Getting an education online is becoming more and more mainstream. And it’s becoming easier to find options that won’t break the bank in the process. One idea, which we’ll be covering in this blog post, is taking a free course online as a resident or citizen of Australia.
We are all for learning and improving your skills, but it can be hard to decide which course is the right one for you. To try to make it easier we have created a list of the 5 best websites for free courses online in Australia. Before we get into some of the sites, let’s talk about what a free course is.
What Is A Free Course?
A free course is a course without all that pesky homework and rigid deadlines. You’ll have access to some amazing lectures from professors at top universities around the world, but you may not be able to earn credits as in traditional schools.
A free course is usually an online course that is available to anyone, for free. It does not have to be provided by the university itself, but can be offered by a third-party provider.
For example, you might find a MOOC created by Stanford University or MIT on Coursera or edX. These are both platforms where universities offer their courses for free and many others too (including those created by teachers with no affiliation to an institution).
In addition to these platforms, there are also other websites where anyone can create their own MOOCs and “teach” them by uploading video lectures such as Udemy or Skillshare.
MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course, which means that it’s open to anyone who wishes to take the course provided that they meet certain prerequisites (usually completion of an introductory level class).
MOOCs can be either free or paid, the former being offered by institutions such as MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Princeton University; while the latter are often provided by companies like Coursera and Udacity.
Course Categories And How To Choose the Right One for You
There are many different types of free courses available, and each one will help you learn something new. There are several categories of online courses some of which include:
- Business skills and training
- Blogging tutorials
- Cooking classes and recipes
- Creative writing workshops
These are just a few examples. If you’re interested in a specific topic, check out what’s offered on each site before signing up for anything. You’ll want to choose the right course for you. Once it’s time to sign up, make sure that all of the information listed on their website matches what they told you during your call or email exchange.
The Best Websites for Free Courses Online in Australia
There are a plethora of websites that offer free courses online in Australia and choosing the best of them is usually a daunting task. We have selected the top five best websites that offer free online courses in Australia, they include:
- diversity
- Open2study
- Coursera
- EDX
- OpenLearning
Diversity
diversity has been around since 2009 and has grown to be one of the largest online learning platforms in Australia. diversity courses are designed for everyone from students to professionals looking to brush up on their skills or learn new ones. diversity is a free online learning platform that offers courses in a wide range of subject areas, from creative writing to public speaking.
The platform has partnered with several universities (including Deakin University and RMIT) so that some diversity courses are accredited and qualify for course credit at these universities. If you’re looking for introductory-level classes, the university catalog offers over 300 different free courses covering everything from data science to digital marketing. If you want advanced-level classes, there are also around 50 different graduate programs available through diversity, and as a bonus, they’re all completely free.
diversity is particularly good if you’re interested in business, marketing, or entrepreneurship. The site also offers some information on career opportunities as well as how-to guides for things like job searching or building your website.
Open2study
Open2Study is an online learning platform that offers free courses from top universities and high schools. The website’s goal is to help learners gain the skills they need to complete further study at a university or another institution.
Open2Study offers courses in a range of subjects, including English, math, and science. You can start your journey with one of the 10 available introductory courses such as “Introduction to Accounting” or “Social Psychology: The Science Behind Social Behaviors” (both designed by ANU).
Once you complete a course successfully, your certificate will be awarded by Open2Study through its partnership with Edith Cowan University (ECU). This means that you have earned an academic qualification recognized on campus while also enhancing your employability prospects due to having completed relevant training before starting employment at ECU.
The best part about Open2Study is that it doesn’t cost anything upfront. All courses are offered for free so there’s no need for payment if access isn’t available for some reason (e.g., during holidays).
Coursera
Coursera is one of the largest and most reputable online education platforms in Australia and the world, with over one million students from 190 countries. Coursera offers more than 1,000 courses from 100+ universities and partners around the world.
The platform was launched by a team of computer science professors at Stanford University led by Andrew Ng, who also serves as its current chairman. The venture is backed by John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and New Enterprise Associates (NEA).
The Coursera platform provides free access to university-level courses taught by top professors from top universities around the world such as Princeton University and Yale University. Students can watch videos on demand or take quizzes at their own pace while interacting with other learners through discussion boards or submitting assignments for grading if they pay an additional fee per course through credits purchased on their account page.
