Learning Unlimited
• Learning Unlimited
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• MOOCS have become an excellent source of
learning for learners cutting across age
barriers, geographical barriers and cultural
barriers. GSPACE is presenting link to these
MOOCS to promote accessibility to the world
of free knowledge under the label ‘ Learning
Unlimited’.
• 1. UMass Boston Open Courseware
• The UMass courseware offers a broad range of classes in areas like
psychology, biology, early education, political science, history,
mathematics, and others. Each department has a separate page
listing the classes available. Along the side, you are given your
syllabus, assignments, a professor bio, and recommended reading.
• 2. Khan Academy:
• Khan Academy website has a variety of video lessons for free. The
course subjects are broken down into particular lessons, which is
great for learners who are looking to understand one principle
without taking an entire course. For example, the biology subject
has separate videos for evolution, photosynthesis, genetics, and
others. All lessons in this portal are video based.
• 3. MIT Open Courseware
• For those looking for courses that will test even the brightest student, MIT
is sure not to disappoint. You can download all the course material, which
is nearly identical to the course taught at MIT (it even gives you the year
and semester it was taught). Since it is an on-demand course, you don’t
have any ability to connect with others who are taking it. It is simply an
independent study for you to study on your own.
• 4. Free-Ed
• This site is a bit difficult to navigate, as it is not as well designed as other
open courseware websites. Similar to most databases, you search through
the subjects and categories until you find the class you want to take. One
advantage to Free-ed? When you find a class you like, there is the option
to click on networking. It will notify you if there are Facebook groups or
other online groups you can join that have individuals taking the course
you are interested in.
• 5. Learning Space: The Open University
• This website offers downloadable coursework in lots of different
categories like youth and children, languages, business,
engineering, and others. When you look through the coursework,
you can view them according to rating. Other users can rate the
class, which may help you in deciding what course to take. The main
page does warn that there is a new site design coming in the fall of
2012, so there may be changes soon.
• 6. Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative
• This website is well designed with ample content to explain how
Carnegie Mellon’s OLI works. Unfortunately, you cannot view the
course without creating an account. The tagline right above the
courses says, “No instructor, no credits, no charge.” Like so many
other free courseware, it is an individual study.
• 7. Tufts Open Courseware
• Tufts makes it clear from the start that their courses are not the
same as the ones taught in the classroom. It is up to the professor’s
discretion what is posted for free and common use. You don’t need
a login ID to view the material, and the professors’ lectures are
available as slides. Since there is not any more explanation beyond
the slides, it may require you to dig deeper in your own research to
understand the whole lecture.
• 8. Stanford on iTunes U
• Stanford on iTunes U gives you two options. You can either
subscribe to the updated video lectures, or simply download the
one you’d like to watch. In order to participate in this course, you do
need to have an iTunes account and software.
• 9. Utah State Open Courseware
• These courses are easy to access and find with quick browsing. Each
class lecture is offered as an MP3 file with an html document that
outlines the assignment. This is a bare bones program, as the
assignments are simply exams to test your knowledge of the
material.
• 10. Kutztown On-Demand Online Learning
• The Kutztown On-Demand program is focused mainly on business.
You must fill out a brief survey before you can access the course,
but the material is organized nicely, with small video clips for each
topic. You can stop and start as you need to since it is broken down
into small pieces. Aside from the slides, there aren’t any other
materials to test your acquisition of knowledge.
• 11. USQ Australia Open Courseware
• USQ’s courseware is limited with only ten different courses
offered, mostly in technology. The modules are laid out
right online with lecture notes and testing assignments.
Unfortunately, there is no way to network with any other
students enrolled in the courses.
• 12. University of California Irvine Courseware
• The Irvine Courseware offers a variety of classes in different
subjects. Unlike other open courseware programs, Irvine
does offer a link to information about getting academic
credit for some of the courses offered. All the information
for the course automatically downloads as a Word
documents when you click on the links.
• 13. EdX
• This website offers an array of courses from different universities. The
main difference between EdX and other online courses is that the class is a
specific length and duration. When you sign up, you are committing to the
class time and assignments. You can register for classes offered by
Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, and other prestigious schools. If you are looking
for a class you can do on your own time, this isn’t the website for you. The
classes here are similar to paid online learning classes.
• 14. Coursera
• This is one of the largest website databases for University open
courseware. Like EdX, these courses are at a set time (usually lasting for
10-14 weeks). You can access classes from 16 different Universities’
including Princeton, Duke, Stanford, and CalTech. With over 1,000,000
users, Coursera has established itself as the central “go-to” website for
free online University learning.
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15. Udemy
Bottom of Form
Udemy is an online institution that offers courses taught by leading experts. You can choose from
classes on developing products for Facebook, SQL databases, Photoshop, Music Theory, Business,
and many others. Udemy also allows everyday experts to create their own class, so you will have to
be selective about the courses you want to take as anyone can create a course. There is a bio about
each instructor, along with an Amazon-like review area for users to rate the course and give their
opinions about the class work.
