Udacity
One of the first educational platforms to offer MOOCs, Udacity focuses on those who want the practical skills needed to develop a career or change careers.
Course Topics
Most of the courses on Udacity focus on information technology, and for good reason: the educational platform grew out of a free IT course that was hosted at Stanford University. In addition to courses that teach technical skills, Udacity offers programs in entrepreneurship, design, math, and physics.
Eligibility requirements
In order to take Udacity courses, all you have to do is register on the website. When the platform launched, the courses had a start and end date, but now you can start taking courses at any time. There is also no deadline by which homework must be done. Participants choose when and how quickly to take the courses.
The courses offered are divided into several groups according to level of proficiency. There are courses for those who are not at all familiar with IT (New to Tech), courses for beginners (Beginner), intermediate (Intermediate) and advanced (Advanced) levels. However, you do not have to take any entrance exams or tests, and it is up to you which course you want to take.
Form of training
Each course consists of video lectures with embedded test questions. Some courses include projects that allow participants to learn a new skill, such as learning how to write code or create mobile apps.
Another feature of Udacity is the ability for students to create a portfolio of projects. If you successfully complete several projects (usually in 5-7 courses), you can get a so-called Nanodegree. This is not a degree, but Udacity claims that IT companies may count such a certificate as a plus for a job candidate.
Also, Udacity is a community, and course attendees can learn from each other by chatting on a forum.
Form of knowledge testing: multiple-choice tests, homework and personal projects (e.g. in programming courses you will need to write code). Unlike other MOOCs, Udacity courses are not so much about getting interesting and useful information (often for general development), but rather about acquiring specific skills that can be used in the workplace.
Some courses have a personal tutor (Coach) whose responsibilities include checking assignments, answering questions and helping with the project.
Certificate Availability
Upon completion of the course, participants receive an electronic certificate of completion. The Udacity Certificate is not an official certificate of advanced training or retraining. It is the knowledge and skills that count: for example, courses developed with the participation of Georgia Tech are offered at the same level as those offered to students from that institution.
For some courses it is possible to obtain a Verified Certificate, which may be recognized by employers.
Cost
Access to all course materials is free to all interested students.
Some courses also offer a personal tutor (Coach), the teacher’s evaluation of the work done and provide feedback. At the end of the course you can get a Verified Certificate. You will need to pass the final project, pass the final interview and provide the ID card. The cost of the course with the receipt of the Verified Certificate is $199 per month, and you can take the course at any time you want. The first two weeks are free as a trial.