7 Best FREE Online ASL (American Sign Language) Classes
American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete, natural language with the same linguistic attributes as spoken languages, but its grammar differs from English. ASL is a natural language that uses movements of hands and facial expressions. It is the primary language of many citizens of America who are deaf and have hearing issues.
There are free online ASL courses available that teach the language effectively and are self-paced.
The following list of American Sign Language Courses & Certifications will help you learn more about this subject.
Best Online ASL Courses & Classes: American Sign Language
Course Name | Provider | Video Duration | Certification | Links |
---|---|---|---|---|
Learn & Master Sign Language by Udemy | Udemy | 47 hours on-demand video | Yes | Learn More |
American Sign Language Level 1 | SkillShare | 2 hours 27 minutes | No | Learn More |
Professional Certificate in American Sign Language Science | edX | Self-placed | Yes | Learn More |
Signing Savvy ASL Courses | Signing Savvy | Self-placed | No | Learn More |
Lifeprint ASL Courses | Lifeprint | Self-placed | No | Learn More |
1) Learn & Master Sign Language by Udemy (Udemy)
Specs: Rating: 4.7 | Duration: 47 hours of on-demand video | Fee: $29.99 | Certificate: Yes | Level: Beginner
Learn & Master Sign Language by Udemy teaches you about American Sign Language. Each chapter provides basic lessons, quizzes, and vocabulary, with a video for each word taught in the lesson.
This ASL course contains 25 section that covers various aspects of ASL. You can access the detailed lesson book from the free online student support site. The course is created by Legacy Learning Systems, a leader in ASL education.
Features:
- 1 downloadable resource
- Full lifetime access
- Access on mobile and TV
- Certificate of completion
Key Topics:
- Learning and Master Sign Language is structured around different matters that come around everyday life.
- Basics of ASL, along with introduction and greetings.
- Gestures, pronouns, and alphabet members of the family.
- Know adjectives and topicalization.
- Learn about Clock Time, Calendar Time, and Frequency.
- Learn about directional verbs.
2) American Sign Language Level 1 (Skillshare)
Specs: Duration: 4 weeks | Fee: 30 Days Free Trial | Certificate: No | Level: Beginner
American Sign Language Level 1 is designed to give students a language foundation in ASL. The course covers 26 lesson which teaches all the important points about American Sign Language. The course creator is Intellezy designs, whose delivery approach is aligned to meet intended outcomes and address a student’s specific training needs.
Students will be introduced to important ASL topics such as the alphabet, fingerspelling, animals, foods, drinks, professions, and verbs. They will have access to materials that they can use to practice vocabulary and sentence construction. At the end of the course, students will be able to clearly demonstrate a short story in ASL.
Features:
- Taught by expert tutors.
- You can learn ASL online from any device.
- Skillshare helps you to enhance your sign language skills easily.
Key Topics:
- Pronouns + Vocab + Practice
- Fingerspelling Exercises
- 32 Essential Phrases
- Colors, Nouns, Dialogues
- Alphabet plus 26 Basic Signs
- Master the Alphabet and Fingerspelling fast
3) Professional Certificate in American Sign Language Science (edX)
Specs: Duration: 4 months | Fee: $356.40 | Certificate: Yes | Level: Expert
Professional Certificate in American Sign Language helps you to explore the history and evolution of American Sign Language. This course is ideal for anyone looking to accelerate their career, earn a degree, or become proficient in ASL.
You can learn ASL from exercises in just 3-5 hours in a week. Students from diverse backgrounds, signers, and speakers can benefit from this remarkable journey into visual-manual languages.
The course designer is Ted R. Supalla, Ph.D., who is a Neurology, Linguistics, and Psychology Professor at Georgetown University Medical Center. He runs the Sign Language Research Lab, a part of the Center on Brain Plasticity and Recovery.
Features:
- It includes a short video with learning exercises.
- This site contains a weekly subject sequence.
