As far as Udemy reviews go, most don’t do the platform justice. They gloss over the more obvious aspects, like the cost of courses or the quality of the learning experience. This review isn’t one of those. It’s thorough. You’ll learn more about Udemy here and in less time than trying to piece together ideas from all over the web.
You’ll get a closer look at both ends of the Udemy experience. So, if you’re thinking of becoming an instructor, this Udemy review is gold. You’ll find out how Udemy supports instructors with educational content to help create their most engaging and successful courses, how you’re paid, how to create a course, how to manage communications with learners, and more.
If you’re a learner, we’ve also got you covered, too. Sure, we’ll explain why Udemy courses are often really cheap, and also why Udemy is worth it. You’ll also get to see what your learning experience looks like -- before you spend money. And if you decide you’d like to share your expertise with the world, you’ll learn how Udemy has made it possible for you to go from student to instructor.
Before we dive into the nuts and bolts of this Udemy review, let’s take a closer look at what Udemy is and why the platform exists.
What is Udemy?
Udemy is an online learning platform. The name “Udemy” is a combination of the words “you” and “academy”. As you can tell, Udemy is all about the education of you. This is possible with the creation of courses by skilled and expert instructors from around the world. Instructors produce high-quality video and audio courses that learners can access for a fee or free.
Why do People use Udemy?
When Udemy was founded, its creator, Eren Bali wanted to create a place where anyone could access quality education. Bali’s personal story sparked his interest in making education available to people with limited resources.
Watch Eren Bali share why he created Udemy:
Since then, the idea has blossomed. Today, people use Udemy for personal and professional growth. As an instructor, Udemy offers:
- The chance to share your expertise with the world
- The ability to generate an income. Rob Percival’s courses have reached nearly 120,000 students and exceeded $2.8 million in total earnings. Victor Bastos has reached more than 52,000 Udemy students with his courses, which have earned nearly $900,000. And Alun Hill’s courses have been accessed by nearly 47,000 Udemy students and have earned about $650,000.
- Build a brand that can position you for greater success.
As a student, here are reasons why you should look to Udemy:
- You can take courses designed to develop a specific skill or pass an examination
- Learning is engaging and you can gain certain skills in a week, weekend, or a matter of hours
- Udemy is affordable. The platform includes free and paid-for courses that start as low as $9.
- Courses are easily accessible from your desktop, tablet or smartphone, and you can download courses on smartphones and tablets for learning on the go.
- Make new friends with similar interests on Udemy.
When it comes to Udemy’s success, they’ve crushed some pretty impressive numbers. Here’s a look at some of their achievements:
- Over 57k instructors
- 150k courses
- 295 million enrollments
- 33 million hours of video
- 65 languages
- 5000+ enterprise customers (and 80% of Fortune 100 companies use Udemy)
Udemy Features
As promised, this Udemy review is thorough. We’ll cover both instructor and learner experiences.
Course Creator Features
Building a course isn’t something easily done. It takes planning, dedication, and timely execution to produce. Thankfully, Udemy makes the process simpler with a collection of helpful tools. Here’s a look at what instructors experience.
Signing up as an Instructor
Udemy instructors are not required to be professional lecturers or hold any special certifications or titles. While this may make the learning experience seem watered-down, we think it’s what makes Udemy stand out. Today, expertise doesn’t require qualifications, and learning shouldn’t be restricted.
When you choose to become a Udemy instructor, the process is a simple one. If you’re currently a student, access your profile and click on the Teach on Udemy link.
Accessing your instructor dashboard takes place via the profile dropdown menu. Click on your avatar and then on Instructor Dashboard.
As an instructor, Udemy also makes it easy to switch back to your student profile. Simply click on your profile avatar, then click on Instructor Dashboard. From your dashboard, click on the Student button in the top right corner.
Set up a Course
Once you’ve clicked on Teach on Udemy you’ll complete a short questionnaire. It’s designed to guage your teaching experience and then provide you with the right amount of tools and resources to shorten your learning curve. It also helps you produce the best possible course in a short time. Articles for beginners include: Create an Engaging Course, Get Started with Video, Build Your Audience.