Learning

Grow Your Internet Knowledge—And Boost Your Career

To succeed as leaders in Internet technology, policy, and business, the next generation of Internet leaders needs a wide range of skills in various disciplines.

Learning @ Internet Society empowers professionals with the knowledge you need to apply new skills, advance in your careers, and become Internet champions. The Internet Society is a global Internet education pioneer and has trained more than 100,000 learners worldwide.

Available Courses

Choose from moderated online courses, face-to-face courses, and self-paced tutorials—all free.

Our courses provide you with practical technical skills designed and delivered by Internet experts. You will gain knowledge and skills on how the Internet works, how it is governed, and how to keep the Internet and its users safe and secure. By learning with the Internet Society, you’ll be able to:

Enhance employability, entrepreneurship, and career skills in the Internet industry
Connect the unconnected
Champion protocols that keep the Internet secure
Build, promote, and defend the Internet

Important Notice: Scheduled Maintenance from 1-10 December

We want to inform you that our systems are undergoing a planned downtime from 1-10 December 2023. If you are an existing learner, this will not affect you. You can continue your course as usual. However, if you are a new learner wishing to register for a course, you will not be able to do so during this time. We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause. Please check back in from 11 December to register. For more information, see our System Transition FAQs.

Community Network Readiness Assessment

Digital Footprints

Encryption

Dark green background with monitor symbols

Fundamentals of Designing and Deploying Computer Networks

Grant Application and Project Implementation Guidance

Black background with snowflake symbols.

Internet Exchange Point (IXP) 2.0

Purple background with five circle pattern.

Internet Governance

Dark green background with group of people symbol.

Internet Society Chapter Management Essentials

Introduction to Network Operations

Purple background with five circles pattern.

Advanced Network Operations 2.0

Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security (MANRS)

Privacy

Purple background with lightbulb symbols.

What the Internet Needs to Exist

What the Internet Needs to Thrive

How to Develop an Internet Impact Brief

Gain Deeper Knowledge With Tracks

Learning @ Internet Society offers specialization tracks, which enable our learners to take courses within a specific subject area to gain deeper insight and expertise. When learners complete a track, they earn a certificate and qualify to join our alumni network.

Choose from the following tracks:

Network Operations Specialist

Are you ready to deepen your technical Internet knowledge and learn to deploy core Internet services? Get the foundational skills you need for work in network or systems administration. You’ll start by learning introductory skills and concepts and finish the track with advanced theoretical and practical knowledge.

Take four courses: Introduction to Network Operations, Advanced Network Operations, Fundamentals of Designing and Deploying Computer Networks, and IPv6 (offered by APNIC).

You must complete all four courses to receive your Network Certified Professional certificate.

a young woman with glasses connecting computer wires

Internet Policy and Advocacy Champion

Start on your path to effectively advocate for an open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet. This learning track will take you through the foundations of the Internet way of networking and writing Internet impact briefs, the benefits of encryption, and how Internet policies are created and governed. By the end of the track, you will have the knowledge you need to properly assess threats to the Internet and credibly advocate against them.

Take five courses: What the Internet Needs to Exist, What the Internet Needs to Thrive, How to Write an Internet Impact Brief, Encryption, Internet Governance

You must complete all five courses to receive your Internet Policy and Advocacy Professional certificate.

woman holding a certificate posing for a photo with a man

Online Safety Specialist

A safer global Internet starts with you. Learn the fundamentals of online safety with this learning track from keeping yourself safe online to ways that all members of society are responsible for upholding privacy- and security-enhancing best practices.

Take four courses: Encryption, Digital Footprints, Privacy, and Internet Security.

You must complete all four courses to receive your Online Safety Professional certificate.

a woman teacher explaining to a group of students

Internet Defense Champion

Become a champion for the Internet. With this learning track, you will learn how to assess threats and defend the Internet. You’ll walk away with an understanding of the Internet way of networking, online safety, Internet governance, and computer networking.

Take seven courses: What the Internet Needs to Exist, What the Internet Needs to Thrive, Encryption, Digital Footprints, Privacy, Internet Governance, and Designing and Deploying Computer Networks.

You must complete all seven courses to receive your Defend the Internet Champion certificate.

Experience the Alumni Network

When you complete a track, you are automatically eligible to join the Internet Society Alumni Network.

Being part of the Alumni Network helps you stay connected with peers and gives you access to continuous learning and sharing opportunities, as well as tools and resources to support the development of the Internet in your own communities.

What Alumni Say About Subject Tracks

The track certificate will help me with job applications and mentoring upcoming students in the field.”

I’ll use the tracks to get involved in communities and organizations with the drive to introduce the Internet in places where the Internet is needed.”

Who Can Take Courses?

Everyone. If you would like to learn about the Internet, how it works, and shape its future, our online courses are for you! Our courses are for people with different experience levels.

