Adult learning can be an incredibly expensive and time-consuming process, but it doesn’t have to be! With the advent of online learning there are more choices than ever in how we can approach post-secondary education. There’s a lot of options out there, and we have covered some of them in past e-bulletins, so if you’re interested in even more online learning options, please click here. However, the app that we are looking at today certainly deserves its time in the spotlight, especially because of the strides they’ve recently been making to deliver an accessible and universally designed product.
Udemy is an online learning system that is available on iOS, Android, PC, and Mac. The courses are adult-centered and deal with a wide variety of practical skills. There are courses on software development, business, photography, editing, teaching and academics, IT, music, and much more.
The platform itself is well designed, and it’s fairly straightforward despite the amount of content available. The app also features some very handy quality of life features. Learning reminders are built into the app and can be further customized to more perfectly suit your style. Courses can be downloaded and viewed online when the internet is unavailable or unreliable. Learners can even watch courses on the big screen with Chromecast. In-course quizzes and instructor Q&A are available to keep you on top of your learning.
As we mentioned above, Udemy also boasts some fantastic accessibility features. The platform carefully follows (and even teaches) the current web accessibility guidelines. Subtitles and closed captions have been made available on most courses, and the Udemy marketplace features a search filter that can be used to search for only captioned courses. Video player settings and keyboard shortcuts allow users to better control their video player. Dark mode can be toggled at any time for users with visual challenges (or for those who simply prefer dark mode like myself). Even more significantly, Udemy is compatibility-tested with other screen readers and accessibility tools, something which is rare for an online learning platform. In fact, this platform works with NVDA, JAWS, Voiceover, and Talkback!
Udemy courses start at around $25, but the cost varies by course. To learn more about Udemy, click here (new window).
