Online training, here are the best free distance training platforms

Are you a professional or a student interested in acquiring or developing new skills? You want to learn more easily, at your own pace, and without geographical constraints? MOOC, or Massive Open Online Course will interest you. These are online training platforms that host course resources in a variety of subject areas and most of which offer you the opportunity to evaluate yourself for a degree or certification. There are now millions of platforms, as the offer is varied and quality courses. But … in the jungle of online course platforms, it’s not always easy to make a choice. In the rest of this article, you will learn more about the different online training platforms available today.

We will focus on 4 criteria to establish our list of training platforms. in priority We are looking for platforms that offer courses and training that:

-were specially created to be massively tracked on these platforms

– everywhere are available and using a simple internet connection

-are accessible to all without qualification

-offer a complete training experience, whether it’s free or not.

 

EdX – a non-profit learning platform

edX is one of the best online training platforms. Created and funded by the M.I.T and Harvard University, edX is home to more than 50 international schools or organizations that provide free university-level courses. With open-source software, the platform has more than 4 million users, 66% of whom graduate from higher education. Among the thirty themes available, we find architecture, biology, design or nutrition or literature. On the strength of its success, but with an unsustainable business model in the long term, edX now wants to tackle the very promising sector of continuing education.

 

Coursera – the pioneer of “MOOC”

Coursera is an online training platform, in other words, a “MOOC” for “Massive open online course”. On Coursera, courses are given by professors from the most prestigious schools around the world. The platform has so far more than 200 text, audio and video lessons. The student is not locked into a purely passive role, as is the case in most MOOCs, but is for example required to answer questionnaires aimed at assessing his understanding of the course. Similarly, the student may be assessed for the purpose of obtaining a certificate. The format of the courses provided plays a very important role as well, since the student will be required to attend and be fully engaged during the training session; The topics covered are mainly related to computer programming.
The creators of Coursera wanted to promote interactions between teachers and students: the result remains very convincing even if the format can put off more than one.

 

NovoEd – A collaborative platform between students

Created by a professor at Stanford University, NovoEd (formerly Venture Lab) focuses on collaboration among students. As with all other eTraining platforms, NovoEd provides academic course resources in the form of free videos, but some courses are paid for. You will find a variety of topics such as entrepreneurship, business, finance or design. Most of the teachings are from Stanford University courses, but there are also resources from more than 20 institutions or organizations such as Priceton University or the University of Virginia.

 

Udacity – A paid training platform for the professions of tomorrow

Originally created as part of an experiment at Stanford University in which 2 computer scientists have provided a course on artificial intelligence, the platform has since expanded its training offer, mainly in the fields of robotics, digital marketing, mobile development, virtual reality or analytic predictions. Udacity is thus able to offer very rewarding and highly practical courses. For example, you can follow the training “How to create a website” which takes place in 4 months and that allows you to learn the basics of web programming. Most of the courses are from the Universities of San Jose and Georgia Tech, but some courses are also created in partnership with major companies like Google or Microsoft.

 

France Digital University (FUN) – An initiative of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research

FUN is a French MOOC where you can find courses in science, law, geography or philosophy. The resources are made available by French universities and schools such as Normale Sup, Paris Sud University, the Polytechnic School or the Pasteur Institute. In total, more than thirty academic partners offer their courses online, free of charge.

 

Digital Sup – An improved version of the FUN

Sup Numérique is a MOOC with a “digital pedagogical resources engine” for higher education students. It is actually an improved version of France Digital University and as such, it retains the same goal: to give free access to courses offered by universities and French schools.

 

Udemy – A reference in the world of learning platforms

Udemy is one of the most dynamic online training platforms of the moment. It is intended for professionals who want to acquire and develop new skills. Most courses are free (or very inexpensive). Experts are invited to post their courses on the platform and are paid by course fees. Some courses give you credit towards a certification. The platform boasts more than 10 million users for just over 45,000 published courses. Their goal: to make you progress in any field, but at your own pace.

OpenUpEd – A MOOC with the support of the European Commission

OpenUpEd is an online training platform that brings together partners from more than 11 pan-European countries. The site is completely free (no admission fees, no course fees), you can start a training at any time of the year and these allow you to receive a “badge” or certification. Classes are mainly in English or Spanish.

 

FutureLearn – A For-Profit Training Platform

FutureLearn is a paid training platform that offers a non-negligible choice of courses available in the fields of computer security, media, health and psychology, history, languages or the digital professions. When you take a FutureLearn course and have been assessed, you can claim a certificate or diploma (up to the Master). FutureLearn is an incredible tool to learn differently, including fostering discussions between teachers and students. In addition, courses are specifically created for FutureLearn students