When looking for acquiring new knowledge, e-learning is one of the best options to consider as it is a very efficient, practical and fast learning method. Best of all, if you want a good quality education at an affordable price, e-learning is definitely what you are looking for.
So, if you are wondering which are the most popular and widely used platforms for e-learning, whether for personal, academic or professional purposes, or to improve your employees’ performance, here we will show you what you are looking for!
The most popular and widely used e-learning platforms
Udemy
In this website, you will find a virtual library where several professionals offer their courses for sale. These courses have slides, videos, text files and everything you need for didactic learning. In addition, depending on the course and the teacher, they may add some practical exercises.
In Udemy you will find a clear tendency to micro-learning, since their courses are short. This is an ideal option for those who like a specific complement to their career or profession and who are not looking for an exhaustive specialization that requires more time. At the end of the course, you will receive a certificate from the platform.
LinkedIn Learning
Lynda.com is one of the leading websites in the world of e-learning. This is an ideal choice for those who want to learn more about design, software and business. It is currently owned by LinkedIn since the company bought it several years ago. So, now its name is LinkedIn Learning.
Here you can find a wide variety of courses, which have videoconferences, tutorials and other didactic files for good learning. In addition, it includes tests that will allow you to test what you have learned in the course. Once the course is completed, you can receive a certificate from the platform.
As it is part of LinkedIn, one of the advantages is that the platform recommends certain courses regarding the profile of each user. But best of all, the completion of these courses will be reflected in the LinkedIn profile, which will make it more attractive to employers.
Masterclass
Unlike many websites that have thousands of courses available, this one has just over 70 courses. However, there is no doubt that they are of excellent quality, especially if you are interested in the creative arts. The most interesting thing is that these courses are taught by famous people, such as Jodie Foster, Ron Howard, Natalie Portman, Helen Mirren, Samuel L Jackson, Neil Gaimen, Margaret Atwood, James Patterson, Malcolm Gladwell and so on.
You can find courses in journalism, design, conservation, poker, cooking, economics, even magic! In fact, you can even be taught tennis by Serena Williams herself. But before you start, you should know that Masterclass courses are in English.
The most used free platforms for e-learning
Coursera
When it comes to free online classes, Coursera is one of the main benchmarks. This is a website that offers courses endorsed by various universities around the world, among which Harvard stands out. Here you can find many options regarding data science, personal development, business, computer science, language learning, mathematics and logic, information technology, physical sciences and engineering, social sciences, health, arts and humanities.
As you can see, Coursera offers a wide variety of categories, each of them full of many courses. The best part is that you will be able to have certificates from the universities in charge of teaching those courses. But it is important to mention that while the courses are completely free, the certificates are not. So, you must pay for certificates and the amount varies depending on each course. However, as certificates are optional, if you are not interested in them, you will not have any impediment to complete the course.
Moodle
Moodle is one of the most popular open source platforms, being among the top 5 e-learning platforms. You can find thousands of courses completely free of charge.
Depending on the course and the teacher, you can find some courses only with downloadable documents, as well as didactic videos that provide a more interesting teaching. In Moodle, there is a great variety of courses since any teacher can create a profile and make his or her own online course.
Domestika
Like Moodle or Udemy, in Domestika you can find a library with professionals from different areas, who are responsible for sharing various courses, where the vast majority of them are through videos. This platform is mainly considered a web for training itineraries that must be self-managed by the students, since students are not monitored with complete tutoring. On the other hand, if you would like to have a certificate, it is necessary that you have the Pro version. But in case you only look for free content, there will be no inconvenience in taking the courses, but keep in mind that you would not receive the certificate.