There are both technical and nontechnical courses in our catalog. Technical courses may have prerequisites. Please check these before enrolling in a course.

Meet Our Tutors

Our tutors are world-class experts with deep knowledge of the Internet. They support course delivery by leading live chat sessions, responding to learner questions on the course forum, and sharing their expertise with the community. Our tutors hold relevant academic qualifications and complete an annual training session certifying them to be official Internet Society tutors.

Ready to Go?

Browse the course calendar, register to create a profile, and start choosing your courses.

Thank You to Our Supporters

Our courses are offered free of charge thanks to the generous contributions of our community. Your support helps us to build the skills of over 10,000 people every year.

♥ Donate

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Learning @ Internet Society?

Learning @ Internet Society is a way to bring people together in support of an open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet. It empowers people with the knowledge they need to take action and prepare learners to become the future leaders the Internet needs.
Since its inception in 1992, the Internet Society has been at the forefront of Internet education, bringing essential information and training to people throughout the world.

Which courses are offered?

Our courses cover topics important to the Internet industry, particularly for growing and strengthening the Internet. View our course calendar and find out when courses will be offered during the year.

What types of courses are available?

We offer moderated, online, face-to-face (when it is safe to do so), and self-paced courses.

What is the duration of a course?

Our online courses are organized in weekly cycles starting on Mondays and they last four to six weeks.

When are the courses offered?

You can view our course calendar.

How do I access the learning platform as an Internet Society member?

As an Internet Society member, you can log into learning.internetsociety.org with your member login credentials. There is no need to create a new account. If you do not remember your login information, select Forgot Login? to be emailed your username and receive a link to reset your password. Once logged in, you will be able to view the course catalog and select the course you’d like to enroll in.

How do I access the learning platform as a non-member?

Both guests and Internet Society members can access the learning platform. To register as either, click Register on the login box at learning.internetsociety.org. Next, either register as a member or click on the guest registration form to register as a guest. Once you create an account, you can use the credentials you created (username and password) to log into learning.internetsociety.org. Once logged in, you will be able to view the course catalog and enroll in courses.

How do I enroll in a course?

Browse available courses in the course catalog or use the search bar to find the course you would like to enroll in. On each course page, click the “Enroll” button in the top right corner of the page to immediately be added to a course. Once you have successfully been enrolled, you will be able to see the course under “My Courses and Learning Plans”. You will also be able to see information about the course instructor, view the course’s forums, and access any modules that are available. If the course has not yet started, you will not see any modules until the day the course begins.

How do I join the waitlist for a course?

If you are on a course page and the button in the top right corner of the page reads “Enroll (Waiting List)”, this means the course has reached the maximum number of participants able to enroll. You can click the button to join the waitlist for the course and you will be notified if a spot becomes available.

Who teaches the courses?

Our tutors have solid knowledge of our course topics and support course delivery by leading live chat sessions, responding to learner questions on the discussion forum, and sharing their expertise with the learning community. Our tutors have completed an annual training session to prepare them to be official Internet Society tutors.

How do I select the right course format?

When browsing the course catalog, you will see multiple versions of the same course available. All courses are available in English, French, and Spanish so first select the right language for you. You can do this by selecting the language of your choice in the left-hand filter in the course catalog or choosing the course that denotes the correct language (EN=English, FR=French, ES=Spanish).

You also have the option to choose the format that will work best for your connection type. All courses have 3 format options: high bandwidth, low bandwidth, and text-based for all connections. You can filter by bandwidth option in the left-hand filter on the course catalog or select the “Additional Information” tab when viewing a course to see which bandwidth connection you have selected.

If you have any questions about which version is best for you, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] to get assistance.

Is there a charge for the courses?

All of our courses are free.

Are textbooks required to take a course?

No. However, you will be able to download course content and resources in a PDF format from the course page.

Are there any homework assignments?

No, there are no homework assignments.

Is there a final exam?

No, there are no final exams. However, the completion of quizzes and other activities during the course is required.

In which languages are the courses available?

All course content is available in three languages: English, French, and Spanish. Some content is also available in Arabic.

Is there a set of learning community guidelines for learners?

Please refer to our Code of Conduct for Individual Members.

Is the learning platform accessible?

The learning platform is WCAG compliant, and we’ll continue to evaluate and update to ensure it’s accessible for all. We also have WCAG 2.1 AA-certified formats for all of our courses in English, French, and Spanish. Course content will be made available in a downloadable format for offline access and use.

What bandwidth do I need to take courses?

To offer the best experience for every learner no matter where they are located, all courses have high-bandwidth, low-bandwidth, and text-based versions. All content will also be made available in offline mode.

What about mobile access?

The learning platform and all courses are now mobile-responsive. Our courses can now also be accessed on a mobile device by downloading a mobile app, so you no longer need a computer to be able to take an Internet Society course. Course content downloaded through our mobile app will be available even when you are not connected to the Internet.