GetSmarter Reviews

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Editor's Rating
Overall
Features
Price
Customer Service

Positives

• Partners with top universities
• Comprehensive courses
• Wide course portfolio
• User-friendly platform
• Mobile apps

Negatives

• Expensive

Acquiring a new skill has never been easier. With an e-learning platform like GetSmarter, you can take short courses from the best universities in the world – such as Oxford, Harvard, and Yale – without leaving the comfort of your home. Classes are mostly on demand, but there are a few aspects that make GetSmarter curriculums more traditional than some of its competitors. You learn together with a class, submit exercises every week for grading, and need to pass the course to get a certificate. It’s important to mention that most GetSmarter programs are designed for executives, meaning that it’s necessary to have some knowledge to achieve the course’s learning objectives. Still, GetSmarter doesn’t require any prerequisites, allowing you to enroll in any course you want. Prices are a bit steep, though – especially those from top-league universities, which can go up to $3,000. Fortunately, you can check whether the course fits your needs by taking advantage of the 14-day money-back guarantee.

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Features

GetSmarter provides an extensive course portfolio. It offers over 250 programs, covering more than ten fields of study, including AI, business management strategy, human resource management, IT, and health sciences. Fortunately, the company does a great job organizing all the courses on its website, making it easy to find and pick a program that fits your needs. You can filter by category or university, and all courses have a dedicated page where you can find a comprehensive prospectus.

Keep in mind that although GetSmarter partners with some of the best worldwide universities, the short courses available are non-credit bearing. Still, students who complete their program get a digital and physical certificate. Additionally, some courses are endorsed by certain employers and may contribute points towards programs such as Continuing Professional Development, Continuing Education Units, or Professional Development Units. When this is the case, you’ll find all the details on the course page.

You’ll notice right away that all programs have an enrollment date. Unlike some of its competitors, this timing is actually important. GetSmarter courses are classroom-based, meaning that you study alongside fellow students. And even though most of the classes are on-demand, student interaction is encouraged through (optional) live classes and discussion forums. In reality, engaging with other students makes up part of your grade. Although this may seem a pain, it’s the perfect way to expand your network.

In addition to the course itself, students get access to 2U’s Career Engagement Network, which remains accessible after the course ends. From industry-informed events to CV builders, interview prep sheets, and a job board, this helpful extra is excellent to push your career to the next level.

Course Overview

Since GetSmarter only provides short courses, programs usually take around three to twelve weeks (30 to 120 hours) to complete. The programs are divided into weekly modules, which include a wide variety of on-demand learning materials. All modules start and end with a self-evaluation survey regarding your understanding of the section’s learning outcomes. Although these questions are optional, it’s a great way to check your evolution throughout the module.

Most classes are video-based, and GetSmarter’s video player comes with various helpful tools. It’s possible to turn on English subtitles, search the video for a particular theme, change the speed, and select specific chapters. Of course, we recommend watching the video in full the first time. But when you’re returning for a refresher, these features will help save some time.

Below the videos, you can find a written overview of what was discussed. So, if you’re more of a reader, you can skip the video entirely and just go over the notes. Additionally, modules come with some mandatory reading, made available on Perusall. Although this platform is brilliant for engaging with other students, we would have liked the option to download the material in PDF.

Finally, all modules include several forum discussions to interact with other people and a final project that needs to be submitted by the end of each week. These two exercises are mandatory and make part of your passing grade.

E-Learning Platform

It’s easy to get the hang of GetSmarter’s e-learning platform. Each university has its own online classroom, which contains all the courses you’re taking. When you log in, the first thing you see is your dashboard. Here, you can easily check approaching deadlines, your course overview, and grades. It’s possible to jump right in where you left off by clicking on the ‘go to current module’ button, but you can also find your course homepage through the sidebar.

The platform also comes with a built-in calendar with all your important deadlines. The best part is that you can either export the calendar or directly add it to your favorite calendar app like Outlook or Google. Additionally, GetSmarter can send you a reminder email or text message the day before the deadline.

The course classroom page shows a rundown of all the modules. Bear in mind that future sections are locked, as GetSmarter wants all students to keep progressing simultaneously. Still, it’s possible to revisit a completed module anytime you want. Some other important tabs to visit include Announcements and Resources, and My Grades. All features are available at your fingertips through GetSmarter’s mobile app, and you can download most of the learning materials for offline studying.

Pricing

How much you spend on GetSmarter highly depends on the course and university you want to enroll in. Prices can vary from $900 to $3,000, and the company doesn’t usually offer discounts. Even so, there are few financing options. For courses with a duration of up to nine weeks, payments can be split in two. Meanwhile, programs that take between ten and 12 weeks to complete can be paid in three parts. Finally, GetSmarter offers a four-payment plan for courses longer than 12 weeks. Keep in mind that these solutions come with an administration fee of 3% of the program’s total price.

Considering how expensive GetSmarter can get and that you need to pay before the program even starts, it’s good to know that the company offers a window to ask for a refund. For courses of up to three weeks, you can ask for a full refund within 14 calendar days after the program’s start date. For all other courses, you have until the start of module three to ask for your money back.

Customer Service

The best place to start when looking for help is GetSmarter’s FAQ page. Here, you get a general overview of what the company offers, payment options, scholarships, and more. If you can’t find a solution to your problem, you can contact the company via phone or email. This is also how to get in touch with an enrollment advisor for more information about a particular course. After becoming a student, the support improves significantly, as GetSmarter offers dedicated success advisers to all its customers available around the clock to help throughout the course. To reach them, you need to click the help button found in the Online Campus. Additionally, the company is available on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. We also recommend visiting GetSmarter’s blog and YouTube channel for career advice, the latest market trends, employee development, just to name a few.

Bottom Line

At the end of the day, GetSmarter is an excellent platform for any executive who wants to boost their career. While prices are steep, the comprehensive courses available are designed by professors from some of the best universities in the world. Additionally, the platform does everything in its power to encourage interaction among students, which is perfect for expanding your network. GetSmarter’s Online Campus is also user-friendly, making it extremely straightforward to understand the learning objectives and follow the studying materials. Moreover, since you jump between video, text, student discussions, and live sessions, GetSmarter courses are very engaging. And the cherry on top is the dedicated mobile apps for Android and iOS that allow you to study whenever and wherever you want. Unfortunately, the company doesn’t provide many discounts, but there are financing options for those who can’t pay up-front. Plus, you can take advantage of the company’s money-back guarantee to check whether the course meets your expectations.