Best online learning platforms: for adults, kids, free

Best online learning platforms: for adults, kids, free

Learning doesn't have to be limited to a physical place and today the web offers an infinite range of free options to study design, computer science, history, languages and other disciplines taught by some excellent professionals from a number of prestigious educational institutions. Here's a list of recommendations for free courses in English to keep you learning from home.

International MOOC websites

  • Coursera is one of the best known international MOOC providers. The website cooperates with 190 leading universities and companies, including the elite universities Princeton, Stanford and Yale and the Internet giant Google. There are more than 5000 courses in English. However, many of the courses offered by Coursera are subject to a fee.
  • Another large international MOOC provider is edX. Here, the renowned Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are on board, a total of around 140 universities. There are more than 2500 courses available covering various subjects such as architecture, biology, law, art, math, science, data analysis and many more.
  • Udacity is a private provider, which is also internationally oriented and offers both free and paid online courses. Almost all courses are in the field of IT technology, some also deal with business topics. The language of instruction is English throughout.
  • LinkedIn Learning courses are oriented to new-generation digital subjects such as SEO, digital marketing and web content, web design, customer service, and more. There are more than 15 thousand courses on LinkedIn Learning, most are in English and often suggested based on your professional social profile. A great opportunity to expand your professional knowledge.
  • Google courses lie in the field of digital marketing, data and tech as well as career development. It also allows you to have a certification.

Art and design

  • Adobe Illustrator: This tool, one of the most popular among designers and layout artists around the world, is at your fingertips thanks to this course from Udemy. In addition to learning how to use Illustrator, you will also learn the basics of the graphic, interior, user experience, fashion and product design process.
  • Documentary Photography: If you are passionate about photography, have an eye for detail and want to improve the way you reflect on what is happening around you with a social, artistic or scientific focus, you can take one of the courses on Skillshare platform to learn about the theory and technique of documentary photography.
  • Interactive Computer Graphics: You may be a potential graphic artist or designer and have not yet discovered it because you did not have access to the necessary knowledge. With this free course from the University of Tokyo you will be able to train and progressively improve your computer drawing skills.
  • Song Writing: The prestigious Berklee College of Music, considered one of the main institutions in music education has created a free introductory course to learn how to write songs and lyrics. You will learn different techniques on how to rhyme, evoke specific emotions and use syllables and much more.

Culture and education

  • Creative Writing: The Wesleyan University offers the possibility of learning the process of applying and controlling the fundamental rules of spelling, punctuation and writing as well as crafting an original story.
  • Activism and Social Movements: Duke University (United States) has an open and free course aimed for activists, thinkers and artists involved in social change and interested in learning more about the period of transformation the world is going through (for example, Black Lives Matter).
  • Theories of Media and Technology: New York University has a complete course on current communication 2.0, which reviews from the New Media environment to the key details to understand the new forms of digital communication.
  • Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Being a Teacher: A course from Commonwealth Education Trust on teaching is a good way to upgrade your professional knowledge on teaching and communication with students the most efficient way.

Science and technology

  • Machine Learning with Python: Machine learning systems are becoming more and more relevant. If you want to learn the basics of Machine Learning, you can take this course from the IBM corporation. Among other things, you will learn how to create prediction, regression and classification models offered by this discipline.
  • Artificial Intelligence: Foundations Thinking Machines from the professor Doug Rose teaching at University of Chicago, Syracuse University, Emory University, and the University of Virginia is a course on the theoretical foundations of Artificial Intelligence.
  • How to create mobile apps: If you want to learn how to use the development tools of the mobile applications, you can take this course from the University of Toronto, focused on learning through practical exercises with which you can create mobile applications.
  • Computer science for game development from Harvard University is a serious professional course for future game developers. You will learn the main principles of 2D and 3D graphics, algorithms, software engineering, coding languages and much more.

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