanthropy and joined the Pledge 1% movement in 2017. Through its initiative called Pluralsight One, the company aims to enhance technology education in the nonprofit sector by allocating 1% of its efforts toward supporting nonprofit organizations.
Venture funding
Initially, Pluralsight relied on the personal contributions of its four founders, who each invested $5,000. For the first nine years, the company operated without external funding.
In December 2012, Pluralsight secured $27.5 million in Series A funding from Insight Venture Partners. It received an additional $2.5 million in Series A funding on March 18, 2014. Subsequently, on August 27, 2014, the company raised $135 million in Series B funding, led by Insight Venture Partners, ICONIQ Capital, and Sorenson Capital. This funding round was reported as the largest venture funding ever received by a Utah company at the time. Following this investment, Pluralsight’s valuation soared from less than $100 million in 2012 to nearly $1 billion.
In December 2016, the company conducted a Series C round, generating an additional $30 million and valuing the company at over $1 billion. Insight Venture Partners and Iconiq Capital were among the existing investors who participated in this funding round.
Acquisitions
While Pluralsight initially grew its author base and course catalog organically, it began acquiring e-learning and education companies in 2013 to enhance its technology, course offerings, and leadership team.
The acquisitions include:
- PeepCode in July 2013, which added around 100 courses in the Open Source category to Pluralsight’s catalog.
- TrainSignal in August 2013, a Chicago-based company offering IT training, with its team joining Pluralsight.
- Tekpub in October 2013, which brought in renowned authors such as Jon Skeet and Scott Hanselman.
- Digital-Tutors in April 2014, a creative professionals training company, expanding Pluralsight’s catalog to over 3,000 titles.
- Smarterer in November 2014, an online skills assessment platform based in Boston.
- Code School in January 2015, an online training site focused on coding and programming for entry-level and intermediate learners.
- HackHands in July 2015, a San Francisco-based platform providing live assistance to technology learners.
- Train Simple in July 2016, a video training company specializing in Adobe software.
- GitPrime in May 2019, a developer team productivity tool.
- Next Tech in January 2021, a provider of cloud-based computing environments.
- A Cloud Guru in June 2021, an interactive online learning platform for cloud technology.
Each acquisition brought new expertise, content, and capabilities to Pluralsight’s offerings.
Partnerships and community involvement
Pluralsight has established various partnerships and engaged in community initiatives to expand its reach and support education and technology programs.
In October 2012, Pluralsight partnered with Microsoft to make its courses available to MSDN subscribers and participants of Microsoft’s DreamSpark, BizSpark, WebsiteSpark, and Engineer Excellence programs. This collaboration offered customized subscriptions, including Visual Studio 2012 courses. In November 2014, the partnership was extended, granting MSDN subscribers 12 months of access to selected Pluralsight courses.
In May 2013, Pluralsight launched a coding bootcamp for children aged 10 and up, aimed at teaching coding skills in schools.
In 2014, Pluralsight collaborated with Utah’s Office of Economic Development to provide free one-year subscriptions to K–12 teachers in Utah. This initiative, valued between $5 million and $10 million, aimed to support teacher training.
Pluralsight joined forces with LaunchCode in November 2014 to assist job candidates in the technology sector by offering one year of free access to its course library. Additionally, the company supported the “Hour of Code” movement in December 2014, hosting coding sessions for students across the state.
Throughout 2017, Pluralsight formed partnerships with industry giants such as Microsoft, Adobe, and Oracle, expanding the range of available courses and increasing accessibility.
In September 2017, Pluralsight pledged $10 million as part of a private-sector contribution exceeding $300 million to promote STEM-related programs in public schools. This effort involved collaborations with Amazon, Google, General Motors, Facebook, and Ivanka Trump.
In collaboration with Google, Pluralsight announced 100,000 scholarships in 2017 to provide developers in India with access to advanced learning curriculum in emerging technologies, including mobile and web development, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and cloud platforms.
In 2020, Pluralsight partnered with Google and Andela to launch the Google Africa Developer Scholarship program, which offers free access to Pluralsight’s training courses to developers across all African countries.
7. Codecademy:
Codecademy is an interactive online platform based in the United States that provides free coding classes in various programming languages, such as Python, Java, Go, JavaScript, Ruby, SQL, C++, C#, Swift, HTML, and CSS. It also offers a paid “Pro” option, which includes personalized learning plans, quizzes, and realistic projects.
Codecademy was founded in August 2011 by Zach Sims and Ryan Bubinski. Sims left Columbia University to focus on launching the venture, while Bubinski graduated from Columbia in 2011. The company, headquartered in New York City, received $2.5 million in Series A funding in October 2011 and $10 million in Series B funding in June 2012, with Index Ventures leading the latest funding round.
In July 2014, Codecademy introduced a redesigned dashboard. In August 2015, the platform partnered with the White House to organize in-person meet-ups for 600 students from disadvantaged women and minority groups over a twelve-month period.
In August 2017, Codecademy launched its paid “Pro” product, along with a paid offering called “Pro Intensive.” However, as of 2020, it appears that the “Pro Intensive” product is no longer available.
