Listly by Kendra Brea Cooper
Why is free education important? The answer is simple. Free education is important because access to knowledge is vital for social justice. A well informed population is key to progress and democracy. Even if you are just looking to beef up your vocabulary, impress a certain someone, or just need help in a subject, open courseware is a valuable resource all around.
This site offers a list of free online courses from top universities like Harvard and Stanford. Breaking down the walls of the classroom and making sure everyone has access to knowledge is what this website sets out to do. The internet offers a massive amount of information and it can be difficult to know if you are getting anything accurate. With open online courses, you can feel secure knowing that the knowledge you get is from the best schools in the world. You can also click on a link that offers a “freshman experience” where you can listen to introductory classes. Walk away from a weekend of courses with a new outlook on life.
Here is another database you can search for a course that peaks your interest. There are 10,000 online courses to search through so unless you hate everything you will find something here. The list at the bottom of the page has courses such as “The Modern and the Post Modern” and “Introductory to Human Physiology”. These subjects are good for brushing up on topics for work to making yourself interesting on a first date and everything in between.
The Khan Academy it a not-for-profit source of knowledge that goes beyond just reading. Here you can find a tutor! This site is especially helpful for learning math because it is interactive and you can work at your own pace from the simple to the complex. KA offers stats and badges for encouragement and motivational purposes. It’s nice to see progress in your own life and in society, and progress starts with access to knowledge.
I admit that I put this here because the name catches eyeballs. The Harvard Open courses can be taken as a novelty or if you're just curious to hear a lecture. These courses help reduce the feeling of exclusivity Harvard has. It’s great for the public because learning should never be exclusive. There are some interesting lectures offered here such as “Intensive Introduction to Computer Science” and “the Heroic and the Anti-Heroic in Classical Greek Civilization.”
MIT offers materials from 2150 courses. Following the idea of free access to education, MIT seeks to make materials open to everyone because it benefits society as a whole. There is more of a possibility of world problems being solved if more people have access to the big ideas. Knowledge is only power if it is kept exclusive. Open courseware decentralizes power, making it attainable for everyone which is far better for the future of our world.
There are so many courses I want to take through Coursera, I don't know where to start. From Genetics to The Music of the Beatles, the learning is limitless. It feels like educational boundaries are coming down one course at a time.
Alison offers access to free, certified education. You can learn at your own pace and add to that resume without breaking the bank. The courses have tests to take, so that your learning is more concrete.
Iversity is yet another place you can search and find the free course that's right for you. They are dedicated to free education simply because it improves lives, and as a ripple effect, improves communities as a result.
The School of Doodle is an online free school for young women. It comes with help from strong female mentors, and a feeling that you could change the world. It's the perfect growing space for teenage girls.
EdX is the spot to search and find a course to fit your needs. It also showcases some upcoming courses on the front page if you need a spark in your interest.
Pop culture and all that ideology sitting in the blind spot. Also crafts.