6 items to consider when choosing an online course

With thousands of online courses available, it can be difficult to choose the one that’s right for you. Here are 6 questions to ask yourself when you’re choosing your next online course.

• Price. How much are you willing to spend? It’s great to start with free courses, but the course that’s best for you may have a small fee. About 20% of Everpath’s courses are free; an additional 60% are less than $30. Most paid courses also have a free trial period, and/or a money back guarantee, so it’s easy to try before you buy. (It’s still a lot less expensive than a textbook or the cost of going back to school!)
  
• Availability. Do you want to learn now, or are you willing to wait? About 90% of Everpath’s courses are always available, but 10% occur only at scheduled times. The scheduled courses are typically offered by universities (aka MOOCs). You can always bookmark these for later in your Saved Courses.
• Effort. How flexible is your schedule? About 90% of Everpath’s courses are totally flexible and can be taken at your own pace, when you have the time. But some expect you to keep pace with a minimum number of hours per week.
• Length. What’s the total time you’re willing to spend? Everpath has courses ranging from 10 minutes to 20 weeks in length.
• Difficulty. What is the expected level of knowledge before you start a class? About 80% of Everpath’s courses are suitable for beginners.
• Help. Do you need help from instructors, teaching assistants, or other students? If so, check whether office hours or Q&A forums are available as part of the course.

What else do you look for when choosing an online course? Let us know in the comments!