This is one of the most packed categories in Udemy, in my opinion. It has everything from bible studies and critical thinking techniques, through mathematics and languages, right down to astronomy and psychology.

Academia

Academia is a relatively new word, first used in 1946. Its origins are Latin, and its basic definition – according to Merriam-Webster – is “the life, community, or world of teachers, schools, and education”. It is a big topic on Udemy, because it is a big topic in the real world, as well. Usually, the term Academia is reserved for higher education, universities, etc., but it can also mean the general world of knowledge that exists.

Udemy Academics has almost 800 courses on social science, mathematics and science, and humanities. It is a world of knowledge at your fingertips, and it is partly why the internet is such an amazing place, in spite of all of its shortcomings.

The front page of Udemy Academia has several categories: top free courses, top paid courses, and new (or other noteworthy) courses. Examples of the courses are Chinese Made Easy L2: Understand 79% of Chinese in 10 hours ($199), Probability made easy: Learn Bayes Law ($19), The Neuroscience of Reframing & How to Do It (Free).

Course Review: Paul and His Letter to the Galatians

Prof. David P. Seemuth

One of the most popular courses on Udemy Academia is Paul and His Letter to the Galatians, taught by instructors Prof. David P. Seemuth and Prof. N. T. Wright. The course’s cost is $149, and its goal is to provide a deeper understanding of one of the New Testament’s most fundamental pieces of writing. The course has over 36 lectures and 4.5 hours of video.

Students will receive a deeper appreciation of Paul’s words, and achieve a kind of transformation “by the renewing of the mind,” as the instructors say. The only requirements are an eager mind, and Professor Wright’s textbook Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians (which is available in paperback and kindle through Amazon).

So, who is the course meant for? It is there for anyone who wishes to go in-depth into one of the most profound and important documents within the New Testament. It is a course meant for all bible readers, whether it is readers who are new to the bible or those who are already well-versed in it.

Professor Seemuth is an expert in the field of religious studies, with an emphasis on the New Testament. He has taught graduate students for over 25 years, and has 16 years of experience with on-line teaching.

Professor Wright has taught New Testament at Cambridge, McGill and Oxford Universities from 1978-1993. From 1994 until 2010, Wright was Dean of Lichfield, Canon of Westminster, and then Bishop of Durham (Church of England). He then retired and returned to academia, and is now teaching at the St. Andrews University, Scotland.

The course has a great 4.8 out of 5 star rating. It would have been a full 5 stars, but one reviewer complained about Udemy’s mobile app (unrelated to this specific course) and gave the course a 1 star rating.

Course Review: 15 Concepts to Know for the Chemistry Regents

Another very popular course in the Udemy academia category is 15 Concepts to Know for the Chemistry Regents, by instructor Guy Hauptman. This course is essentially meant for NY state high school students who are in chemistry class, and are about to sit down for their chemistry regents examination.

The course’s cost is $20, which is a very cheap price to pay for a private chemistry tutor. It has concepts and quizzes, in a course that has over 21 lectures and an hour of video content. Success begins from the very first video, and in 20+ minutes students will gain the knowledge and confidence needed to pass the chemistry regents. The course, like all Udemy courses, provides its enrollers with lifetime access. For all those in need of a refresher course, this is the way to go.

Matter, liquids, solids, gases, organic chemistry, electric chemistry…

Hauptman is a New York State licensed chemistry teacher. He has taught in public high schools and private high schools in NYC, for over 13 years. He teaches other Udemy courses as well, such as 50 Ways to Pass the Living Environment Regents, and 70 Ways to Pass the Physics Regents. What better way to learn chemistry than from a real life chemistry teacher?

The reviews for this chemistry course are mostly good, with most ratings being 5 out of 5 stars. The handful of students who rated it 4 or 3 stars did mention how much they had learned, and how decent the course is. Their main complaint was that the audio quality was sketchy in certain parts.

Matter, liquids, solids, gases, heat, periodic table, math, acids and bases, organic chemistry, electric chemistry – it is all here, and it is waiting for you to discover it. It is a very encompassing introduction to chemistry, so even if you are not a New York high school student, you will be able to appreciate the ideas and concepts being taught during the course.

Hauptman’s chemistry regents course has nearly 700 students enrolled in it, and a 4.8 out of 5 star rating, as rated by over 170 students. It gives students the confidence to sit through the regents exam, by using commonly asked concepts and presenting them in different ways. This includes formats used across different exams, such as multiple choice and short answer questions. The quizzes which follow every video are made up of questions from the 2014 chemistry regents.

Periodic Table

Academia is part of what makes this world go ‘round. It advances, us and gets us higher, faster, better, stronger. It brings about research, innovation, and invention. Academia is part of what is so unique about the world we live in. Education is the key to many of life’s treasures, whether hidden or in plain sight. Thanks to Udemy, this key is now at the hands of anyone who is willing to invest the time – and in some cases, the money – in accepting this knowledge, and letting it into his or her life.