The 12 Best Online Courses for Teachers (2023 Reviews & Rankings)

The best online courses for teachers can help you gain valuable skills to become more effective in the classroom.

In today’s rapidly changing world, it’s more important than ever for teachers to keep their skills up to date.

While there are many ways to do this, taking online training for teachers is one of the most convenient and effective options.

Online courses give teachers the flexibility to learn at their own pace and on their own schedule.

They also allow teachers to choose courses that match their specific needs and interests.

In addition, online teaching courses offer a wealth of resources that can be used in the classroom. From lesson plans to interactive activities, the best classes provide everything a teacher needs to improve their skills.

Of course, not all online courses are created equal, and while there are many great ones, some are a waste of time and money.

We’ve reviewed and ranked the best online courses for teachers based on a number of key factors, including content, cost, convenience, and instructor quality.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost for you, we might get a commission if you click the link and purchase.

 

How We Chose the Best Online Training Courses for Teachers

Online education classes can help teachers get the training they need to start or grow a successful career in teaching.

Of course, there is no shortage of online classes for educators, but not all of them are worth your money, time, or effort.

That’s why we put together this guide. Along the way, we looked at dozens of paid and free online education courses with the goal of finding the best of the best.

To make sure we recommend only the very best teacher training courses, we evaluated each one on the following criteria:

• Content Quality: We evaluated the course materials and content to ensure it is comprehensive and up-to-date with the latest education technologies and trends. We did this by going over each course’s curriculum details and taking the lessons available.
• Student Review: In addition to making our own assessments of these online courses for educators, we also considered the feedback from students who have taken the course. We looked at both overall ratings and specific comments to help us determine which courses are worth taking.
• Instructor Quality: As part of our evaluation process, we looked at the credentials and experience of the instructors leading these online education courses for teachers.
• Pricing: We also considered the cost of each of these online teaching classes, taking into account the quality of the content and how much value students felt they were getting. While cost was one factor in this process, we ultimately weighed it against the overall value that each course offers.

After going through this exhaustive process with dozens of online education classes, we were able to narrow down our list to 12 courses we feel are the very best of the bunch.

 

What are the Best Online Courses for Teachers in 2023?

Here are our picks for the top online classes for teachers to take now…

 

1. Managing Emotions in Times of Uncertainty & Stress from Yale University (Coursera)

Price

Get started free

Duration

The total watch time of this course is 10 hours.

As a teacher, managing your own emotions as well as your students’ emotions is essential for creating a productive, safe learning environment. This online course will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and tactics necessary to comprehend and control emotions in the classroom.

You’ll learn how to better recognize and regulate your own emotions, as well as help your pupils understand and manage theirs.

In the first week of this course, you’ll learn how emotions can help or hinder attention, relationships, decision-making, health, and performance.

As the course goes on, you’ll discover research-based approaches to modify the way you think to change the way you feel, and learn how you can implement these strategies in your life.

What You Will Learn

This free online course will show you:

• The science of stress and its effects
• How to help students identify and manage their own emotions
• How to cope with the stress and uncertainty
• How to change the way you think to change the way you feel

 

2. Learning to Teach Online from UNSW Sydney (Coursera)

Price

Get started free

Duration

The total watch time of this course is 19 hours, approximately.

As a teacher, understanding the latest technology is important for best reaching your students.

This course will show you how to use online learning technologies in your classroom to improve your course design.

You’ll learn effective online teaching practices and how to incorporate them in both fully online/virtual and hybrid learning environments.

This popular online course for teachers is based on the multi-award-winning open educational resource created by Dr. Simon McIntyre and Karin Watson.

What You Will Learn

This free online course will show you:

• How to integrate online technologies into your teaching
• Why online teaching is so important
• How to assess online learners’ progress and performance
• How to engage and motivate students in an online learning environment

 

3. Arizona State University TESOL Professional Certificate (Coursera)

Price

$49/month or included with 7,000+ other courses with Coursera Plus subscription. Try Coursera Plus free for 7 days.

