Free Online Courses

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.

Course / Program Name: Introduction to Fiction

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 initiative, and is designed to teach the student the fundamentals of better understanding fictional works.

Unlike many of the MIT free online courses, this one includes some of the reading materials in downloadable format.

You’ll look at novels from Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Leo Tolstoy, and others as you explore a variety of narrative styles.

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.

Course / Program Name: How to Make Beaded Jewelry

Hosted by / Sponsored by: Expert Village

Course of Study: Hobbies: Jewelry-making

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to make jewelry, this free online course from Expert Village can get you started. In it you’ll learn how to create beaded jewelry, from getting inspiration to making multiple-strand beaded necklaces.

This course is offered as a series of 13 videos, so you can view actual demonstrations of beading techniques. You’ll learn how to work with a variety of beading materials including leather, glass, crystal, pearls, and gemstone beads.

Course / Program Name: Beginning Genealogy

Hosted by / Sponsored by: Genealogy.com

Course of Study: Hobbies: Genealogy

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: Genealogy.com offers several free online courses covering family history research. This course is directed at beginning genealogists. Broken into two parts and a total of 14 lessons, the Beginning Genealogy course introduces the student to the types of records they’ll encounter, such as vital records, census records, and other civil registrations in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

Lessons are broken down in a sort of slideshow format, and are text / reading-based. The course was created and offered on the site by Genealogy Research Associates.