Are the Great Courses Plus and the Great Courses good for learners?

People around the world have to stay home as the global pandemic persists, and it seems that we still have a long way to go despite the availability of vaccines. While it is a very odd situation for many, it is also an opportunity to learn something new like a new language or a new recipe, or learning how to play an instrument, and so on. If you are stuck at home because of COVID-19, perhaps it is the best time for you to learn a new skill or a new passion.

That said, you may wonder what e-learning website is best for you? In fact, the 2 most popular websites are The Great Courses and The Great Courses Plus. Indeed, both of them provide high-quality content with some of the greatest teachers in the world. In this article, we want to help you find exactly what you are looking for, so let’s take a closer look at the Great Courses and the Great Courses Plus platforms.

The beginning of the flexible learning curve

While we are in quarantine, we tend to spend time scrolling on our phones, watching TV, play video games, or reading some books. Although these activities are quite entertaining, it can also be fun to add a new skill set to your life. This is where Great Courses comes into play, a gigantic learning platform also known as the Netflix of learning. It is one of the best tools that can help you learn quickly and easily.

Thomas Rollins, the founder of The Great Courses, was a Chief Counsel of the US Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. He created his company in 1990 as he had been inspired by a 10-hour-long videotape lecture series. Moreover, he then decided to invest almost all his money to get the best teachers and experts from all around the world to provide learners the most effective learning experience through his platform.

The Great Courses and The Great Courses Plus (the Netflix of Learning)

As previously mentioned, The Great Courses is very similar to Netflix. Both complementary platforms provide a wide variety of subjects and media supports for you to choose from. Let’s see what subject categories are available:

Courses

The provided courses include:

• Math
• Literature; Language
• History
• Better Living
• Economics; Finance
• Fine Arts
• High School
• Music
• Philosophy; Intellectual History
• Professional
• Religion
• Science

The above subjects are also divided into more specific themes such as gardening, the history of the Middle Ages, meditation, etc. Moreover, they also add new courses every month.

Learning services

The websites also provide helpful support that you can easily access in different ways:

• Online digital video library
• Hard copies of the courses like CDs and DVDs
• Workbooks or guidebooks
• Emails, giving you more information after paying for the service

Additionally, you can use the services with the official mobile application. If computers and online platforms are not your thing, know that they provide hard copy formats for people who prefer to study with books, CDs, and DVDs.

The price of Great Courses and the Great Courses Plus

The price of these e-learning websites may surprise you. For the Great Courses website, it costs $500 per individual course. Furthermore, you can get a subscription for $49.45 monthly or $360 yearly. Luckily, if you are on a budget, this site also provides discount promotions for some courses every day. Sometimes, courses are discounted up to 90% of their initial price, on top of having a few lectures free of charge.

For the Great Course Plus website, If you are a member, you can study any subject at any time you want. Once you subscribed to the website, you can access any video for an unlimited amount of time. Finally, the website also offers a monthly free trial for any new subscriber. That way, you can test the platform to see if you like it before investing any money.

The opinions of reviewers on the Great Courses and the Great Courses Plus

Here are the pros and cons that many users have brought to our attention:

Pros

• An impressive amount of high-quality courses with a good subject variety
• The different media available (CD, DVD, emails) to appeal to all the different generations
• The smooth and easy to use interface
• The teachers and experts giving professional attention to their students
• Useful sales and free lectures for people who just want to try something new without investing money right away
• Unlimited access to an infinite knowledge library when subscribing monthly or yearly

Cons

• The pricey cost for becoming a member or for a singular course in some cases
• Lack of a few ergonomic features, search functions, and bookmarks

In conclusion, the positive reviews greatly outshine the few negative ones. In any case, giving some food to your brain can only make you happy while you stay busy at home. We are in this together!