Duration

It will take about 12 months to complete if you give 4 hours of learning every week.

Begin your English teaching career with this Professional Certificate by Coursera. It will help you teach English as a second or foreign language using effective tactics.

This course is for anyone interested in teaching English in any part of the world. If you want to become a teacher, improve your teaching skills, or add a certification to your resume, you should get enrolled in this course.

People enrolled in this course will design lesson plans, create a professional teaching portfolio, and record themselves teaching. You will have the chance to submit a teaching portfolio for expert approval during the final Capstone course.

It will introduce students to ideas and strategies for teaching and assess their listening, speaking, and pronunciation in a second or foreign language. Through an assessment program of content, purpose, and approach, teachers will be encouraged to appreciate the necessity of grounding their teaching philosophy.

What You Will Learn

This free online course will show you:

• How to use modern communicative approaches to engage students
• How to use engaging and dynamic techniques to present lesson ideas
• How to motivate and engage students appropriately

 

4. Motivating Students to Learn (Alison)

Price

Free

Duration

It will take around 1.5 to 3 hours to complete this course.

This free online motivational professional training course will teach you about behaviorism and operant conditioning and how to employ them to motivate. You’ll discover how different sorts of goals influence student motivation and how to foster mastery goals.

You’ll look at how students’ interests affect their learning and motivation, as well as how to pique students’ understanding of a particular topic. The many conceptions of success and failure will also be covered in this student motivation course, as well as how to support attributions that are likely to have a positive impact on student motivation.

By studying and applying motivation theories, this motivating training course helps pupils look forward to learning. It will show you how to establish a classroom climate that promotes highly motivated learning by teaching you the various aspects that influence students’ motivation.

Being a good teacher necessitates a wide range of abilities, one of the most crucial of which is the ability to urge students to learn. Students that are motivated will devote more time to their assignments and accomplish them more efficiently.

What You Will Learn

After finishing this free online course, you will be able to:

• Explain behaviorism and how it is related to motivation
• Talk about motivation and operant conditioning.
• Distinguish between the several types of goals that influence a student’s motivation.
• Describe how to pique students’ interest in a topic to motivate them.
• Explain the self-efficacy theory.

 

5. Classroom Strategies for Inquiry-Based Learning (edX)

Price

Free of cost. An optional upgrade is also available for certificate and grading materials. See our edX review to learn more.

Duration

4 weeks with 1 to 2 hours of learning every week.

This course by edX is for those in secondary education who want to learn more about inquiry-based education. It will engage kids in education through investigation and inquiry-based classroom approaches.

An inquiry-based approach respects the hard work that goes into learning. It emphasizes students’ past knowledge and experience in the classroom and encourages active problem-solving communication and collaborative creation of new ideas.

By assisting students in developing hands-on abilities, inquiry-based learning attempts to promote student engagement. This education and teacher training course explores the 5E teaching approach and its applications in the classroom.

You’ll be able to see recordings of classroom instructors demonstrating a 5E session and listen to teacher comments as they implement inquiry-based tactics with their pupils. As a consequence, you’ll have the knowledge and abilities necessary to implement inquiry-based learning in your classroom.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this free online teaching course, you will:

• Learn about the principle related to inquiry-based learning.
• Learn about the components of the 5E teaching model
• Obtain techniques and skills for adopting inquiry-based instruction from master instructors.
• Learn about the advantages of inquiry-based learning for pupils.
• Make a learning guide to use in the classroom while implementing inquiry-based learning.

 

6. Quality Curriculum & Pedagogy for Educators of 21st Century (Udemy)

Price

Varies

Duration

53 minutes

Udemy offers this course for those parents and school officials interested in learning how a good curriculum helps children.

The module emphasizes the importance of learning. It establishes that a high-quality education equips students with the necessary skills to become economically productive, contribute to peaceful and democratic societies, develop sustainable lifestyles, and improve well-being via real innovation and creativity.

