10 Best Free Online Learning Sites for General Colleges and Universities
You should be busy adjusting to student life as the first semester of your studies is in full swing. Getting used to lectures, making friends, settling into your new dorm, and just adjusting to a new city can sometimes be a challenge. One of the most useful tools at this time and throughout the university semester is the internet.
To keep your child motivated and on track, some courses are conducted by the teacher with a set schedule and mandatory attendance. The majority are self-paced with recorded lectures, which is beneficial for teenagers who typically have busy schedules but still want to make the most of their free time. Note that completing college-level classes in high school does not guarantee credit transfer to subsequent college. This depends on the policies and regulations of each institution. Even if credits do not carry over, taking college courses in high school can be beneficial for students whose current coursework is not challenging. Although college courses offer far beyond what is typically offered in high schools, taking college courses can be a method of exploring interests. College courses can even be used to complement official and informal research projects that some gifted students are already involved in or wish to begin.
Knowinsiders.com ranks the top 10 websites for students that offer the best knowledge, guidance and support. These websites and applications offer a variety of educational resources that can help students of all ages prepare for upcoming exams, all for the low, low price of being completely free. These tools include time management, digital flashcards, custom quizzes, educational games, and other teaching tools.
What Are The Free Online General College And University Sites – Top 10 1. EdX EdX – Photo: blog.freec.asia
Around 14 million users can access free courses from colleges through EdX, one of the largest providers of online open courses in the world. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University developed the site, which currently offers courses from numerous other prestigious universities around the world, including Boston University and Caltech.
On the internet, you can take courses in a variety of subjects, including science, education, history, medicine, and more. Several free courses in computer programming are also offered.
Even if the courses are free, notarized certificates and degrees are not. EdX offers certifications and online masters degrees on its website, but customers have to pay fees or tuition for them.
2. Khan Academy Khan Academy – Photo: hola.edu
Another fantastic option for people who study outside of the classroom and want to learn more is Khan Academy. Here you can choose from courses that match your hobbies and educational level. Basic geometry, electrical engineering, organic chemistry, microeconomics, personal finance, and other topics are covered.
Khan will provide you with courses to help you achieve your goals once you have chosen your hobbies. To keep you informed, the application tracks your progress.
Many of the sites on this list offer “Pro” accounts, or enhanced packages, for a fee. Nonetheless, each and every one offers free resources that are perfect for students. Try a few of these to see which ones can help you the most.
3. WITH OpenCourseWare WITH OpenCourseWare – Photo: al-fanarmedia
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was a pioneer in offering online college courses. The university offers you the ability to download and follow their archived courses through their OpenCourseWare platform.
The benefit of using the platform is that you get access to a wide variety of up-to-date courses that the university has offered over the years. The downside is that you may still need to buy textbooks to follow the curriculum.
The site also does not offer accreditation or certification as these are archived courses. But they are a useful resource if you want to expand your knowledge on a specific topic.
4. Learning room: The Distance University Learning room: The Distance University – Photo: prisoneducation
OpenLearn is an educational website. It is the UK Open University’s contribution to the Open Educational Resources (OER) project and home to The Open University’s free, open learning. The original project was funded in part by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
This website offers downloadable free online courses in many different categories such as youth and children, languages, business, technology and others. As you review coursework, you can view it by grade. Other users can rate the course, which can help you decide which course to take. The main page warns that a new website design will be released in autumn 2012, so changes may be coming soon.
5. Carnegie Mellon OpenLearning Carnegie Mellon OpenLearning – Photo: lumenlearning
Carnegie Mellon University offers free online courses for anyone who wants access. In fact, it even provides materials for instructors who want to teach these courses to their students.
For independent learners, there are short courses on topics such as computer science, biology, psychology and more. The downside is that the number of open courses is much more limited than other open learning websites.
Carnegie Mellon’s open courses are similar to what a paying student would receive minus the course credit or access to an instructor.
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6. OpenLearn
The OpenLearn platform features content from The Open University – a university committed to being open and offering free learning to as many people as possible. While the university has physical classrooms in the UK, it has also made its content available to everyone online via its OpenLearn website.
The online college courses are very well laid out and cover many different topics. A great feature is that it offers courses for different skills and knowledge levels, from beginner to expert.
After completing a course, you can receive a certificate of attendance to present to potential employers. While this does not count towards coursework, it proves that you have successfully completed courses from The Open University.
7. Coursera Coursera – Photo: Cellphones
Several colleges and companies offer their open courses on Coursera, another online learning platform. You can access courses for free, just like other course providers on the list, but you have to pay to get accredited or earn a certificate.
Still, the site provides a fantastic environment for online study. The site offers courses from renowned universities such as Duke and Columbia. You can also access online courses from Google and companies like Intel and Amazon in the meantime.
If you want to take advantage of the platform’s certification and specialty features, a monthly membership is available. However, if you choose the audit option, you can view each individual course for free. With the exception of a certificate or accreditation, this gives you access to all lectures and lectures in the course.
8. FutureLearn Photo: riba
FutureLearn is another platform that offers courses from universities and organizations around the world. As with the other open learning platforms, the courses are available for free, but certificates are chargeable.
The site offers an impressive range of courses in different fields, as well as various life skills courses. For example, FutureLearn offers courses designed to improve your budgeting skills, online research skills, critical thinking and job interview skills.
A platform is a great tool for those who want to expand their academic knowledge as well as useful everyday skills.
9. Stanford Online Stanford Online – Photo: Scholarship Sites
Stanford Online is the website through which Stanford University offers all of its online courses. While you would have to pay tuition to earn a certificate or degree through the platform, the university’s open learning courses are available to everyone for free. This includes courses offered by the various university schools such as Stanford School of Medicine and Stanford Business School.
These open courses are especially useful for those looking for CME (Continuing Medical Education) credits, which can be earned by completing specific courses on the site without having to spend a penny.
10. Quizlet Quizlet
With this website, Quizlet provides the learning tools while you provide the material. Users can create “sets” on any topic imaginable. The website will produce matching games, quizzes, practice tests, flashcards and even auditory tools based on the set. There is also a free quizlet app that you can use to study offline and study on the go.
Thanks to the two games Scatter and Space Race, you can learn the subject while having fun. With Scatter, users clear the screen by quickly dragging definitions or information to their relevant equivalents.
In Space Race, meanings scroll across the screen as you type the appropriate word or phrase before it comes to its conclusion. You can compete for the best times using leaderboards and top results, adding the competitive element to your studies.
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