16. Connections Academy
Connections Academy is a free online K-12 curriculum for homeschoolers and other children in
non-traditional classroom settings. This academy relies heavily on parent involvement with a stated,
96% satisfaction percentage. Each lesson has an overview, a lesson, review, and assessment. There
are tools, textbooks, and other resources to bolster the student’s educational experience.
• 17. K-12
• This free online K-12 curriculum is offered by state. Currently, only
33 states offer the program. If your state participates, a list will
come up of academies that your student can enroll in. K-12 is a
network of schools offering education. It is not an independent
curriculum developer. There are also private schools that network
with K-12, but there are tuition costs.
• 18. GED for Free
• GED for Free is a basic online course offered to students who have
not been able to complete high school and need to get their GED.
You simply fill out a student profile and begin studying. This site is
only designed to teach the students the concepts that will be tested
on the GED exam. There are no advanced courses or enrichment
activities.
• 19. Free World U
• This is a free online k-12 learning system that specializes in
flashcards as a way to test the acquisition of skills. The school is free
but if you want an accredited program, which comes with tests,
certificates, etc., you will need to pay a monthly fee. Without
registering, you aren’t able to see much about their curriculum, so
it is a bit difficult to navigate.
• 20. CosmoLearning
• This website is a database, listing classes by topic. For each class,
there is a sidebar that tells you what school offers it, how many
students took it, and the instructor. Unfortunately, the class
material only comes in a video lecture format. There are no
assignments or other materials.
• 21. OpenCulture
• OpenCulture has compiled a list of University free courses. In their
list, they identify what form the lecture comes in (iTunes, Web
video, YouTube, etc.). In addition to course listings, they also offer
lists of free audio books, free textbooks, and free language lessons.
This site does not offer its own curriculum, but rather it compiles
resources for easy navigating.
• 22. New York University
• This site is a bare bones archiving of math courses offered by New
York University. When you click on a class you like, it takes you to a
list of files that are available as PDF documents. Perhaps the
material is interesting, but the packaging is not done very well.
• 23. Open Yale Courses
• Open Yale courses offers a great website that is easy to navigate and
comprehensive. There are a variety of subjects offered, which can either
be downloaded as a zip file, or viewed online. Each lecture has a video
(which was recorded during the actual course on campus), plus a
transcript and a PDF of slides used during the presentation.
• Along the side, the video is broken into lecture chapters, so if you can’t
finish the whole thing in one sitting, you can come back to it later. There is
no need to sign up or create an ID. Yale has made it easy to take their
courses.
• 24. Gresham College
• Gresham College offers lectures for students in different topics. You can
watch or listen to past lectures, or attend upcoming lectures. This college
is in the UK, so if you are interested in a lecture, you’ll have to wait until it
is posted online to view.
• 25. Notre Dame Open Courseware
• Notre Dame has an extensive list of open courses available on their
site. They are listed with small buttons next to each title, signifying
what the course consists of (syllabus, assignments, video, exams,
etc.). When you enter the course, a left hand menu bar helps you to
navigate through all the different aspects of the course. There are
required readings, which may force you to buy textbooks. Overall, it
is a highly organized site and easy to navigate.
• 26. JHSPHOpen
• The JHSPH open courses are comprehensive. Choose from the list
of available topics, and view the materials in a clean and
streamlined format. Each lecture comes with slides and an MP3 for
download. The classes have a calendar, recommended reading this,
syllabus, and a final exam. They also have a place for you to email
and give your comments.
• 27. Open UW
• This website is a small initiative offered by the University of Washington. It
has a list of ten courses, none of which can be accessed without filling out
a lengthy profile and sign up. There are other universities who take more
pride in their open courseware experience than UW.
• 28. Udacity
• Udacity is a digital university that specializes in computer science courses.
The web layout is extremely easy to navigate. You are given five-minute
video lectures with quizzes and assignments. There are no textbooks
required, and everything is free. In addition to the class, Udacity offers an
online forum where students can collaborate together, study, and work in
groups.
• They can arrange for you to take a proctored exam to gain credit at
participating universities. They even offer to hand your resume to
partnering companies. This institution is about helping the student
succeed on all levels!
• 29. University of the People
• University of the People is a private online tuition free university. You
apply just like you would for a traditional institution, and they currently
offer an Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree in computer science and
business administration. They are currently seeking accreditation from the
US. Department of Education.
• This university works like a traditional online distance learning degree
program, where you sign up for classes, interact with other students,
professors, and complete assignments. It is a great option for those who
want a college education experience but don’t have the money to do it.
• 30. Academic Earth
• Academic Earth is a website that helps students find a degree program of
their choice. They do offer free lectures, but that is not their main focus.
Instead, it is geared towards matching students with the right online
degree program.
• 31. Textbook Revolution
• The Textbook Revolution is a site run by students who want
to improve the exchange of free information. There are
textbook exchanges, plus lists of online resources and free
course offerings. This is a grassroots based organizationhaving been developed by students for students. This is a
great site to use as a resource.
• 32. The Library of Congress Files
• While this is not an online education site, the government
has created a library of files pertaining to America’s history,
literature, towns and cities, technology, war, and other
important topics. These files are free to access and read,
and can bolster a student interested in the social sciences.
