COURSERA: A platform for transforming lives through free/ low-cost, online education

Coursera was founded in 2012. This program provides a world where anyone, anywhere can transform their life by accessing the best learning experience. The program is  provided by the world’s top universities and education providers.  With 148 university partners across 29 countries, Coursera has built a platform where they offer 1,957 courses. The courses have been viewed/studied by 22 million learners. Resulting in 600,000 course certificates being earned.  You may explore course materials for free using the audit option but if you want to earn a course certificate, you have to switch to the paid option. 

The courses, each priced at $29-$99 (approx), allow you to learn a new skill and earn a course certificate in 4-6 weeks .  Courses include: recorded video lectures, auto-graded and peer reviewed assignments, and community discussion forums.  To master a specific career skill, you may join a specialization where you complete a number of courses, tackle hands-on projects, and earn a specialization certificate.  This involves 4-6 months of online study and costs $250-$500. For those interested, online degree programs are offered  for 1-3 years of study. They are available in business, computer science, and data science.

 The categories of courses offered are as follows:

·         Arts and humanities o   history o   Music & Art o   Philosophy ·         Business o   Leadership & Management o   Finance o   Marketing o   Entrepreneurship o   Business Essentials o   Business Strategy ·         Computer science o   Software Development o   Mobile & Web Development o   Algorithms o   Computer Security & Networks o   Design & Product ·         Data science o   Data Analysis o   Machine Learning o   Probability & Statistics ·         Language & learning o   Learning English o   Other Languages

·         Life sciences o   Animals & Veterinary Sciences o   Bio informatics o   Biology o   Medicine & Healthcare o   Nutrition o   Clinical Science ·         Math & logic o   65 sub-categories ·         Personal development o   100 sub-categories ·         Physical science & engineering o   Electrical Engineering o   Mechanical Engineering o   Chemistry o   Environmental Science & Sustainability o   Physics & Astronomy o   Research Methods ·         Social sciences o   Economics o   Education o   Governance & Society o   Law o   Psychology

To explore the Coursera website and identify a course to start the ball rolling for you, please click here.

Posted by Dr. Nat Tuivavalagi 

Free-Ed.Net: A free-education and learning website

Free-Ed.Net, is a launching pad for your future, according to Dave Heiserman (the website founder and administrator). This site is dedicated to  free-education  and free-learning.  The website’s homepage provides a very long list of educational/learning topics that are currently available.  The subject areas covered by  various topics are, (arranged alphabetically) as follows:

·         Accounting & Bookkeeping (5 sections)

·         Administration (see Office Skills & Administration)

·         Advertising (see Marketing, Advertising & Sales)

·         Agriculture (see Food, Agriculture, & Environmental Science)

·         Ancient Studies (see Classical & Ancient Studies)

·         Bookkeeping (see Accounting & Bookkeeping)

·         Building & Construction (2 sections & 12 subsections)

·         Business (4 sections)

·         Classical & Ancient Studies (4 sections) 

·         Computer Science & Information Technology (8 sections)

·         Construction (see Building & Construction)

·         Design (see Visual Arts & Design)

·         Economics (4 sections)

·         Editing (see Writing, Editing, & Publishing)

·         Engineering & Technology (9 sections) 

·         Environmental Science (see Food, Agriculture, & Environmental Science)

·         Food, Agriculture, & Environmental Science (7 sections)

·         Health (see Nursing & Allied Health)

·         Hospitality & Human Services (7 sections & 16 subsections)

·         Industry (see Manufacturing & Industry)

·         Information Technology (see Computer Science & Information Technology)

·         Literature (8 sections)

·         Manufacturing & Industry (4 sections) 

·         Marketing, Advertising & Sales (3 sections & 2 subsections)

·         Mathematics (12 sections)

·         Media Studies (4 sections & 5 subsections) 

·         Nursing & Allied Health (8 sections & 25 subsections)

·         Office Skills & Administration (3 sections & 3 subsections)

·         Performing Arts (3 sections & 10 subsections)

·         Philosophy (4 sections)

·         Publishing (see Writing, Editing, & Publishing)

·         Sales (see Marketing, Advertising & Sales)

·         Science (6 sections & 28 subsections)

·         Services (see Hospitality & Human Services)

·         Social Studies (11 sections & 59 subsections)

·         Technology (see Engineering & Technology)

·         Transportation Technologies (5 sections & 15 subsections)

·         Visual Arts & Design (4 sections & 16 subsections)

·         Writing, Editing, & Publishing (5 sections)

To explore the various sections, subsections, and topics and to see whether there is something there that interests you, please click here.

Posted by Dr. Nat Tuivavalagi

Openculture.com – a goldmine for those seeking free online education

For those seeking free online education, Openculture.com has a lot to offer including:

·         1,200 Free online courses

·         1,000 MOOCs

·         1,150 Free movies

·         700 Free audio books

·         800 Free ebooks

·         200 Free textbooks

·         300 Free language lessons

·         150 Free business courses

·         Free K-12 education

Their 1,200+ free online courses include the following courses. These courses are offered by top universities in the Humanities and Social Sciences (629 courses) and the Sciences (593 courses):

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

·         Archaeology (3 courses)

·         Architecture (5 courses)

·         Art and Art History (13 courses)

·         Classics (15 courses)

·         Demography (2 courses)

·         Design (2 courses)

·         Economics (67 courses)

·         Film (7 courses)

·         Food (11 courses)

·         Geography (10 courses)

·         History (88 courses)

·         Journalism /Writing (7 courses)

·         Language (38 courses)

·         Law (22 courses)

·         Literature (80 courses)

·         Linguistic (3 courses)

·         Media Studies /Communication (16 courses)

·         Music and Performing Arts (12 courses)

·         Philosophy (147 courses)

·         Political Science, International Relations, and Law (30 courses)

·         Religion (34 courses)

·         Sociology (16 courses)

·         Urban Studies (1 course)

SCIENCES

·         Aeronautics (2 courses)

·         Anthropology (5 courses)

·         Astronomy (17 courses)

·         Biology (82 courses)

·         Business (42 courses)

·         Chemistry (29 courses)

·         Computer Science (125 courses)

·         Engineering (Mechanical, Civil, & Electrical) (65 courses)

·         Environment & Natural Resources (29 courses)

·         Math (62 courses)

·         Physics (79 courses)

·         Psychology & Neuroscience (52 courses)

·         Public Health (4 courses)

To check out all that Openculture.com has to offer, please click here.

Posted by Dr. Nat Tuivavalagi