In December 2021, Skillsoft announced its acquisition of Codecademy for approximately $525 million in cash and stock. The sale was finalized on April 5, 2022.
In September 2017, Codecademy formed a partnership with Amazon to offer free training for developing Alexa skills.
By October 2018, the company’s workforce had grown to 85 employees, compared to 45 in 2016. It had also secured $42.5 million in funding from investors like Union Square Ventures and Naspers.
By January 2020, Codecademy had expanded its course offerings to include a variety of programming languages, libraries, frameworks, and related subjects, such as C++, C#, Go, Java, JavaScript, Ruby, PHP, Python, R, Swift, and SQL. Their roadmap indicated plans to release courses on Android Development, ASP.NET, Flask, Kotlin, and TypeScript in 2020.
The platform also provides courses on command line and Git. In partnership with Periscope, Codecademy introduced SQL courses in September 2015. In October 2015, they launched a Java programming course. By January 2014, Codecademy had amassed over 24 million users who had completed more than 100 million exercises. The platform has received positive reviews from The New York Times and TechCrunch.
During Computer Science Education Week in December 2013, Codecademy released its first iOS app called “Hour of Code,” which offers introductory programming content similar to the website.
In April 2019, Codecademy collaborated with Adafruit to offer a course on electronics and hardware programming.
In December 2019, Codecademy introduced a new course on Swift, a programming language developed by Apple Inc. for various operating systems.
Codecademy Pro, released on August 3, 2017, offers three subscription levels: Codecademy Pro, Codecademy Pro Intensive, and Codecademy Pro Mentors. The monthly cost for Codecademy Pro is $39.99, or users can opt for an annual subscription at $239.88 ($19.99 per month).
Code Year was a free program by Codecademy that aimed to help people fulfill their New Year’s resolution of learning programming. It offered a new course each week throughout 2012 and continued into 2013. While the courses are still available, the program itself has ended.
8. FutureLearn:
FutureLearn is a digital education platform based in the UK that was established in December 2012. It is a joint venture between The Open University and SEEK Ltd. The platform offers a range of online learning options, including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), ExpertTracks, microcredentials, and degree programs. It has formed partnerships with over 250 UK and international organizations, including industry and government entities. However, in July 2022, the company reported concerns about its financial viability for the next 12 months.
When FutureLearn launched, it had 12 university partners selected for their high rankings in league tables. These founding partners included The Open University, University of Birmingham, University of Bristol, Cardiff University, University of East Anglia, University of Exeter, King’s College London, Lancaster University, University of Leeds, University of Southampton, St Andrews University, and University of Warwick. The aim of the platform was to provide a space for UK institutions to participate in the MOOC domain.
FutureLearn gained recognition in 2016 for being the first platform to enable students to earn credits toward a degree from a top UK university using their tablets and smartphones, according to the Financial Times.
In April 2019, SEEK Ltd invested £50 million in FutureLearn, acquiring a 50% stake in the company.
In December 2022, Global University Systems, an entity that owns and operates several private for-profit colleges and universities, acquired FutureLearn, with Jo Johnson assuming the role of board chair.
FutureLearn offers a diverse range of courses covering various subjects. The platform launched its first course on October 14, 2013. Some of the initial courses included “Web science: how the web is changing the world” by the University of Southampton, “Introduction to ecosystems” by The Open University, “Improving your image: dental photography in practice” by the University of Birmingham, “Causes of war” by King’s College London, “The discovery of the Higgs boson” by the University of Edinburgh, “Discover dentistry” by the University of Sheffield, “Muslims in Britain: changes and challenges” by Cardiff University, “Begin programming: build your first mobile game” by the University of Reading, and “England in the time of King Richard III” by the University of Leicester. The first course to launch was “The secret power of brands,” taught by Professor Robert Jones from the University of East Anglia.
9. Udacity:
Udacity, Inc. is an American for-profit educational organization that offers massive open online courses. It was founded by Sebastian Thrun, David Stavens, and Mike Sokolsky. The name “Udacity” reflects the company’s ambition to be audacious for its students. While initially focused on university-style courses, Udacity now emphasizes vocational courses for professionals.
The origins of Udacity can be traced back to the free computer science classes offered through Stanford University in 2011. Following the success of the predecessor course, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, which attracted 160,000 students, Udacity was launched at the 2012 Digital Life Design conference. The company received funding from Charles River Ventures and an additional $15 million investment led by Andreessen Horowitz in October 2012.
In 2013, Udacity shifted its focus to vocational courses for professionals and introduced the concept of “nanodegrees.” By April 2014, Udacity had 1.6 million users enrolled in its 12 full courses and 26 free courseware offerings. In partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology and AT&T, Udacity launched the first massive online open degree in computer science in 2014, enabling students to earn a complete master’s degree at a cost of $7,000.
Udacity continued to expand its partnerships and initiatives. In October 2017, it collaborated with Unity to launch the “Learn ARKit” program, aimed at enhancing developers’ skills in building augmented reality applications. Additionally, Udacity partnered with Google to establish a scholarship initiative for aspiring web and Android application developers.