• 33. Alison
• Alison is free online education institution that offers lectures,
videos, and class materials in various different topics like nursing
and education. In order to enter the course, you must first sign up.
Each course has a summary page, which outlines the materials
provided, the instructor, a syllabus, and the amount of time it will
take to accomplish. The site itself isn’t as easy to navigate as some
of the others.
• 34. Webcast Berkeley
• Webcast Berkeley has a very simple model. You simply watch a
recording of the class that a professor taught on campus. There are
no sign in ID’s, assignments, or other resources. It is simply
something you watch and absorb. Some of the classes only offer
audio lectures. If you are looking for a bit more structure, this
school isn’t for you.
• 35. GCF LearnFree
• This website advertises free courses, lessons, and apps.
Rather than getting a degree, the classes are tailored to a
specific skill like, “Learn Microsoft Word.” The layout is a bit
complicated, so it will take some patience to navigate the
pages to find what you want.
• 36. Google Code University
• Google Code University offers computer science courses for
those interested in coding and languages. You click on the
course you’d like to take, and all the materials, videos, and
lessons are along the side bar. There is no option to interact
with others, so it is essentially an independent study.
• 37. e-Learning Center
• The e-Learning Center offers a modest selection of courses in
customer service, software, and computer science. In order to
access the course, you must first sign up. This limits a viewer’s
ability to see what is offered without first making a commitment.
• 38. Saylor
• Saylor University is an advanced learning site, offering degree
programs in a wide variety of disciplines. Once completed, you will
receive a certificate (though the school is currently not accredited).
Saylor promises that your knowledge and education will be
equivalent to a traditional college education. The website is easy to
navigate and understand and a great choice if you are interested in
the material.
• 39. Master Class Management
• Master Class Management is a website designed solely for those
students interested in a business degree. You receive a certificate at
the end of each class. Unfortunately, it seems this site is more
excited about receiving money through advertising, as the Google
Ads are strategically placed right above the “next” button. For
someone who is not tech-savvy, they may click on the ads thinking
that is the next step.
• 40. Brigham Young Free Online Courseware
• This site offers courses not readily found at other schools. You can
take a class in strengthening marriage, family history, honesty,
righteousness, and other religious type topics. In order to view the
class, you must register first.
• 40. Brigham Young Free Online Courseware
• This site offers courses not readily found at other
schools. You can take a class in strengthening marriage,
family history, honesty, righteousness, and other
religious type topics. In order to view the class, you
must register first.
• 41. University of Michigan Open
• At the University of Michigan Open courseware, you
can choose from a substantial variety of topics. The
information all gets downloaded to your computer,
after you’ve read the synopsis. There is no interactive
component or ability to network with other students.
• 42. NLC Open Learning Courses
• The NLC website is very basic, only offering a few classes.
These classes are simply a collection of web pages with
information. There is not a lot that has been done to
develop this program, so look elsewhere first before using
this website’s materials.
• 43. FlexiLearn
• This website is part of the Indira Gandhi National Open
University. Free courses are available after you have
registered, though the site does make it clear that the
courses are independent, and there is no access to a
professor. However, there is an online forum attached to
the website that allows you to collaborate with your peers.
• 44. Nixty
• This website does not offer its own curriculum, but is a networking
site for teachers, students, and institutions. You can log in with your
Facebook account and use it as a resource hub for your online
learning. Unfortunately, there isn’t much else you can discover
without first signing up with an account.
• 45. Capilano University
• The Capilano University offers a modest selection of courses for
independent study. When you enter the course, you are provided
with an instructor bio, syllabus, assignments, and lecture notes. It is
a simple website, easy to navigate, and great for the motivated and
independent learner.
• 46. TU Delft
• TU Delft offers courses at both the bachelor and master
level, arranged by degree program. You will have access to
lecture notes, exams, and assignments in a broad range of
topics and subjects. It is easy to navigate, free, and requires
no sign-in!
• 47. United Nations University
• This unique university offers courses in government,
economics, electronic government, and more. Each unit is
free to download, or can be viewed as a PDF file online.
There aren’t many classes offered, but the classes are very
specific to those who may be interested in government or
International diplomacy.
• 48. Weber State University
• Weber State University offers only six classes currently
in automotive electronics, technology, health, and
English. Each class has the same modules as other
open courseware, but the program is small and only
narrowly developed.
• 49. Universaid Colombia
• A Spanish website for those who do not speak English.
There are a wide variety of courses offered, and the
site is well laid out and organized. There is no login
required. You simply click and enter the course
• 50. Kendal College
• This college has been offering free distance learning
classes, but it may not be this way for long. Their courses
do provide certification that is recognized in the business
world. They specialize in areas of learning, such as mental
health field, beauty and fashion, performing arts, craft and
construction, and media.
• As online education continues to expand, a student’s
opportunities will grow as well. More and more, traditional
universities are seeing a need to reduce the cost of
education and keep students interested in their programs.
Private companies are also taking the opportunity to create
dynamic programs that are free and accessible to anyone!