Online learning has opened up a world of opportunity for busy students, parents, and professionals. For those who are unable to attend in-person classes, virtual learning offers the possibility to further your education—all from the comfort of your home. In the fall of 2021, 9.4 million students were enrolled in at least one distance education course, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That means that 9.4 million people were able to keep learning and growing thanks to online learning platforms.
Best online learning platforms of 2023
Searching for an online learning platform can be overwhelming. After all, you have so many options available to you, and it can be difficult to know which one is best for you. In this article, we’ll cover seven of the best options, as well as their pros and cons.
If you’re still unsure if online learning is right for you, check out our article on the pros and cons of online learning to help you decide.
Skillshare
Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes for creative and curious people. You can find classes on pretty much any topic, including illustration, design, photography, video, freelancing, and more. Skillshare works to empower teachers, employees, and members alike by channeling the power of their creativity, learning new skills, and sharing discoveries. Whether you’re looking to unlock a passion, side hustle, or new professional skill, Skillshare is there for you.
Skillshare is free to register and offers some classes for. However, you still have to pay a monthly subscription fee if you want to receive unlimited access to the platform and avoid ads. You can also join Skillshare Premium to share and collaborate with a growing community of over 8 million creators.
Masterclass
When you join Masterclass, you get unlimited access to thousands of bite-sized lessons. MasterClass is the streaming platform that makes it possible for anyone to watch or listen to hundreds of video lessons taught by 180+ of the world’s best. Whether it be in business and leadership, photography, cooking, writing, acting, music, sports, and more, MasterClass delivers a world class online learning experience. Video lessons are available anytime, anywhere.
Membership includes access to a catalog of 180+ classes on cooking, leadership, photography, writing, and more. Each class includes 20 video lessons about 10 minutes long, along with an in-depth workbook. You also get access to the Masterclass apps, offline lessons, members only newsletter, and dynamic community of members around the world.
Coursera
With Coursera, you can launch a new career in as little as 6 months. Start, switch, or advance your career with more than 5,800 courses, Professional Certificates, and degrees from world-class universities and companies. Coursera collaborates with over 300 leading universities and companies, such as Google and IBM. They offer more than 3,900 courses, 1,000+ specializations, 15 MasterTrack certificates, 13+ professional certificates, 14 master’s degrees, and two bachelor’s degrees.
Depending on what you’re looking for, you can choose between three options: Enterprise, Students, and free, which is for individuals.
Codecademy
Codecademy is one of the best online learning platforms for coders with free access to over a hundred classes for all programming languages. Like most platforms, you can pay for the more advanced features. This platform is perfect for those who want to learn to code online, as it’s been on the scene for seven years and has over 45 million users. It’s designed for people who want to learn languages like CSS, HTML, Java, Python, PHP, Ruby, Sass, React.js, SQL, and more. They also have users and teachers that you can contact to ask questions and get advice. It’s perfect for both beginners and more advanced users.
Khan Academy
If you’re looking for an online learning resource for a younger audience, Khan Academy is a great tool for teachers, parents, and students. They offer practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empowers learners to study at their own pace. They tackle subjects like math, science, computing, history, art history, economics, and more, including K-14 and test preparation (SAT, Praxis, LSAT) content. As a nonprofit, their goal is to empower teachers to support their entire classroom. The best part is that Khan Academy is free for all teachers and learners!
LinkedIn Learning
If you have a paid LinkedIn membership, access to LinkedIn Learning is included in your subscription. This platform is for those who want to develop important business skills, such as time management skills and the foundations of programming. You’ll have access to courses for your business, higher education, or government team and the ability to learn from industry experts. Earn certificates to add to your LinkedIn profile and learn on your own time.
Edx
With partners like Harvard, MIT, and UC Berkeley, this online learning platform has over 15,000 instructors who teach education-oriented courses. The Edx vision is “a world where every learner can access education to unlock their potential, without the barriers of cost or location.”
Edx recently launched their new AI Boot Camp? This Boot Camp in AI is an immersive, in-depth 24-week program designed for beginners to build foundational and specialized in-demand AI skills that employers are seeking. Here, you can learn how to leverage AI and machine learning to automate, solve problems, and drive results.
Learn online with Quantum Fiber
Of course, you can’t tackle online learning without a high-speed internet connection to help you through training videos, virtual classes, and digital collaborations with your peers. With Quantum Fiber, you get internet built for smart speed, smart reliability, and a smart experience. That’s an ultra-fast connection with no annual contracts tying you down. Go beyond buffering as you work from home, take online classes, or connect with your business customers—all with unlimited data. You can learn more by visiting the Quantum Fiber website or blog.
Content Disclaimer - All content is for informational purposes only, may require user’s additional research, and is provided “as is” without any warranty, condition of any kind (express or implied), or guarantee of outcome or results. Use of this content is at user’s own risk. All third-party company and product or service names referenced in this article are for identification purposes only and do not imply endorsement or affiliation with Quantum Fiber. If Quantum Fiber products and offerings are referenced in the content, they are accurate as of the date of issue. Quantum Fiber services are not available everywhere. Quantum Fiber service usually means 100% fiber-optic network to your location but, in limited circumstances, Quantum Fiber may need to deploy alternative technologies coupled with a non-fiber connection from a certain point (usually the curb) to your location in order to provide the advertised download speeds. ©2024 Q Fiber, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Quantum, Quantum Fiber and Quantum Fiber Internet are trademarks of Quantum Wireless LLC and used under license to Q Fiber, LLC.
