edX Alternative: 365 Data Science vs edX Comparison
Are you searching for an edX alternative? Consider how the 365 Data Science value proposition differs from that of edX.
edX online courses are taught by university professors and industry professionals in video format. As a well-established online e-learning platform, edX delivers courses in data science, computer science, finance, and social sciences.
While edX offers a broader selection of courses—some of which are college accredited—365 Data Science’s self-paced learning experience and structured career tracks might better suit beginner students’ learning needs.
Pricing: 365 Data Science vs edX
$15.37 per month
Billed annually- Online On-demand Video
- Gamifield Platform
- Comprehensive Portfolio
- Free Plan
- Step-by-Step Curriculum
- Real environment practice
- Personalized learning dashboard
- Career tracks
- Exams
$50-$300 per course
Billed per course- Online On-demand Video
- Gamifield Platform
- Comprehensive Portfolio
- Free Plan
- Step-by-Step Curriculum
- Real environment practice
- Personalized learning dashboard
- Career tracks
- Exams
Course Content: 365 Data Science vs edX
365 Data Science
The curriculum of 365 Data Science offers three career tracks: Data Scientist, Data Analyst, and Business Analyst. Each track consists of 10 courses (with two electives), and all start with Introduction to Data and Data Science—which sets the foundation for the upcoming concepts and lessons.
365 Data Science is especially suitable for novices because each session is a logical continuation of the previous one and considers skill levels already obtained. For example, you won't need to listen to repeated explanations only because the course's creators needed to be sure if a specific concept had been covered in prior courses. The career tracks teach the fundamental statistical concepts required for data work. The career path for data scientists also goes in-depth on advanced probability ideas needed for students to develop into competent data scientists with computational thinking.
edX
While edX has over 2,500 courses on a wide range of topics taught by university professors from institutions and top organizations like Harvard, MIT, IBM, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), beginner students can feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of courses.
edX does offer professional certificate programs that help students build the necessary professional skills in a given area via a series of bundled certified edX online courses.
While the edX data science curriculum is on the same page with 365 Data Science regarding essential data science skills, none of the professional certificate programs offer interview and job preparation courses.
On the other hand, 365 Data Science teaches valuable soft skills and best job-landing practices in the SQL for Data Science Interview and Starting a Career in Data Science courses.
Key Features
Learning Platform
365 Data Science acknowledges students’ online learning challenges, such as a lack of engagement, accountability, motivation, and fun. The software contains gamified components that support beneficial learning practices to address these issues. The website provides additional elements beyond the standard learning dashboard where you set goals and track your progress, such as an XP system, newsfeed, collecting cards, and others.
edX, on the other hand, does not offer gamified features, and its platform design and features need to be updated and more user-friendly to navigate. It provides standard platform features like goal setting, course progress, and grade tracking. The most useful edX platform function is the ability to download transcripts and the videos themselves for offline usage.
Learning Material
Learning aids facilitate quicker and more effective assimilation of the material than course videos. Downloadable materials kept on your computer and accessed offline are available from 365 Data Science and edX.
In addition to exercise files with videos, 365 Data Science offers a variety of other resources to satisfy the needs of students, including the following:
- Course Notes: free PDF text documents highlighting a particular course's key concepts.
- Templates: code-ready templates that speed up your process and cut down on online browsing time.
- Infographics: PDF documents with eye-catching graphics that assist newcomers in explaining the big picture of the challenging discipline of data science.
edX classes, in comparison, offer fewer learning materials with no templates or infographics. But they provide reading material with some programs, such as e-textbooks (equivalent to 365 course notes) and links to external online articles.
Real Environment Practice
edX and 365 Data Science offer coding in real environments and video instructions on how to set it up.
Although less practical than in-browser coding—which allows students to transition from video to coding—developing your skills in a real-world environment far outweighs the disadvantages. All businesses assume you’ll create your own program and identify workable solutions to problems. Additionally, this approach demonstrates how to solve problems when browser-based code cannot handle massive datasets.
Practical Case Studies
365 Data Science emphasizes the business application of data science in its practical case studies. It offers helpful case studies where students can put what they've learned into practice in a real-world setting.
For instance, the Probability Course in 365 Data Science uses actual data from Hamilton College and asks students to use the Bayesian Law to decide whether the institution successfully diversifies its student body.
365 Data Science highlights the business application of data science in its exercises and case studies in such courses as:
- Python for Finance
- Credit Risk Modeling in Python
- Time Series Analysis in Python
- AI Applications for Business Success
edX, on the other hand, offers interesting hands-on projects you can work on as part of a Certificate Program Capstone or an individual course designed to put your skills to practice. An example edX capstone project involves MovieLens, where you must create a movie recommendation system using the MovieLens data set.
