If this is the case, you could use the extra time to learn a new skill. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are an excellent way to learn skills and work on your self-development. Many people choose MOOCs to learn more about a subject they’re interested in, upgrade their skills or gain new ones, in areas ranging from Roman art and archaeology to basic programming.
Each MOOC platform offers a wide range of free online classes to choose from, organised by prestigious educational institutions or experts in the field. All you need to have to participate is a computer, an internet connection and some free hours a week.
To help you get started, we’ve prepared a list of our top 6 free MOOC platforms:
Possibly one of the most popular MOOC platforms, Coursera offers hundreds of online courses from accredited educational institutions in various languages. It’s by far one of the platforms with the most MOOCs on the market. Although many of the courses are free, you will also come across paid classes, or MOOCs that are free but require payment for official certification.
With over 2,500 online courses, edX covers over 30 academic topics – from medicine to design. Founded in 2012 by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the non-profit organisation currently partners with top institutions all over the world.
With a wide variety of paid and free online courses, FutureLearn stands out as one of the platforms with the highest number of accredited degrees on offer. Established by the prestigious Open University, FutureLearn benefits from more than 40 years of the university’s distance learning and online education experience.
Learning practical skills and knowledge has never been easier with Udemy. Whether you want to gain a promotion, re-skill, or start your own business – Udemy will help you learn the necessary skills to succeed.
Saylor uses accredited professors to create free courses and useful open education resources in over 15 categories. After passing their final exam, participants can download a certificate of completion.
We have all wished at one point that we had paid more attention in school. Khan Academy offers you a chance to fill in any gaps from your education or refresh your knowledge in science, IT, economics, language, maths and history.
We hope this list has been helpful to get you started with finding the right MOOC for you!
For more tips on using your time to learn new skills, see our how to stand out in an online job interview.
Related links:
How to stand out in an online job interview
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Details
- Publication date
- 11 May 2020
- Authors
- European Labour Authority | Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
- Topics
- Hints and tips
- Youth
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