Udemy University Review 2024

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Udemy University Review

The way that we used to get an education has changed a lot. Back then, we had to participate in classes physically to get the information we wanted. It was usually associated with many unwanted problems. However, since a few decades ago, everything has been changed.

You can get educated without leaving the house. This is great because it avoids many challenges and obstacles related to traditional ways of receiving education. Also, thanks to advances in new technologies, we can learn more efficiently too. This is thanks to a novel way of transferring knowledge called online courses.

Here, in this article, we are going to introduce Udemy as one of the biggest and most popular providers of online courses. First, we need to know what's so good about online education. Then, we will introduce Udemy University and all its features. Finally, we will introduce some of the alternatives to the Udemy University. Let's get started.

What Is An Online Course?

Many people are debating which way of learning is better, face-to-face learning or online learning? The idea of online courses is to free people from common challenges and obstacles associated with the traditional way of learning.

Also, lessons should be taught so that students feel more engaged and enjoy while they are spending their time online. Online courses have dramatically changed the educational systems and let people touch upon a new genre of outreach on cultural and scientific topics. These topics were not accessible for everybody before.

Key Ingredients Of Online Courses

So, an online course is an environment to receive an education. There are three key ingredients associated with online courses. They are

information
Communication, and
Assessment

The information must be transferred to students by professional instructors who know how to teach in an online environment. Communication usually happens through messaging and discussions. So, both sides of them including instructors and students must be willing to communicate for a better experience. Finally, instructors must be able to assess whether students have grasped the lessons.

Knowing Your Target Audience

So, is it important who your students are in an online course? Yes, it is. Depending on your target audience, you have to consider different factors. Let's briefly introduce some of the biggest groups that can be considered as online students.

Academics / Professionals

Your online courses might be for academics or professionals. In this case, you should keep an eye on several issues. Right now, many countries like the US, Canada, and China have millions of students who have experienced online courses during their schools.

For these courses, students must be encouraged and motivated. However, when they are passive, the instructor can do much better in an online atmosphere. Professional learning is easier and more relaxed because students have decided to continue their education and are well-encouraged and motivated.

Personal Learning & Happy Students

There are no limitations like academic/professional online learning. In personal learning, it is not important what students' degrees are, or where they live, or whether they have gone to university. Personal learning is great for people who just want to increase their knowledge in a specific field.

What Makes For A Great Online Course?

What is a definition of a good and acceptable online course? Well, there is not only one definition to understand what a great online course looks like. However, there are several parameters an online class needs to include as that the education isn't boring. Here is a shortlist of ten points to keep in your mind when thinking about an engaging online course.

Natural Learning Content

Formal classes can sometimes get very boring. The same is true with online courses too. Just like formal classes, you have to select your educational materials very accurately. So, if you are wondering whether the content is appropriate for an online course, you have to ask the following questions.

First, you need to ask whether an expert in your field recommends such content and whether students search for this content if they are going to gain more knowledge about the subject. If the answer is yes, then your content is OK.

Student-Friendly Pacing

Online courses must not put a burden on students. So, too much homework makes students unwilling to keep participating in online classes.

Sense Of Community

One of the downsides of online courses is that you lose the human touch. There is no face-to-face communication involved. So, you have to try to compensate for the fact that students cannot hang around and get sociable. One of the options is to let students experience off-topic discussions.

They start talking about everything except for school and lessons. Another option would be group assignments so students can spend time with each other and get to know each other. Or, even small things such as when students are asked to put their real picture of themselves as their profile photo is great for creating a sense of community.

Smart Use Of Multimedia

Another good quality of an online course is presenting exciting content. For example, it is completely obvious that online courses asking students to read hundreds of pages don’t work out. In contrast, using multimedia content such as videos, images, GIFs, and other related sources can greatly boost the engagement rate. A good online course must be able to share such content easily.

Self-Directed Assignments

Students have to learn not to be always dependent on the instructor. For example, they should be given the option to create their own projects.

Additional Roads of Exploration appeals to all learning styles, and the element of surprise are some other characteristics that make an online course great and appealing for students.

Types Of Online Learning

So, how many types of online learning are out there? Basically, there are ten types of online learning. They include:

Computer-managed learning,
Computer-assisted instruction,
Synchronous online learning,
Asynchronous online learning,
Fixed E-learning,
Adaptive E-learning,
Linear E-learning,
Interactive online learning,
Individual online learning, and
Collaborative online learning.

Let's review the 8 most important types of them.

1. Computer Managed Learning (CML)

This type of learning happens between a computer and a student. Educational processes are handled by computer-supported databases. Computers provide students with the information they need. There are some levels of personalization as the computer manages based on personal information from the students.

2. Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI)

Here, you have interactive software for students. The content used here consists of text, graphics, sound, and video. All these materials are used to maximize education. We call it interactive because students can engage by participating in quizzes and other computer-assisted teaching and testing mechanisms.

3. Synchronous Online Learning

This type of online learning is one of the most common ones. In fact, students from any location in the world participate in real-time. So, it means that everyone can engage in online chat and video conferencing. Instructors must be ready for any type of question coming from the students. In this way, social isolation will be avoided and the relationships between teacher and students will be maximized.

4. Asynchronous Online Learning

In contrast to the previous type, students learn at different times. In fact, real-time education doesn’t happen here. This type of online learning is great for students who don’t have flexible schedules. So, they can learn where they have the time.

5. Fixed E-Learning

The material used in fixed E-learning is not changed. So, personalization doesn’t happen and the educational content is the same for all students. And, real-time education doesn’t happen either.

6. Adaptive E-Learning

This is the opposite of the previous type of online learning. In fact, in adaptive e-learning, several factors such as student performance, goals, abilities, skills, and characteristics are taken into account so that nice and appropriate educational materials are produced for individuals.

7. Linear E-Learning

You might not consider linear e-learning as a type of online learning. And, to some extent, you are right to think that way because it is an old-fashioned method. In fact, in linear e-learning, there is no relationship between students and instructors. The instructor chooses the educational material and sends them to all students without having any communication.

Students just receive the material and cannot communicate with the source. Let me give you an example of this. When lessons are taught to students through TV and radio programs, we call it linear e-learning.

8. Interactive Online Learning

In interactive online learning, the instructor and students can both share files and materials. So, there is a two-way communication channel going on between both sides of the system. This method is much more widespread because the atmosphere is more engaging.

Udemy, Ideal For Everyone

Now, it is getting interesting. We introduced different types of online courses. Udemy is one of the biggest and most popular online course providers in the market.

What types of subjects does it cover?
How can you enroll in their courses?
How much is the price?
What are some pros and cons with it?
Can you both learn and teach?

Let's start with some basic information about this platform and then see what user reviews say about it.

Udemy is a platform for learning and instruction.
Students from every corner of the world can participate in Udemy courses and receive the best education from the best instructors.
Reviewing some numbers about Udemy just shows how successful they have been.
- Right now, Udemy has amazingly 40 million learners.
- These learners or students receive information from more than 55 thousand instructors all around the world.
- So far, Udemy has presented over 155 thousand courses and
- the number of course enrollments has reached 480 million!
- Also, you know how important multimedia content is for education. Udemy has produced more than 115 million minutes of videos!
- The courses are available in more than 65 languages.
- Aside from individuals, companies, and enterprises get the information they want from Udemy.
- More than 7 thousand enterprises are in business with Udemy.
The Udemy business is an international one as it has six offices in different parts of the world including San Francisco, Ankara, Dublin, Sao Paulo, Denver, and Gurgaon.
Udemy is mentioned in the Fortune 2020 Change the World List.

They have made nice connections with some organizations to create opportunities for people from less developed parts of the world.

Right now, they are collaborating with four organizations as their partners. In the next section, we are going to mention these partners.

Udemy's Partners

Here are four partners of Udemy.

The Last Mile (TLM)

This company has focused on education, vocation, expansion, and workforce reentry. What does it mean? Let me explain. Before this, you should know that this company is trying to change people's lives through technology.

Basically, they teach people whatever they need to know about technology and related businesses. In education, people earn skills for building websites and software applications.

Invocation, some professional engineers can design and build applications for clients cheaply compared with other companies in the market. In expansion, the company comes up with a secure learning management system. Finally, in workforce reentry, returned citizens are prepared for success at tech companies.

AnnieCannons

This is another nice partner who helps desperate people learn computer-based skills. These people have been suffered from human trafficking and gender-based violence. The company collaborates with Udemy to teach these people about data literacy. They will learn how to work with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc.

Upwardly Global

This is another amazing company built to help immigrants and refugees. One of the main problems these people have is how to integrate with the new environment and get sociable. This company helps them pass industry-recognized certifications such as CompTIA A+, CCNA, PMP, etc.

SV Academy with Gainsight

This is another great opportunity for people who are looking for a well-paid job. With this company and collaboration with Udemy, nearly one million unemployed individuals will be able to receive knowledge about the most in-demand educational resources to have a better career in the future.

Udemy Free Resource Center

This is another good feature of Udemy. There is a big free resources center where you can access much good educational content. The content is mainly in the three categories including

Personal Growth & Wellness,
Productivity & Professional Skills, and
Essential Tech Skills.

Also, you can easily browse these free courses to find your wanted content and learn from it. The educational free courses in this center are great for people who want to start their own business and need to get educated.