- Teaches the historical origins of ASL grammar.
- Helps you learn the role of visual analogy in learning ASL.
- It helps you learn language-specific variation and historical change for signed languages.
Key Topics:
- Identify the historical origins of a natural gesture that led to the emergence of ASL grammar.
- Discuss the role of visual analogy in learning ASL, considering the possible linguistic universals for signed languages.
- Describe the visual, motoric, and cognitive constraints which may give rise to these phenomena.
4) Signing Savvy ASL Courses
Signing Savvy is a sign language course site containing several thousands of ASL learning videos. They provide study material like fingerspelled words and other common signs used widely in the U.S.A. and Canada. This ASL course allows you to search the sign language dictionary and learn with high-resolution videos. The free ASL classes online offer a better understanding of ASL basics.
The site is created by Brenda Cartwright, a seasoned interpreter, a master teacher, and author of several best-selling sign language and interpreting textbooks.
Features:
- It helps you to build vocabulary word lists which you can practice with flashcards and quizzes.
- You can join the community of educators, interpreters, and students.
Link: https://www.signingsavvy.com/
5) Lifeprint ASL Courses
Lifeprint provides many free self-study materials, lessons, information, and paid instructor-guided courses for ASL. This online learning site supports parents of deaf children living in rural or “outlying” areas. Students eighteen years of age or older can be admitted to this program with their parent’s or guardians’ permission.
Features:
- The lessons cover simple phrases and verbs to explain basic grammar.
- Every Lifeprint ASL course is designed with a 15-week semester length.
- This course also helps you to complete either faster or slower, depending on each student’s needs, abilities, and time availability.
Key Topics:
- Fingerspelling Practice
- Numbers Practice
- ASL 1: Practice Cards
- ASL 2: Practice Cards
Link: https://www.lifeprint.com/index.htm
6) TakeLessons ASL Courses
TakeLessons is an Online ASL learning website that offers access to hundreds of live classes. This online course site allows you to take as many classes as you want across various subjects.
These American Sign language classes help you enhance your real-time ASL learning with an extensive library of on-demand videos.
Features:
- Provides fast-track learning by asking questions and getting feedback.
- On-demand videos to support faster and more efficient learning.
- Essential reading materials.
- Offers online classes 7 days a week.
- Provides on-demand videos around the clock.
- It helps you to stay motivated with progress tracking.
Link: https://takelessons.com/live/american-sign-language
7) Gallaudet ASL Courses
Gallaudet University is a fully accredited liberal arts college specializing in the language and culture of deaf people. The university offers the world’s only BA, MA, and Ph.D. programs for the deaf community within an ASL-immersive setting.
Gallaudet is one of the best American Sign language University that offers some of the best online ASL classes. You can also learn and excel at American Sign Language through these learning courses.
Features:
- American Sign Language Level 1, 2,3,4. Students can take these ASL courses online or through their residency program.
Key Topics:
- Signing the complete alphabet correctly from memory.
- Recognizing and understanding all the letters in ASL.
- Being able to sign and identify the notes quickly.
- Beginning fingerspelling with multiple letters and short words.
- Beginning recognition of signed numerous letters and short words.
- Visual Gestural Communication.
Link: https://gallaudet.edu/asl-connect/asl-online-courses/
FAQs:
Best Online ASL Courses & Classes: American Sign Language
Course Name | Provider | Video Duration | Certification | Links |
---|---|---|---|---|
Learn & Master Sign Language by Udemy | Udemy | 47 hours on-demand video | Yes | Learn More |
American Sign Language Level 1 | SkillShare | 2 hours 27 minutes | No | Learn More |
Professional Certificate in American Sign Language Science | edX | Self-placed | Yes | Learn More |
Signing Savvy ASL Courses | Signing Savvy | Self-placed | No | Learn More |
Lifeprint ASL Courses | Lifeprint | Self-placed | No | Learn More |