This short course provides an overview of what makes a good curriculum and what characteristics are necessary for students to study in today’s World. The instructor discusses themes including prioritizing creativity in the classroom, innovation in action, and the significance of ensuring children are healthy and well-nourished to achieve the best results in the classroom.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this short course, you will be able to:

• Emphasize quality in the classroom
• Make a curriculum that will enhance students’ learning capabilities
• Achieve the best results in the classroom
• Earn a certificate

 

7. Inclusive Teaching: Supporting All Students in the College Classroom (edX)

Price

Free of cost, or you can pay $49 for an optional upgrade to get a certificate.

Duration

You can complete this course in 6 weeks if 2 to 3 hours of learning is given per week.

In this free online course by edX, you will learn about the concepts of inclusive teaching and how to put them into practice in your classroom to help different students succeed.

Education in colleges around the world, including teaching, grabs a lot of attention. Faculty and administrators in a variety of educational settings are becoming increasingly interested in how the course atmosphere affects students and their learning. However, creating equitable learning environments that support all students’ learning can be complex, mainly when the course climate comprises a range of characteristics.

The construction of an equitable course climate, the selection and execution of varied course content, and inclusive classroom procedures and assessments are some of the topics covered in this course.

You will study the relationship between teachers, students, administration, and staff that affect learning outcomes and how to establish inclusive classrooms. Fundamental principles in teaching from higher education specialists who will present their critical findings on student growth will also be covered.

What You Will Learn

By getting this free online course, you will learn to:

• Determine what assumptions instructors have about students
• How beliefs affect instructional techniques.
• Develop an understanding of critical self-reflection and its importance in students.
• Define the crucial factors that influence inclusive classrooms.
• Incorporate inclusive teaching practices into unique classroom settings.

 

8. Google Classroom for Teachers (Skillshare)

Price

Skillshare offers a 1-Month Free Trial. After that, the price is $167.88 per year. See our Skillshare review for more info.

Duration

This is a short course of about 29 minutes.

This short course is offered by skillshare and helps you learn how to use Google Classroom from a teacher’s standpoint.

As we all know, many schools around the globe were compelled to make substantial changes to continue providing quality coursework to pupils during the pandemic. When it comes to arranging lessons, distributing materials and assignments, and connecting with students, Google Classroom is the most popular option.

Many schools and teachers choose Google Classroom because Google had created an easy-to-use platform that makes learning and teaching available from anyone’s home. This trend is not stopping any soon as we are going towards a more tech-savvy era.

While Google did a fantastic job providing teachers with such a good platform, this course will help you learn more about it and how it works. This quick and easy class aims to assist teachers all over the World in mastering Google Classroom.

What You Will Learn

By completing this course, you will:

• Learn how to use Google Classroom efficiently
• Know how to create an online learning environment
• Understand best practices for developing online learning environments
• Learn how to grade students remotely

 

9. MicroMasters® Program in Leading Educational Innovation and Improvement (edX)

Price

Free. An optional upgrade for $940.50 is also available for certificate and grading materials.

Duration

The total watch time of this course is 10 months.

This MicroMasters program is offered by edX for professionals who want to improve educational opportunities.

The course covers Leading Ambitious Teaching and Learning, as well as four other courses. It will teach you why and how ambitious teaching and learning could be the key to worldwide educational reform. It will help you learn how to enhance practice, raise students’ performance, and close achievement gaps using cutting-edge educational tools.

By the end of the course, you know how to build and manage teams that apply evidence-based, disciplined approaches to educational innovation and improvement and manage collaboration among schools, systems, and districts using disciplined, evidence-based educational innovation and development techniques.

What You Will Learn

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Imagine new possibilities for student and teacher work in the classroom.
• Comprehend various logic and methodologies for organizing educational innovation practice.
• To look into how large-scale educational reform efforts in the United States and around the World are being innovated and improved.
• To polish your skills as an educator, inventor, or reformer.

