Udemy Review

May 27, 2020

A bird's-eye view

Overview

This Udemy review is one of many in a qualitative analysis comparing popular 'Learn to Code' platforms using 6 categories, each with 5 distinct grades. This is a bird's-eye view, rather than a comprehensive dissection of Udemy.

Table of Contents

Who is Udemy Great for?
Cost
Teacher Feedback
Range of Tools
Computer Science
Real-World Projects
Beginner Environments
Final Words

Who is Udemy Great for?
^

  • Discerning learners who can distinguish between low and high quality courses. Udemy does not screen individuals, but they do review courses.
  • Experienced developers who want to learn about something very niche and aren't worried about the quality of the videos.

Cost
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4Most courses are free, or there is a small (US$40 or less) one-time fee for most courses.
Cost category and grading details

Udemy courses carry a one-time fee which gives you access to that course forever. The cost varies US$20-200, however there always seems to be a +70% discount promotion which can be applied to most courses. Search Google for Udemy promotions.

Teacher Feedback
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1Feedback from a teacher or other experienced developer is not reliably available.
Teacher Feedback category and grading details

Udemy does not offer any feedback from a formal teacher. The activity of a course's discussion forum varies from course to course. Courses are sometimes accompanied by multiple choice or fill-in-the-blank quizzes.

Range of Tools
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5Each tool from the basket of tools was covered.
Range of Tools category and grading details

Udemy is a marketplace where anyone can submit a course. A review process does exist before an instructor's course is available on Udemy, but their library is still a vast mixed bag of quality. There are plenty of gems, so experienced developers and discerning learners can find great value.

Computer Science
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3Complex data structures covered in some courses.
Computer Science category and grading details

Courses covering basic and complex data structures do exist, but their quality varies.

Real-World Projects
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4Real-world projects are presented with a description or walkthrough as a primary objective of courses.
Real-World Projects category and grading details

Udemy's open marketplace model results in a very large selection of courses. Courses often contain project walkthroughs or descriptions (or both). However, Udemy's platform doesn't have a strong student support system or assessment model. Sometimes after a project, you'll be presented with a quiz which should be easy if the project was completed successfully.

Beginner Environments
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1No beginner-friendly coding environments available.
Beginner Environments category and grading details

Udemy does not offer any interactive coding environments.

Final Words
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Udemy offers tens of thousands of courses, so if you're browsing their courses, hopefully you have an idea of what you want. Course pages display the title of each lecture in a course and typically provide access to a few of them to preview. This goes a long way to making this wild marketplace a great value.