MOOC stands for “massive open online course” and refers to courses offered over the internet to a large group of students. They usually run for about 12 weeks and offer videos, quizzes, homework assignments, and tests.
Students pay a fee to access the course and often receive certificates upon completion. 2 popular online course providers are Udemy and edX. These two online learning platforms are known for offering high-quality classes that cover a wide range of topics.
However, it’s important to note that some people prefer one over the other because of certain reasons. Let’s examine in more detail these two providers that are Udemy Vs edX!
Udemy Overview
Udemy is one of the leading online education platforms that offer over 200,000+ Udemy courses taught by expert instructors around the world. This makes it possible for anyone to learn anything, anytime, anywhere.
The online learning platform allows students to choose from a variety of topics ranging from programming to data science, marketing to management, and even yoga to web design. Students can learn on their own schedule and at their own pace.
They can take lessons on any device including desktop computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc. In addition to providing free courses, Udemy also provides paid courses.
Some of the best-known brands like LinkedIn, Airbnb, Salesforce, and Microsoft use Udemy to teach their employees how to improve their skills.
edX Overview
edX is a nonprofit organization that provides free online education courses to anyone around the world. Founded by Anant Agarwal and his team, it focuses on providing high-quality education without compromising on affordability and accessibility.
The organization offers over 300 courses from leading institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, MIT, Yale School of Management, UC Berkeley Extension, Princeton University, Oxford University, etc.
These courses cover everything from basic computer programming to management and entrepreneurship. In addition, edX works closely with some of the best universities to provide exclusive courses that are tailored specifically for students.
For example, edX partnered with Harvard University to offer HarvardX, a collection of undergraduate courses taught by Harvard faculty members.
Instructors
The instructors in Udemy are professionals who have learned and acquired the necessary skills to teach others. They have a passion for what they do and want to help others learn.
In contrast, the instructors in edX are professors from top institutions around the world. These professors often have Ph.D. degrees and extensive research experience.
They have taught thousands of students in their classrooms and know exactly what works best for each student. This makes it easier for them to design a course that fits perfectly into a student’s needs.
Course Quality
While Udemy focuses on providing broad overviews of topics, edX offers more depth into each topic. This allows you to understand the concepts better, and therefore retain knowledge longer.
If you prefer a hands-on approach, Udemy is probably a good option because most of the courses are delivered in video lectures. You can create courses online on the Udemy platform
In addition, both platforms provide free tutorials to help you prepare for the exams. But, whereas Udemy provides the same material across multiple courses, edX gives you one tutorial per course.
So, if you miss out on a lesson in one course, you won’t be able to access it later. Another difference lies in the way the traditional courses are structured. While Udemy divides the courses into short modules, edX presents the information in chapters.
Therefore, you can study the entire chapter at once. But, what really matters is how well the instructor teaches the course.
While Udemy uses videos, edX uses interactive quizzes, assignments, and discussions, where students interact with each other. This makes edX a better option for those who want to improve their communication skills.
Commitment And Time
In terms of flexibility, you can take a course on Udemy anytime you want. But with edX, you’ll have to commit yourself to the duration of the course.
This is because most of the courses offered on edX are mostly instructor-led, although there are some self-paced courses. If you don’t finish the course within the stipulated time, you won’t receive credit.
On the contrary, on Udemy, even though you can start and stop the course whenever you want, you still have to pay for the course regardless of whether you finish it or not.
Suitability
Considering the features, benefits, & main differences, I have classified Udemy and edX under different categories and found their ultimate target audience. You can choose Udemy if you are looking for:
- in-demand courses on the internet.
- You are a student and need certificate courses.
- You are on a budget & need certificate courses.
You can choose edX if you are looking for:
- Free courses on the internet.
- You can take advantage of edX or if you are a teacher and want to teach online classes.
Pricing
The battle between Udemy and edx is far from over. While both companies provide courses on their platforms, they differ in terms of pricing schemes. Udemy offers three different types of pricing plans: Free, Premium, and Unlimited.
On the contrary, edX courses are mostly free apart from one paid version which is called Verified Track, and can cost anywhere from $25 to $200 depending on the type of class and category.
edX offers accredited verified certificates which means it holds value and can help you get a job in a relevant field, unlike Udemy where you do not receive any accredited certification.
Students enrolled in both companies are free, but they charge differently for premium and unlimited access.
Final Thoughts
Udemy and edX are both great resources for learning online. They offer different things though. Udemy is a one-stop shop where you can find almost anything under the sun related to learning.
You can learn how to play guitar, how to cook, what is the meaning of life, etc. edX is a place where you can find specific online courses. For example, edX offers quality courses on Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Science, Data Science, etc.
In my opinion, Udemy is better suited for beginners that are visual learners while edX is better for learners who are more academic.
