What is the best MOOC platform for computer science courses: Coursera, Udacity, or edX?

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Thomas Hepner

Udacity wins by a wide margin. It is (1) an exceptional online education platform, and (2) excels at high quality computer science education and skills development.

I recently completed the Udacity Intro to Programming Nanodegree, and am enrolled in two Java specializations on Coursera, of which I have completed several classes. I love the diversity of classes and content available on Coursera and edX, but Udacity has really pulled ahead when it comes to computer science content.

Udacity is an outstanding platform for computer science for several reasons:

Focus on Computer Science and Technology Skills:
As of this writing, Udacity is focusing its attention almost exclusively on computer science and technology education. Its content is created by the company itself in conjunction with industry partners like Google and Facebook.

It offers many courses free-of-charge, but its primary focus is on nanodegrees which are short, typically 6-9 month programs, that focus on relevant skills that can be readily used in a job setting. They currently offer 10 nanodegrees, and have plans to offer 50 by the end of 2016. Here is a listing of the nanodegrees currently offered:
  1. Machine Learning Engineer
  2. Android Developer
  3. Tech Entrepreneur
  4. Beginning iOS App Development
  5. Full Stack Web Developer
  6. iOS Developer
  7. Data Analyst
  8. Front-End Developer
  9. Intro to Programming
  10. Senior Web Developer

Industry Partners and Placement:
All of Udacity's nanodegrees are created in cooperation with industry partners. This means that companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon have identified key skills in demand at their companies and helped create the nanodegree to build a pipeline of potential employees who are ready to get to work on important problems. The Full Stack Web Developer Nanodegree was co-created with AT&T, Google, Github, and Amazon Web Services.

Truly Engaging Content:
Lectures on Udacity are structured quite different than on Coursera and is starkly different from anything you would encounter at a traditional university. Lectures are comprised of multiple short videos, typically 2-6 minutes in length, usually with a series with a short quizzes built-in. This really keeps the student engaged, learning, and interested in the topic at-hand.

Projects and Feedback:
Students complete a series of projects, with a more intensive final project, as part of the nanodegree programs. The feedback received on these projects is truly exceptional, and unlike anything I have ever seen in an academic environment. Within 24 hours after submitting a project, you are given a full code and project review. The review goes through the different project specifications and indicates whether the student 'Meets Specifications' or 'Does Not Meet Specifications' for each of the criteria. If the project submission does not specifications for any of the criteria, the project is sent back to the student for additional work. This does not reflect poorly on the student, or hurt your their ability to complete the nanodegree in any way, but it greatly enhances the learning process.

Career Portal and Placement:
Udacity is geared towards getting you a job in the area in which you completed your nanodegree. Unlike other online platforms, Udacity has a career profile page for each student. The profile includes information about the student (photo, full name), the nanodegrees they are enrolled in, projects completed, links to LinkedIn and GitHub, and allows the student to indicate their employment availability (full-time, part-time, etc.), and where they are willing to work.

After completing the nanodegree, the student is invited to a Nanodegree alumni community on LinkedIn and even offers 1-on-1 interviews with a career counselor to assist with job placement.

In conclusion - Udacity is the online platform to go for superior computer science and technology education; I highly encourage you to consider enrolling in a nanodegree program if you are thinking about it!

I'm really excited to work on the projects in the Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree, and hopefully get placed with a small startup.

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