Despite not being profitable as of February 2018, Udacity’s valuation exceeded $1 billion, thanks to funding of $163 million from notable investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Drive Capital, and GV (Alphabet’s venture capital arm).
Courses
Free courses
Udacity’s first two courses, “CS 101: Building a Search Engine” and “CS 373: Programming a Robotic Car,” started on February 20, 2012. Taught by David Evans from the University of Virginia and Sebastian Thrun, respectively, both courses utilize Python.
Four additional courses were launched on April 16, 2012, covering various topics and skill levels and featuring instructors such as Steve Huffman and Peter Norvig. On May 31, 2012, Udacity announced five new courses, marking the first time the platform offered courses outside the realm of computer science. Four of these courses commenced at the beginning of the third “hexamester” on June 25, 2012. However, one course, “Logic & Discrete Mathematics: Foundations of Computing,” was delayed and ultimately not launched, with no explanation provided.
On August 23, 2012, Udacity announced a new entrepreneurship course, EP245, taught by retired serial entrepreneur Steve Blank. As part of a collaboration with Google, Nvidia, Microsoft, Autodesk, Cadence Design Systems, and Wolfram Research, four specialized computer science courses were announced on October 18, 2012, set to launch in early 2013. Additionally, on November 28, 2012, Thrun’s original AI-class from 2011 was relaunched as CS271 at Udacity.
University credit courses
Udacity partnered with San Jose State University (SJSU) on January 15, 2013, to pilot three new courses—two algebra courses and an introductory statistics course (ST095)—offering college credit at SJSU for the Spring 2013 semester and delivered entirely online. While the courses were available for free to anyone, 300 SJSU students had the opportunity to enroll for college credit at a fixed cost of $150. However, pass rates for these courses were lower than the traditional in-person SJSU classes, potentially due to students who had previously failed the traditional courses enrolling online. The pilot was repeated in the summer semester with an increased enrollment cap and the addition of two new courses. Pass rates for the statistics, college algebra, and programming courses surpassed those of the face-to-face courses.
Despite this, the partnership with SJSU was suspended on July 18, 2013.
Nanodegree
In June 2014, Udacity and AT&T introduced the “Nanodegree” program, aimed at teaching programming skills necessary for entry-level IT positions at AT&T. The program could be completed in less than a year and cost approximately $200 per month. AT&T also offered paid internships to some program graduates. Sebastian Thrun stated that the program’s objective was to help learners acquire the skills needed to succeed in the job market.
10. LinkedIn Learning:
LinkedIn Learning is an online learning provider based in the United States. It offers video courses taught by industry experts in the fields of software, creative skills, business, and technology. LinkedIn Learning operates as a subsidiary of LinkedIn and categorizes its courses into four main areas: Business, Creative, Technology, and Certifications.
The company was originally established in 1995 as Lynda.com by Lynda Weinman. It started as an online support platform for Weinman’s books and classes. In 2015, LinkedIn acquired Lynda.com, and later that year, Microsoft acquired LinkedIn.
Lynda.com began offering online courses in 2002 and expanded its offerings over the years. It also started producing documentaries on creative leaders, artists, and entrepreneurs in 2008. In 2013, the company received its first external investment and continued to raise additional funds. In 2015, LinkedIn purchased Lynda.com for $1.5 billion.
Following the acquisition, Lynda.com was merged and rebranded as LinkedIn Learning in October 2017. The platform faced criticism in 2019 when it required users accessing the service through public libraries to create LinkedIn profiles. However, as of March 2021, libraries started migrating to LinkedIn Learning without mandating a LinkedIn profile.
On June 2, 2021, the lynda.com website was permanently redirected to LinkedIn Learning, indicating the full integration of the two platforms.
Acquisitions
In February 2013, Lynda.com acquired video2brain, an Austrian-based online class provider specializing in web design and programming. The acquisition included courses available in German, French, Spanish, and English.
On April 7, 2014, Lynda.com purchased Compilr, a Canadian startup that offered an online code editor and sandbox.
Service Details
LinkedIn Learning operates as a subscription service, priced at $40 per month or $25 per month if paid annually (as of 2021). It offers a comprehensive catalog of over 16,000 courses and learning paths to its subscribers.
11. MindHub:
MindHub revolutionizes the coding club landscape by offering a unique and innovative learning experience for children and teenagers aged 6 to 18 years.
Our carefully designed courses focus on nurturing children’s logical and analytical thinking through the study of fundamental programming concepts. We firmly believe that digital skills are essential for success in the future job market. Our mission is to channel children’s interest in technology towards developing vital digital skills, as well as fostering logical and analytical thinking, which are crucial in any field.
At MindHub, we follow an original and project-oriented curriculum that enables children to embark on their coding journey at the age of 6 and progress to learning a programming language by the age of 10. Our methods and tools are highly innovative and tailored specifically for teaching programming to children, taking into account their age and presented in an engaging and captivating manner.
Driven by passion and innovation, we cultivate an environment where children can truly shine and unleash their full potential!
