Free Online Courses

Course / Program Name: European Civilization from the Renaissance to the Present

Hosted by / Sponsored by: UC Berkeley

Course of Study: History (European)

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course is actually a webcast lecture series from UC Berkeley’s Carla Hesse.

The free online history course consists of 30 audio lectures, allowing online students to hear the very same lectures given to on-campus students during the Fall 2008 semester.

In this course you will learn about the history of European civilization and how it led to the European landscape and political climate we know today.

Course / Program Name: Finding Your Ancestors

Hosted by / Sponsored by: Brigham Young University

Course of Study: Genealogy

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course from Brigham Young University is for anyone who is interested in researching their family history, but who doesn’t know how to start.

Students can choose between a flash-navigated  course and a text-navigated course, both of which require free registration.

After you register, you will be able to access the two free online lessons. Lesson one teaches you what kind of information you should look for about your ancestors and where you can find genealogical information online. Lesson two shows you how to go beyond the research itself to record family history information using genealogy software and more.

Course / Program Name: American Sign Language Browser

Hosted by / Sponsored by: Michigan State University

Course of Study: Language / Sign Language

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course from Michigan State University is an interactive approach to learning American sign language.

The ASL browser offers a list of common English words that the student can click on to then see the proper corresponding sign.

Signs are shown via videos, and Quicktime is required to view them.

Course / Program Name: Introduction to Ancient Greek History

Hosted by / Sponsored by: Yale

Course of Study: History

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course from Yale is taught by Professor Donald Kagan. In it, you’ll learn about ancient Greek civilization and its various intellectual, political, and creative achievements.

The course is broken down into 24 class sessions where you can choose to watch a video lecture, listen to just the audio of the lecture, or read the lecture transcript.

You will need Flash or Quicktime enabled to watch video lectures from Yale online.

Review: I personally watched several video lectures from this course, and found the professor’s style to be surprisingly engaging and the material quite interesting.

Course / Program Name: Mandarin Chinese Language

Hosted by / Sponsored by: eLanguageSchool.net

Course of Study: Foreign languages: Chinese

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course will teach you how to speak, write, and pronounce Mandarin Chinese. The course includes text-based, audio and video lessons, and is broken down into seven categories.

Lessons fall within the following sections:

• Learn Basic Mandarin
• Learn Chinese Grammar
• Learn Chinese Words and Phrases
• Learn to Read and Write Chinese Characters
• Practice and Exercises
• Learn Through Multimedia
• External Online Links

Course / Program Name: How to Write an E-book in Just 14 Days

Hosted by / Sponsored by: Jennifer Mattern

Course of Study: Writing / Literature

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course is one I developed myself. It originated as a 14 day e-book writing challenge on my freelance writing blog, and was later turned into a downloadable lesson in e-book format. You can download the .pdf file at the link above.

The program offers a great deal of advice on writing, publishing, and marketing your own e-books before taking the reader through a 14-day program to writing their own e-book.

Learn how to write an e-book today either as a new income stream or a marketing tool for your own business.

Course / Program Name: Cleaning Your Copy

Hosted by / Sponsored by: News University

Course of Study: Writing / Literature

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course is offered by News U. Editor Vicki Krueger. The Flash-based module can be completed in about two hours, on your own schedule. To access the class, you need to register (for free) with News U.

The course is directed at journalists, and teaches students how to edit their copy (based on the AP style) and create more compelling headlines. You’ll complete four content areas of the module, learning how to avoid common writing mistakes journalists make before ultimately taking the “copy quotient test.”

Course / Program Name: Proofreading Your Writing

Hosted by / Sponsored by: The OWL at Perdue

Course of Study: Writing / Literature

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online lesson for writers (or students needing to proofread academic writing) is available through the OWL at Perdue.

The course gives students basic proofreading strategies and tips on finding common spelling and grammatical errors. You’ll also learn how to revise for cohesion, and you’ll find tips on how you can personalize your proofreading efforts.

Course / Program Name: Start Writing Fiction

Hosted by / Sponsored by: The Open University

Course of Study: Writing / Literature

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course is offered by the UK’s The Open University. It’s an introductory level fiction writing course, and is expected to take approximately 12 hours to complete the 11 lessons spread across the following four units:

• Introduction - An introductory look at characters and settings
• Character - Lessons on creating deeper characters, including sources for character inspiration
• Setting - Understanding the role of a story’s setting as antagonist
• Genre - An introduction to the many genres of fiction writing

The course also includes an online glossary of terms.

Course / Program Name: Writing and Reading Short Stories

Hosted by / Sponsored by: MIT

Course of Study: Writing / Literature

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course is a part of MIT’s OpenCourseWare program. As a student, you’ll be able to explore lecture handouts and past student stories as you learn about the art of short story writing.

The original on-campus course involved writing workshops designed to have students write their own short stories. You can pursue this on your own using the included lecture notes in the “readings” section, even though you won’t have class interaction to evaluate those stories.