The 100 Most Popular Free Online Courses (2021 Edition)
This year, the ranking looks a bit different: almost one fifth of the courses are related to the pandemic.
It’s been nine years since a few Stanford professors decided to offer their courses online for free. These later became known as MOOCs, for Massive Open Online Courses. And 2012 became the ‘Year of the MOOC’.
Well, 2020 might be MOOCs’ next most consequential year. The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted learners’ interest in online education. MOOC providers, in particular, have seen a significant traffic influx, as previously covered by Class Central’s Report.
The pandemic has also impacted the most popular list. Compared to last year’s 100 most popular courses, the number of health and medicine online courses has gone up.
In fact, 18 courses in the ranking are directly related to COVID. The top course, with over 1 million enrollments, is Johns Hopkins’ COVID-19 Contact Tracing. It is followed by Harvard’s Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19, with 300K enrollments.
The courses at the bottom of the ranking hover around 15K enrollments. Combined, these 100 free online courses account for 6 million enrollments.
We’re happy to see that the first course we took as a study group at Class Central, Macquarie’s Excel Fundamentals for Data Analysis, also made the ranking. Read about our experience here.
Methodology
First, I went through Class Central’s database and made a list of all the courses that were offered for the first time ever in 2020. This was around 2800 courses.
Then I wrote scrapers to collect enrollment numbers across four different providers: Coursera, edX, FutureLearn, and Swayam. They all show how many students are enrolled on their course pages.
Combined, these providers have garnered over 11 million enrollments for courses launched in 2020. The 100 most popular courses account for over half of these enrollments.
Most Popular Free Online Courses
Below are the most popular free online courses launched in 2020 (sorted by popularity).
COVID-19 Contact Tracing
Johns Hopkins University via Coursera
The COVID-19 crisis has created an unprecedented need for contact tracing across the country, requiring thousands of people to learn key skills quickly.
★★★★★ (8 ratings)
Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19
Harvard University via edX
This course will provide licensed medical professionals with an understanding of mechanical ventilation so they can support the critical care team caring for patients receiving mechanical ventilation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
★★★★★ (19 ratings)
Understanding IELTS: Writing
British Council via FutureLearn
Find out what you need to know about the IELTS Writing test and learn techniques and strategies to improve your test performance.
★★★★★ (437 ratings)
CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python
Harvard University via edX
Learn to use machine learning in Python in this introductory course on artificial intelligence.
★★★★★ (1 rating)
Crash Course on Python
Google via Coursera
This course is designed to teach you the foundations in order to write simple programs in Python using the most common structures.
How to Learn Online
via edX
Learn essential strategies for successful online learning
★★★★★ (2 ratings)
Science Matters: Let’s Talk About COVID-19
Imperial College London via Coursera
Welcome to this Science Matters on the Novel Coronavirus (COVID19) – a free course to learn about the science underpinning the outbreak response.
★★★★★ (7 ratings)
Mind Control: Managing Your Mental Health During COVID-19
University of Toronto via Coursera
Never in the history of humanity have so many people been feeling intense anxiety related to COVID-19 and the world it will leave in its wake.
★★★★★ (6 ratings)
Fighting COVID-19 with Epidemiology: A Johns Hopkins Teach-Out
Johns Hopkins University via Coursera
This free Teach-Out is for anyone who has been curious about how we identify and measure outbreaks like the COVID-19 epidemic and wants to understand the epidemiology of these infections.
★★★★★ (4 ratings)
Inglés básico: conversacional y networking
Universidad Anáhuac via edX
Cumple tu meta de aprender inglés básico para utilizarlo de forma estratégica en los negocios e incrementar tu éxito profesional.
★★★★★ (42 ratings)
COVID-19: Psychological First Aid
Public Health England via FutureLearn
Get psychological first aid (PFA) training and help people with different needs to cope with the emotional impact of COVID-19.
★★★★★ (1 rating)
Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 1
University of Colorado Boulder via Coursera
“Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 1” is aimed at learners who are seeking to augment, expand, optimize, and increase the efficiency of their Excel spreadsheet skills by tapping into the powerful programming, automation, and customization capabilities available with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).
Finding Purpose and Meaning In Life: Living for What Matters Most
University of Michigan via Coursera
Welcome to Finding Purpose and Meaning in Life: Living for What Matters Most!
★★★★★ (1 rating)
How To Teach Online: Providing Continuity for Students
via FutureLearn
Explore online teaching with this practical course for educators designed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
★★★★★ (12 ratings)
Introduction to Git and GitHub
Google via Coursera
In this course, you’ll learn how to keep track of the different versions of your code and configuration files using a popular version control system (VCS) called Git.
COVID-19: What You Need to Know (CME Eligible)
Osmosis University via Coursera
COVID-19 is a global pandemic that has already resulted in hundreds of thousands of infections and thousands of deaths, with many more anticipated.
★★★★★ (10 ratings)
Everyday Excel, Part 1
University of Colorado Boulder via Coursera
“Everyday Excel, Part 1” is aimed at learners who are seeking to learn Excel from the ground up.
Cloud Computing Basics (Cloud 101)
LearnQuest via Coursera
Welcome to Cloud Computing Basics (Cloud 101).
★★★☆☆ (10 ratings)
Inside IELTS: Preparing for the Test With the Experts
British Council via FutureLearn
Learn about the skills you need for IELTS Academic on this free course
Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles
Harvard University via edX
Mobilize people to tackle tough problems and build the capacity to thrive through the dangers of change
Introduction to Business Management
King’s College London via FutureLearn
Discover how to manage people, money and information, and gain confidence and insight into your own management style.
★★★★☆ (2 ratings)
Improve your IELTS Speaking score
Macquarie University via FutureLearn
Prepare for your IELTS Speaking test and achieve your dream score
Computer Programming for Everyone
University of Leeds via FutureLearn
Discover the art of computer programming and learn what code can do with the Institute of Coding and the University of Leeds.
★★☆☆☆ (2 ratings)
Natural Language Processing with Classification and Vector Spaces
deeplearning.ai via Coursera
This is the Course 1 of the Natural Language Processing Specialization, offered by deeplearning.ai
★★★★★ (1 rating)
Data Analytics for Decision Making: An Introduction to Using Excel
Bond University via FutureLearn
It’s not enough to gather information; to stand out you must know how to use data to improve real-life decisions.
★★★★★ (1 rating)
AI for Everyone: Master the Basics
IBM via edX
Learn what Artificial Intelligence (AI) is by understanding its applications and key concepts including machine learning, deep learning and neural networks.
Primeros Auxilios Psicológicos (PAP). Edición especial COVID-19
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Autonomous University of Barcelona) via Coursera
Bienvenidos a esta edición especial, simplificada, del curso sobre Primeros Auxilios Psicológicos, impartido en castellano por la Unidad de Crisis de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB) desde el año 2015.
Introduction to Social Media Marketing
Facebook via Coursera
This course lays the foundation of social media marketing.
Japanese for beginners 1
Saint Petersburg State University via Coursera
Japanese language has become extremely popular among learners in recent years, since it is the best way to explore one of the richest and most mysterious cultures of the modern East.
Introduction to Data Science
IBM via edX
Learn about the world of data science first-hand from real data scientists.
★☆☆☆☆ (1 rating)
Neurolinguistics
Saint Petersburg State University via Coursera
This course introduces the key principles and goals of modern neurolinguistics.
COVID-19 Critical Care: Understanding and Application
University of Edinburgh via FutureLearn
Learn the principles and practice of critical care to treat and care for critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
★★★★☆ (6 ratings)
Learn to Code for the Web
University of Leeds via FutureLearn
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