Free Online Courses » Academics

UC Berkeley Teaches You About European Civilization

Jennifer Mattern — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:13:11 +0000

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

Hosted by / Sponsored by: UC Berkeley

Course of Study: History (European)

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.

Learn About Ancient Greek History from Yale

Jennifer Mattern — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:13:26 +0000

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.

Understand the U.S. Economy in 5 Days

Jennifer Mattern — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 15:36:02 +0000

Course / Program Name: Learn How the U.S. Economy Works in 5 Days

Hosted by / Sponsored by: About.com

Course of Study: Economics

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: We hear about the U.S. economy every day – recession, stimulus packages, taxes. There’s a lot to understand, and average citizens can now get a stronger grasp on the basics thanks to About U.

This free online course is a 5-day email class that will help you better understand the concepts of recession, GDP, the Federal Reserve, trade, and more.

Intro to Bioengineering with MIT

Jennifer Mattern — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:54:35 +0000

Course / Program Name: Introduction to Bioengineering

Hosted by / Sponsored by: MIT

Course of Study: Biology / Engineering

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course serves as a student’s introduction to bioengineering, and is a part of MIT’s OpenCourseWare initiative. Users will start of learning about molecular cell and systems biology before getting into bioengineering options.

This course material includes student-generated lecture notes, an assignment list, and also video and audio lectures from MIT faculty and a guest lecturer.

Introduction to the Old Testament from Yale

Jennifer Mattern — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:18:36 +0000

Course / Program Name: Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible)

Hosted by / Sponsored by: Yale

Course of Study: World Religions

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course is a part of the Yale Open Courses collection. It introduces students to the Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible) through a collection of 24 class sessions / lectures.

To follow along with the course readings, students will need to purchase the textbook mentioned in the course syllabus. However, the class overview, lecture transcript, and video and audio lectures are available for each class section.

Introduction to Geology from MIT

Jennifer Mattern — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:40:07 +0000

Course / Program Name: Introduction to Geology

Hosted by / Sponsored by: MIT OpenCourseWare

Course of Study: Geology (Earth / Space Sciences)

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course is a part of MIT’s OpenCourseWare project. It offers students an introductory look at geology (the earth’s structure, rocks and minerals, etc.).

This is a lab-based course, and lab notes are included for those students interested in either recreating lab work or simply following along with the class’ procedures.

Course materials available online include a syllabus, calendar, readings (you need to buy the textbook if you want to follow the class readings), lecture notes, labs, assignments, and handouts. This course material can be viewed online or downloaded.

Organic Chemistry I from MIT

Jennifer Mattern — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:28:17 +0000

Course / Program Name: Organic Chemistry I

Hosted by / Sponsored by: MIT OpenCourseWare

Course of Study: Chemistry

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course is a part of MIT’s OpenCourseWare project. It offers students an introductory look at the principles of organic chemistry.

The undergraduate level course is led by Dr. Kimberly Berkowski and Professor Sarah O’Connor.

Course materials available include a syllabus, calendar, readings (you need to buy the textbook if you want to follow the class readings), exams, assignments, and lecture handouts.

Introduction to Biology from MIT

Jennifer Mattern — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:14:07 +0000

Course / Program Name: Introduction to Biology

Hosted by / Sponsored by: MIT OpenCourseWare

Course of Study: Biology

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: Students interested in taking university-level courses can find many options in MIT’s OpenCourseWare course materials.

This free online course offers a comprehensive collection of course materials for students interested in learning the basics of biology.

The course covers the fundamentals of several areas of biology, including cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry.

The free online course includes a syllabus, calendar, readings, recitations, exams, assignments, study materials, and even video lectures. The video lectures are given by Professor Eric Lander, a principal leader of the Human Genome Project and Director of MIT’s Broad Institute, and Professor Robert A. Weinberg, who won the National Medal of Science in 1997.

Learn the Fundamentals of Physics from Yale

Jennifer Mattern — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:55:27 +0000

Course / Program Name: Fundamentals of Physics

Hosted by / Sponsored by: Yale

Course of Study: Physics

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course is a part of the Yale Open Courses collection. If you’ve ever wondered what a course at Yale would be like, consider this your inside look.

Yale offers some of the most comprehensive online courses available. The Fundamentals of Physics course covers 24 class sessions, from Newton’s Laws to thermodynamics.

When you visit a class session link, you’re given a few options:

You can read the class transcript.
You can listen to an audio lecture.
Watch the video lecture.

You’re also given .pdf versions of a problem set (and solutions) related to that specific class session.

A .pdf midterm and final exam are also available. The only downside to this course is that the solutions to the final exam questions aren’t made available (although the solutions to the midterm exam are available to check your work).

American Politics: Campaign Strategies from Berkeley

Jennifer Mattern — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:41:29 +0000

Course / Program Name: American Politics: Campaign Strategy

Hosted by / Sponsored by: UC Berkeley

Course of Study: Politics (American)

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This is less a traditional free online course, and rather a webcast of lectures from the Berkeley course.

Students can access course materials through streaming audio from the list of available lectures, or download individual lectures in .mp3 format to listen on-the-go.

The course takes you through the media perspective of how American political campaigns operate, with a goal of giving you a foundation to plan your own campaigns.