What is an Online Learning Platform?

A learning platform provides a safe environment that allows students to take online courses.

Since these learning platforms allow learners to search and pay for online courses directly, they are often called ‘online course marketplaces’.

Most of these platforms are geared toward education and strictly offer university-level education. Some of these platforms also feature online courses you can create, but most focus on educational content.

What is the difference between an online course platform and a learning management system?

Online course platforms or learning management systems (LMS) are used by instructors to build, deliver, host, and sell online courses. In addition to LMSs that are used by larger organizations for e-learning and onboarding, there are also course platforms and WordPress plugins used by SMEs to create and sell online courses.

Online learning platforms are platforms that allow instructors to create online courses or lessons using text, images, videos, PDFs, and audio files that they created using online learning platforms.

Best Online Learning Platforms

We try to make sure we analyze the pros and cons of every learning platform to help you choose the best one for you.

Udemy

This online course market is among the most popular on the Internet. On this platform, over 40 million students use online courses, and more than 50 thousand instructors create courses.

Course creation on Udemy makes it possible for everyone to learn new skills. As a result, it offers many different online learning materials, including PDF documents, PowerPoints, texts, and videos.

The platform does allow instructors to teach online on Udemy, but it takes a huge cut from the revenue and has control over pricing and discounting.

Pros:

•There are no setup fees. (for instructors)

• It offers self-paced and video-based learning.

• No highly technical knowledge is required.

• Udemy offers an iPhone and Android app.

Cons:

•There is little interaction with students. (both for students and instructors)

The competition between course creators is fierce. (for instructors)

•There is no possibility of branding yourself. (for instructors)

•Its prices are fixed, so it frequently sells courses at incredibly low prices. (for instructors)

•You have to market your courses yourself; the platform only promotes popular courses. (for instructors)

Who is it for?

Students:

You can find courses for almost every discipline on Udemy but read the reviews first. Quality varies.

Instructors:

It’s an excellent resource for teachers, educators, and freelancers.

Coursera

With 23 million registered users and dedicated to offering quality online courses, Coursera is an online education platform. It partners with world-class universities and companies to provide students with the opportunity to receive certifications from renowned universities after participating in their paid courses.

With Coursera, you can take individual or specialized courses as well as degree programs that feature on-demand video lectures, homework exercises, and peer-reviewed assignments as well as online community forums.

Pros:

• It provides different learning options and activities.

• Certificates and degrees are awarded to students.

It offers top-of-the-line educational tools and interaction with instructors. (for instructors)

Cons:

•Only educators in partner institutions are eligible. (for instructors)

There are fewer options for creating courses compared to other platforms. (for instructors)

Who is it for?

Students:

We can offer courses from prestigious institutions to anyone seeking a one-time course, a certification, or an online degree.

Instructors:

Professors who work at an HE partner institution or a business are eligible for the course.

These are just two of the most popular platforms on the Internet.

Additionally, there are hundreds of other sites that are very good and competitive such as Skillshare, iSpring Learn, DataCamp, and more.

It is clear that there is a variety of options available, and each of them has strengths and weaknesses. Even though you might find it time-consuming to read every detail about each platform and tool, you should conduct some research on those you are most interested in before making a final decision.