For example, I saw an amazing content named Introductory Photography Course for people who seek a job in the photography industry. The topics are very diverse and range from WordPress, Excel, HTML, JavaScript, and HTML5 to Adobe Illustrator, Amazon AWS, Email Marketing, Digital Marketing, and Game Development Fundamentals.

Udemy YouTube Channel

In contrast to many other online courses that are not active on YouTube, Udemy has produced very useful and practical videos offering nice tips and tricks about online courses.

For example, there are some high-quality videos under the section “How to”. You will learn how to become an instructor, how to get your first 100 students, and many more. Other videos cover very interesting topics for businesses such as Pinterest, PayPal, etc. Below you will find the video on How To Become An Instructor:

Udemy Categories

Udemy presents the most diverse categories. It doesn’t matter whether you are interested in computer sciences, art, photography, SEO, etc. There are many courses for you to get educated and improve your skills.

There are 13 distinct categories on Udemy including:

Development,
Business,
Finance & Accounting,
IT & Software,
Office Productivity,
Personal Development,
Design,
Marketing,
Lifestyle,
Photography & Video,
Health & Fitness,
Music, and finally
Teaching & Academics.

However, these are the main categories on Udemy. There are subsections for each category to help people find their wanted course more easily. Let me give you an example.

In the category of marketing, more than 10 different subsections are covering very detailed topics such as

Digital Marketing,
Search Engine Optimization (SEO),
Social Media Marketing,
Branding,
Marketing Fundamentals,
Marketing Analytics & Automation,
Advertising,
Video & Mobile Marketing, etc.

Udemy For Business

This is one of the interesting features of Udemy. Imagine that you are a CEO of a big company. You are producing new applications and technologies. So, your employees need to get educated and get to know the new technologies in the market.

You can buy related educational materials from Udemy. With this feature, your employees will have unlimited access to more than 5500 courses at any time. Also, you will get new content from instructors too.

Teach On Udemy

If you are an instructor and want to transfer your knowledge to others and get paid for it, you have come to the right place because Udemy provides that opportunity for you.

You just need to plan your curriculum, record your video, and finally launch your course. As we said earlier, there are many different ways to adsorb more students and expand your business. Thanks to Udemy's popularity, you will be able to change your career forever and become a professional instructor.

Udemy Pros And Cons

Although Udemy is a very practical and reliable online course provider, it is not free from faults. There are several advantages and a few disadvantages associated with it. Here are some pros and cons of Udemy.

Pros

The courses are not very expensive. The prices start from $19.99. And, the most expensive courses cost not more than $200.
As we said, you can greatly benefit from nearly 600 free courses about many practical topics.
You can get refunded in under 30 days.
When you buy a course it will be yours forever. So, you have access to it for the rest of your life.
Also, at the end of each course, you will receive a good-looking certificate of completion.

Cons

Extracting the contact details of your students is not possible. So, you cannot have this information for advertising purposes.
Sometimes, you, as an instructor, think that Udemy is just on the students' side to keep them in the system as your classes are offered to them by too much discount which means less earning from them.
Support is a bit lacking as you cannot communicate with the Udemy representatives. The only way you have is to leave a message on an online forum.

Udemy Competitors

There is no question that Udemy is one of the largest selections of courses. Also, no one can deny its great diversity over topics. However, Udemy is not alone in the market. Many other online course providers are as good and professional as Udemy.

Of course, choosing one of these companies really depends on your budget, topic, needs, etc. So, what are these alternatives to Udemy? And, in a comparison, which one is considered the best? In this section, we are going to briefly introduce some of these big competitors in the market. Let's get started.

Skillshare is one of the competitors but it is more expensive than Udemy.
The other one is Pluralsight Skills which is an online course provider for computer developers and IT professionals. Again, it is more expensive than Udemy but easier to do business with. Also, you will get better support if you run into a problem.
LinkedIn Learning is another platform for instructors who know about software, and other business fields. It is more expensive than Udemy. Just like the previous ones. However, you can do business better with this company than with Udemy. Better support is another advantage of LinkedIn Learning.
CBT Nuggets, A Cloud Guru, Udacity, and Cloud Academy are other competitors of Udemy. So, you have to compare them in detail to understand which one fits you the best.

Conclusion

Online courses are essential to our lives. We cannot keep receiving an education without them. They let us break all the limitations associated with the formal way of teaching.

Here, we introduced Udemy as one of the most popular online course providers. We reviewed its features and compared it with some competitors in the business.

I hope you find this Udemy University Review interesting. If you like to know more about online courses, don’t forget to follow us because we get back to you with new content. Take care.

IJeannetteZ

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Ideas? Questions? Comments? I would love to hear from you. Please leave me your questions, experiences, remarks, and/or suggestions about this Udemy University Review in the comments section below. You can also reach me by email at Jeannette@WorkFromAnywhereInTheWorld.com.

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