 

10. Teaching Character and Creating Positive Classrooms (Coursera)

Price

Get started free

Duration

Approx 10 hours of watch time.

Coursera offers the course for those interested in creating a positive classroom environment to enhance students’ learning ability.

In addition to this, it is also designed for Secondary Education teachers to use a positive psychology approach. The course gives teachers the tools to improve student engagement and outcomes.

This course examines fundamental positive psychology concepts and demonstrates how exceptional teachers employ them to increase student engagement and achievement. You’ll discover how to incorporate character-based objectives into your teaching through lectures, conversations, interviews, and footage of renowned educators in action.

What You Will Learn

This course will help you to:

• Use a positive psychology approach to enhance students learning outcome
• Learn tactics for achieving character-based goals.
• Create a positive environment for students
• Have a sound knowledge of the tools that will help in teaching

 

11. Get Organized: How to be a Together Teacher (Coursera)

Price

Free

Duration

You will need almost 8 hours to complete this course.

Do you have a hard time juggling multiple tasks? Is it frustrating for you to juggle the various responsibilities of a teacher? Then this course is just for you.

In this Get Organized course by Coursera, you will learn to distinguish between organization and togetherness in the first lesson. You first have to examine your strengths and limitations and then set a goal for yourself to complete the course.

What You Will Learn

This six-module course will help you to:

• Get examples from real teachers on creating your weekly worksheet to arrange your life for the next seven to ten days.
• Make a specific calendar for all of your life’s activities and deadlines.
• Learn how to make all of your organized tools work together
• Get rid of many to-do lists in favor of a single forthcoming to-do list that will keep you on track

 

12. The Art of Storytelling: Early Childhood Educators (Udemy)

Price

Varies

Duration

The total length of this course is 1 hour and 3 minutes.

Who else does not love to listen to stories? Children, in particular, have a passion for stories. This course discusses the importance of storytelling and how it can be used as a valuable learning tool for youngsters.

The course discusses several successful storytelling strategies and approaches that aid youngsters in improving their listening, creative, literacy, and critical thinking skills.

It will teach you the importance of storytelling and how children learn various sounds, words, and sentence building when someone tells a story to them.

What You Will Learn

• Storytelling and engaging classroom activities
• The five most fundamental aspects of a story
• A thorough understanding of successful storytelling techniques and methods
• Create storytelling setups in the classroom based on themes such as the forest, construction vehicles, and the ocean.

 

What to Consider Before Signing Up for Online Teaching Courses

Hopefully, the guide above will help match you with the perfect online teacher courses, but there are some further steps you should take to make sure the course you choose truly fits your specific needs.

Before signing up for any specific online training for teachers, make sure you consider the following:

• What you want to learn: Different online teaching courses may cover different topics or be aimed at those with different levels of experience. Make sure you know what you want to learn before committing to any course.
• The method of learning: Not all online courses are created equal—some may be more text-based, while others may provide interactive elements like simulations, videos, and webinars. Some might be live while others are self-paced. Knowing which type of course suits your style of learning is important.
• Your budget:  Of course, some courses may be more expensive than others—so make sure to factor in your budget when choosing a course. The good news is our guide includes some great free online teaching courses as well as some affordable paid options.
• Time commitment: Different courses have different time commitments. Make sure you are aware of how much time is needed to complete the course and fit it into your schedule if necessary.

 

A Final Word on the Best Online Courses for Teachers

As a teacher, you care about your students, and you’re passionate about being the best you can be at your job.

That’s why taking classes online to gain new skills, knowledge, and strategies is such a great idea.

Not only will it make you a better educator, but it will also help you feel more confident and capable in your role.

The courses we’ve listed above are just a few of the many excellent options available to teachers looking to improve their practice.

And don’t forget, most of these course providers offer free trial periods, giving you a great chance to try before you buy.

Have any questions about our guide to the best online courses for teachers? Leave us a comment to get some help.