With a four-year college degree costing nearly six figures, it’s easy to understand why more and more people are turning to online courses to further their education. MOOCs, Massive Open Online Courses, are giving students the opportunity to earn a degree without putting themselves in major debt.
Let’s break MOOC down. Massive stands for the amount of people that are gravitating toward online courses. Open means that oftentimes you can take free courses, only paying when and if you seek certification. Online stands for attendance: You don’t have to check in at a certain time. The courses are conducive to your schedule and not the other way around. Courses emphasize key features of a class such as engagement with the material, ideation and networking with other students.
So where can you turn to if you want a MOOC education? Coursera has received $22 million in funding and offers an astounding 210 courses. It also features 37 participating schools and signed certification. Udacity has received $15 million in funding and has 15 courses you can choose from. Certification is based on placement after testing. Then there’s edX. They have received $60 million in funding and offer only nine courses; however, the courses they do offer are eligible for certification, with edX and the university name included on the certificate.
Check out the infographic below for more insights on MOOCs.
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