Coursera offers courses from more than 1,000 universities and institutions. The platform offers courses in a range of categories, including business, computer science, education, and medicine. Coursera also provides coursework in multiple languages such as Spanish, French, and Chinese.
Many of the courses offered on Coursera can be accessed for free if you have a valid student ID or proof of acceptance at an institution that supports the platform. However, it’s worth noting that some material is only available for purchase through paid subscriptions; this usually includes practice exams or special versions of coursework designed to help prepare students for certification tests such as AP exams or SATs (Scholastic Assessment Tests).
EDX
Edx is a non-profit online learning platform that offers free courses from top universities and professors. You can enroll in any of Edx’s high-quality, completely free online courses for self-improvement or earn an education degree.
Edx is a top website for Australians from all walks of life. If you’re looking for practical skills training, Edx has plenty to offer whether it’s learning to code or brushing up on the fundamentals of finance. If you’re interested in developing your professional career, there are plenty of options as well.
edX as a MOOC provider was established in 2012 and offers free online courses from the world’s best universities and institutions. The platform was founded by Harvard University and MIT, two of the most prestigious universities in the world.
edX offers courses from almost all of the top 100 universities worldwide, including Stanford University, Yale University, Columbia University, Cornell University, and more than 150 others. edX also provides certifications for some courses as well as transcripts upon completion of your coursework if you want to prove your knowledge to employers or other institutions.
OpenLearning
OpenLearning is a free online learning platform run by the Australian government. It provides free courses in several areas, including business, languages, science and technology, social sciences, and humanities. The courses can be accessed online or through mobile apps. They are aimed at people who want to learn new skills or improve their existing ones to help them find employment or advance their careers.
OpenLearning allows you to create an account and log in from anywhere with internet access so that you can take your studies with you wherever you go. There is also a forum where students can discuss important issues relevant to each course with other learners from around Australia.
Open learning has been designed so that it supports people who have English as a second language (ESL) writing skills because some of its content is only available in English; however many of its resources are available in other languages too.
OpenLearning, as an online learning platform, has more than 600 short courses, so it’s a good place to start learning. From here, you can learn about a wide range of subjects and disciplines such as business, design, and technology.
This platform allows you to create your course through its MyOpenUniversity feature; you can select the skills that interest you most and build your educational resource from there, this platform is a great way for learners to pick up new skills without having to pay any fees or sign up for an official degree program.
If you want to improve your skills make sure to check out these Sites
If you’re looking to improve your skills, there are plenty of online resources available to help. These sites offer a wealth of knowledge and learning opportunities for anyone with an internet connection. It’s easy to find free courses online with this list, therefore take advantage of these sites and learn something new. In addition to these websites, here is a list of tips that can help make learning online more effective:
- Plan out your study schedule beforehand so that you know when and where you’ll be studying each week or day. This will keep you on track with what you want to learn and how much time it may take.
- Reviewing notes after each session will help retain the information better than simply reading them once before moving on.
- Try taking practice tests so that when test time comes around again (whether in class or otherwise), it won’t seem like such a foreign process anymore!
- Keep reading if all else fails; sometimes getting lost in the text is the best way.
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FAQs
What is the best free online course website?
There are a plethora of free online course websites on the internet hence deciding the best amongst them is a daunting task, but Coursera stands top among online course websites globally. Other top-ranked online course websites include EdX, iVersity, Openlearning, Udacity, etc.
What courses are free in Australia?
There are several hundreds of free online courses in Australia, here are some of the free courses in Australia: Certificate IV in Ageing Support, Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs., Certificate IV in Child, Youth and Family Intervention, Certificate III in Community Services, Certificate IV in Community Services, Diploma of Community Services, etc.
What are the most popular free online courses?
There are numerous courses to keep count of but not all of these online courses are popular, some of the most popular free online courses are courses relating to technology, programming, graphic design, etc.
What can I study online in Australia?
You can study arts and social science-related courses completely online in Australia and get a degree from universities in Australia.
Conclusion
There are a lot of good reasons to take courses online. If you want to gain new skills or get into a new career, there’s no better time than now. As we’ve discussed, there are many ways to get started on your path toward professional development. Even if you’re not ready for university-level education, taking classes online can help build your confidence and provide some structure to your day.
When you’re done reading this article, make sure to check out these sites and see if any of the courses offered on their appeal to you. They are all free, so you can easily try a few different classes without having to spend any money. We hope we have given you all the information needed to begin your journey into learning something new today.
