Free Online Courses
Slowly but surely the Internet is changing the face of education.
There are countless web sites offering educational content of all kinds. But did you realize that you can find entire courses and complete textbooks online, and free, for anyone who wants to take advantage of them? Here are some of the best.
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MIT Opencourseware: OpenCourseWare Home
MIT has put the entire content of hundreds of their courses on the Internet for anyone to study, browser, and learn from. The amount of content varies from course to course, but in some cases it includes videotaped lectures along with all the written materials.
Four of the best of the online courses from MIT OpenCourseWare:
Sit in the back for an Introduction to Biology. This course features video taped lectures, a complete reading list (most of it online and free), assignments, handouts, and even the exams. It's even available in Spanish or Portuguese if that's your preference.
Ever wonder what it might be like to sit in a classroom at MIT and listen to a world renowned mathematician teach a math course (they tend to start with the really big ideas and then talk about details)? MIT Professor Gilbert Strang recorded a series of lectures from his Introductory Linear Algebra course, and you can watch them all. Linear Algebra Video Lecture
Calculus with Applications (spring 2005). This course features 50 applets (they automatically load into your web browser) to demonstrate concepts from calculus. These tools include extensive documentation and explanations of what's going on so you aren't left looking at pretty graphs that you can't understand.
Physics 1: Fall 1999 - This one may be the best of all. Professor Walter Lewis likes to demonstrate the laws of physics in inventive ways. These filmed lectures mix gymnastics and physics into a course that might be described as "Extreme Physics."
Source Sites for Online Courses, Lectures, and Seminars:
MIT OpenCourseWare - MIT has made the core content from hundreds of undergraduate and graduate courses available to any interested parties via the Internet. We could go on and on. But it would be best if you took a look for yourself.
UC Berkeley Course Webcasts - Berkeley Approximately 50 courses with videotaped lectures that you can watch at your leisure.
University of Washington OpenUW: Energy, Diet, and Weight The University of Washington offers a series of free online courses. You can view the entire list here. The course we found most interesting is titled Energy, Diet and Weight. This course explores the human metabolism with a focus on understanding the scientific process. Students learn why the popular media has difficulty reporting scientific results like those that turn into health and nutritional guidelines. (registration required)
Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center (University of Washington) Epidemiologic and Biostatistical Research Methods Online Learning/Cyber Session Eight short courses (originally offered for continuing education credit) on epidemiology and biostatistics. Each course features a series of recorded lectures and associated materials.
The North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness free short courses on Public Health topics including biostatistics, bioterrorism, emergency management, and many more.
Sofia - Sharing of Free Intellectual Assets - This site is modeled after the MIT OpenCourseWare project at the Community College level. Introductory courses in statistics and various technology related topics are among the initial offerings. Produced by Foothills College (CA).
Computational Sciences Lecture Series at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Geared towards advanced undergraduate or graduate level students in Computer Science, these lectures delve into topics such as computer vision, quantum computation, and the engineering of wireless networks.
Rediscovering Biology: A Professional Development Course for High School Biology Teachers - This course is a bit different from many of the others listed here in that it is intended for teachers rather than for students. But this course is too good to miss. If you have an interest in biology, or if need some review before starting a college biology course, it's a great place to start. The course features videos, animations, a complete online textbook, and exercises. In other words, it's a complete online course.
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