Courses · 5 November 2026 · 6 min read

Online or in-person course: how to choose in Morocco

By Abdellah El Ghazi, founder of TeamElGhazi (AI, Python and web courses in Casablanca and online)

Short answer: if you work fixed hours or live far from Casablanca, go for a live online course with recorded sessions; it is the easiest format to keep up over several weeks. Pick a blended track if you want a long programme and can come to Maarif now and then, and choose in-person for a child or for a project that involves hardware.

"Is an online course really serious?" We hear it every week, often from people in Rabat, Marrakech or Tangier, sometimes from Casablanca itself. Behind the question there is a fair worry: many have already bought a video course, started it full of motivation and never finished it. But in that case the problem was not the screen. It was the lack of a fixed appointment, a trainer and a project to hand in.

The real difference is follow-up, not location

Three very different things tend to get lumped together as "online":

• Pre-recorded video courses you watch on your own: cheap and flexible, but nobody is waiting for you and nobody reviews your work.
• Live remote training: a group, a fixed time slot, a trainer who answers during the session and follows your exercises. This is what we run on Google Meet.
• Classroom training: the same follow-up plus face-to-face contact, but also a commute and less flexible hours.

For technical subjects, the gap between the last two is smaller than people think. Writing a Python script, building an n8n workflow or a small website with an AI assistant happens on a computer either way. What matters is a regular slot, someone to get you unstuck and a concrete project to finish. At TeamElGhazi every course ends with a real project, reviewed before the certificate is issued, whatever the format.

Three questions to decide

1. When are you actually free?

Be honest about your calendar. If you leave work at 6 pm and the trip to a training centre takes an hour, a classroom course three evenings a week may well stop after a month. Our online sessions are live, in the evening or at the weekend depending on the group, and every session is recorded, so a late meeting or a business trip does not knock you off track.

2. Where do you live, and can you get to Maarif?

Our centre is at 26 rue Nahas Nahoui, Maarif, Casablanca. If you live in Casablanca or about an hour away by train, as from Rabat, the 4-month blended tracks are a good fit: part of the sessions at the centre, the rest online. That is how Artificial Intelligence and Automation (4,500 MAD), our most complete track, works. Further away, in Marrakech, Agadir, Tangier or Oujda, or outside Morocco, the online format saves you any travel. Our pages on AI training in Rabat, Marrakech and Tangier explain what is available from each city.

3. Who is the course for?

An adult who wants a specific skill learns very well remotely. A child often needs to handle things, move around and show their work to others. That is why our youth workshops are held in person: Arduino Maker Robotics, Coding Club and AI Genius School. There is also an online option to start early, Scratch for Kids. Our article what age can kids start coding helps you choose by age.

Formats and prices side by side

These are the prices shown on each course page in our course catalogue (MAD = Moroccan dirham). For a detailed comparison of what each price covers, read how much an AI course costs in Casablanca.

How our online courses work

• Live sessions on Google Meet, with a permanent link for the group.
• Recordings and materials in a shared Google Drive with lifetime access.
• A practice platform, practicewith.teamelghazi.com, to train between sessions.
• A real final project, reviewed before the TeamElGhazi certificate.
• Payment by bank transfer, card through a secure link, CashPlus or Wafacash; instalments possible depending on the course.
• A risk-free first session: if it does not suit you, full refund minus a 100 MAD registration fee (see the terms and conditions).

Three mistakes to avoid

1. Choosing the format before the goal. First decide what you want to be able to build in three months: a script, a website, a workflow, a dashboard. The format comes second.
2. Confusing "online" with "videos you watch alone". Always ask whether there are live sessions, a trainer who reviews your work and a project to hand in.
3. Underestimating the commute. An hour on the road per session, over four months, ends up weighing more than any screen.

In short

Live online for flexibility and when you live far away; blended for a long track with a real setting in Casablanca; in person for children and hands-on hardware projects. In all three cases, insist on a trainer, reviewed exercises and a final project. Prefer a fully personal pace? One-to-one coaching costs 200 MAD per hour. To get advice on your case, write to us from the contact page.

Frequently asked questions