As an alternative to online colleges, these online learning platforms tend to be a little more flexible and may even offer more specific or unusual classes you can’t find at a traditional college, but it’s important that you compare your options to find what’s best for you.

Udacity

The programs of the platform mainly refer to web development, programming, cloud computing and data science. Each program includes hands-on practice, real-world applications and examples, individual code reviews, and real instructors and career coaches who can address your individual needs. It’s about $ 399 monthly, or roughly $ 597 if you buy the full four months at once.

MasterClass

Although MasterClass offers more than just creative courses, its well-chosen offerings are the ones that put A-list actors, writers, artists, musicians, and more in the teacher’s seat. Most courses have around 20 lessons. Its courses are video-based, with practical advice and demonstrations mixed in with straightforward lectures, workbooks and class discussions. The price is about $15 per month for unlimited access, but you have to sign up for one year at a time.

EdX

Real college courses, created and taught by real college instructors, are available in a variety of fields and topics. The big selling point for EdX is that the majority of their courses are free—but there’s a catch. If you’re just taking the class for your own learning experience, the free version will probably work, but if you want to have formal verification（认证）for professional reasons, the “verified certificate” option costs about $ 49 per class.

Pluralsight

Designed with working professionals in mind,   Pluralsight offers courses in subjects like software development, data science, information security and more. Regardless of how many classes you want to take, the price is about $ 30 per month for a personal plan（you can enjoy a 10% discount for a complete year）.

I chose to take psychology because one is able to better understand himself, understand others, and learn how people think, so I can use that to my advantage in the business world.

【小题1】 By learning psychology I will learn how and why I think the way I think. This is important to me because I want to know whether my up-bringing or the genes I possess from my parents influence me. 【小题2】 I hope to find an answer this year through my studies.

I also think it is important to be accepting and tolerant of others and their certain beliefs about different matters. Some people like activities and subjects that I may not entirely agree with. It is important to learn why they believe what they do. People are different throughout the world. 【小题3】 I would like to learn what customs, traditions, and ways of thinking are witnessed worldwide and why some are apparent one place but not another.

My final reason for taking psychology is that I can better understand people from a business standpoint. 【小题4】 Knowing how they think will help in making major marketing and promotional decisions. I hope to learn how people react to certain situations or ads to see what will get them interested.

I know the effort I put into this course will benefit me later in life. Of course, learning the course may be challenging at times. 【小题5】

Miss Arbury teaches history at the local high school. Learning history is not exciting for most kids, with a few cool things and lots of facts to memorize. But Miss Arbury’s classes have been the favorites at her school for over twenty years. Students arrive early, sit quietly, and wait for class to begin. What could possibly make noisy high school students so suddenly eager to learn?

Humor and history go together in Miss Arbury’s history class. When everything is ready, Miss Arbury, dressed in a British soldier uniform during the revolutionary war, enters the classroom. A few students begin to laugh as she walks to an old recorder. She presses the button of play and begins a funny rap about the Boston Tea Party and the Declaration of Independence. She then challenges students to their responses. Miss Arbury is not a good dancer. She looks nothing like a British soldier. She is short, a little round and she herself admits that she is mostly tone deaf. But the kids love it.

At lunch time the cafe buzzes with kids laughing about Miss Arbury’s history class. She dresses up as a witch when teaching about the Salem Witch Trials. She wears a Winston Churchill mask when discussing the Battle of Britain. Her British accent is not even close, but the kids remember what she teaches.

At the end of the semester, the lesson becomes clear. In order to make the future better, we have to understand the past. Having a good laugh along the way makes the lesson much easier to remember.