But all these graded projects are peer-graded—meaning you depend on others' abilities to meet deadlines and might receive a poorer grade based on an unprofessional, prejudiced judgment.
Exams
Exams are ideal for students to gauge how much knowledge they have retained regarding theory and application from a given section or course. Passed exams demonstrate to potential employers that you possess the necessary expertise to perform your job well.
365 Data Science provides the opportunity to test the skills you have acquired with 3 types of timed online exams–Practice Exams, Course Exams, and Career Track Exams.
Optional practice exams evaluate your understanding of a particular area or chapter of the course. They help you find potentially essential areas for improvement and are an excellent method to prepare for the course exams.
Course assessments are thorough (timed) exams that gauge how much knowledge you have acquired on each course topic.
Career track exams are accessible only once you have completed every course exam in the professional track and have had your knowledge accessed from every course in the career track.
edX offers Comprehension Checks at the end of each section which tests your knowledge of the concepts covered. It also includes ungraded comprehension checks—similar to 365 Data Science practice exams—allowing you to practice without consequence.
EdX also offers comprehensive assessments where students get graded on the accumulated material from the course via various exercises and questions.
Certificates
The certificates students receive from online learning platforms after completing a course or career track are key selling points. The data science industry places a high value on certificates since they show that the student possesses the character qualities and technical skills required to be a competitive job applicant.
365 Data Science provides industry-recognized certificates that significantly increase students’ chances of landing a data science job. When passing exams with a grade of at least 60%, students can obtain course certificates and career track certificates.
edX offers verified certificates for course completion from a given track but does not have equivalents to a 365 Data Science Career Track Certificate. To earn an edX certificate, students must pass a course with a minimum grade of 70%.
It’s important to note that all edX courses have a beginning and end date by which the graded assignments and courses must be completed. This deadline system makes it more likely that you’ll depend on others' abilities to meet deadlines. And the peer-to-peer edX review system opens the possibility of receiving a poorer grade based on an unprofessional, prejudiced judgment.
Q&A support
365 Data Science provides superb, personalized customer support, and instructors actively participate in responding to queries from the platform's Q&A section. Such assistance is essential for novices and when they require professional guidance.
edX doesn't include its professors in the discussion boards—so students are left without expert advice when encountering problems understanding a particular idea from a course.
Student Ratings
365 Data Science and edX are well-regarded by students and have positive reviews on Trustpilot and G2. edX scores 4.5/5 stars based on 104 reviews, while 365 Data Science boasts 4.8/5 from five reviews.
Trustpilot gives 365 Data Science an impressive 4.9/5 out of 670 reviews, with positive reviews regarding the easy-to-follow lessons, well-structured curriculum, and supportive learning environment.
edX, on the other hand, scores 3.0/5 stars based on 1,271 reviews, with negative feedback regarding the surprising lack of quality in its teaching, customer support, edX peer review, and deadline system.
Pros and Cons
- Capstone and graded projects
- Diverse curriculum of software development and programming languages
- Deadlines
- Peer review system
- Expensive
- Structured career track curriculum
- Comprehensive graded exams
- Instructor-peer help
- No capstone projects
- Currently no courses on Microsoft Azure or AWS
Pricing
edX and 365 Data Science provide free content to students who want to taste the platforms’ teaching styles before deciding on a plan. 365 Data Science allows students access to the first chapters of each course and the resources and practice exams in them. In this way, students have an excellent opportunity to decide if they want to upgrade.
Regarding free courses, edX’s audit tracks allow students to view a significant portion of the course for free. Access to the graded assignments and verified edX certifications are granted to those who upgrade to a paid verified track.
- Audit mode: temporary access to non-graded activities and videos
- Individual courses: $50 – $300
- Free subscription: access to the first few lessons of all courses
- Premium: $36/month or $29/month billed annually
365 Data Science vs edX: Which one to choose?
edX provides a more extensive library of courses on many programming languages and tools for data science that top industry experts and professors from prestigious universities teach. The capstone projects can be an excellent addition to your data science portfolio.
But suppose you’re a beginner in the field of data science who is searching for a structured A-Z curriculum that covers beginner-advanced concepts. In that case, 365 Data Science can offer a superior learning experience—the vibrant community of peers and instructor-student help
365 Data Science provides a truly organized, self-paced learning environment. What 365 Data Science lacks in brand name and courses compared to edX, it compensates with a well-thought-out beginner-friendly curriculum. Additionally, you pay almost nothing for excellent content thanks to reasonable pricing and regular promotions. The program aids in developing marketable skills for a fraction of the price compared to edX.
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