While considering what school you will be attending in the fall, and even if you have already picked one, you may also want to consider taking online courses. Your university may have its own Canvas or Blackboard portal that connects to their online learning curriculum, or you may have heard of online learning sites, such as Coursera, that offer many classes that you can sign up for to take in addition to what your curriculum requires. We have gathered some of the top schools that offer high quality, certificate earning classes that may be of help with your search.
There is no excuse today not to be able to make your lives better by gaining knowledge that is readily available through these online schools. Many of them are free of charge, or may require that you subscribe to their network. Some offer extensive learning lab-type classes and may cost a bit more, but not as much as if you went to the brick and mortar schools. The Internet has become a smaller world today with access to free education to anyone that seeks to have one. Hundreds of millions of individuals in developed and underdeveloped countries are taking advantage of these opportunities and you can too.
1. Careerarm
This is one of the new kids on the block, but we found it worth mentioning due to its inclusive nature. Through its Beta process it invited students to be a part of its growth process so that what it offers fall in line with what the student wants in online learning. It offers free and low cost courses, free materials and an easy registration process.
2. JReam Programming
If your goal is starting your own business, such as an online writing service or something of that nature, you may want to take some courses in programming. Site building is big money today, and when you decide to start an online business, knowing how to do it yourself is going to save you tons of money. JReam has developed a program that is fun and interactive that teaches you programs such as PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Many books on these subjects and classroom attendance can run into hundreds of dollars, JReam has promised that they did all the hard work so you can now learn it the easy way. There are freebie classes, and so far we didn’t see any that cost over $30.00 for a course.
3. Khan Academy
This site is a prime example of starting small and becoming the biggest and best that is around. Khan Academy not only caters to new students; it welcomes all learners anywhere with the mantra “You can learn anything.” It is non-profit so that means you can jump right in and go to school for free. We found that this was the go to site for many students who were having math trouble. With its interactive learning modules, Khan makes it fun and simple to use. The sign-up is easy and they give you progress reports on the work that you have accomplished. For children using Khan, there is an awards system in place that give them extra incentive to complete more modules.
4. Eureka.in
Although this site requires monthly subscriptions to be able to access its library of 3-D content, it is worth it. Eureka.in is dedicated to Science and Math curriculums, and for those that need these classes like physics, mathematics, biology, and chemistry, this is the place to explore. We couldn’t stop searching throughout this site, it is filled with some of the best online graphic content for teaching that we have seen so far. Adopted by K-12 learning curriculum and approved by the NSES (National Science Education Standard), Eureka.in has content that not only teaches but is fun.
5. Ted-Ed
Many millions have enjoyed the site Ted-Talks, and have used the ideas and information provided by some of the top thinkers in the world to write essays, develop thesis and build a basis for classroom discussions. Ted-Ed is an extension of the Ted platform dedicated to providing educators and students with hundreds of subjects to learn from. If you enjoy Ted Talks you will love this site. Just subscribe to their newsletter and you are well on your way to being well informed on today’s hottest news and academic topics.
6. Open Yale Courses
You can begin to take courses by prominent lecturers on this Yale site. They are free and you do not need to sign in to have access to lectures ranging from African American Studies to Spanish and Portuguese. You do not gain certification for the lectures but there are classes available for a fee.
7. Algebra Rules
Math remains for many a big problem in school, and like there are custom writing services for those who are not that into developing English essays and papers, there are also sites dedicated to Math. We liked algebra rules because it did just want it promised; it gives you simple rules to learn about algebraic equations so that when you look at a problem you know exactly what to do to solve the most difficult of problems. Students who practice these rules are sure to do 10 times better on their next exam.
8. LA Film
Are you thinking of learning graphic design? Well Adobe may have some of the greatest software there is to help with developing beautiful graphics, but LA Film school is one of the best online Graphic Designer, Graphic Artist, and Illustrator programs we found. It is not free though, but offers financial aid assistance for those that qualify and also Military benefits.
9. DuoLingo
Before registering for a college course that may be costly, try DuoLingo. They have taken the ability to learn a language and gamified it. Students will learn the language of their choice and at the same time play games that earn them points, level up, and race against a timer. This program is available across many platforms so that you can stay on track with your lessons even on the go. The best thing about it is that it is free!
10. YouTube
Yep, that’s right. YouTube. Try it. Type in any subject that you would like to learn. And there you will have hundreds of videos to teach you anything. You can even learn how to fix your computer, or your car on YouTube. Some of the suggestions mentioned above even have YouTube channels. Not only does YouTube have interesting challenging content to teach you, but it is worldwide and free.
With the worlds classes at your fingertips, there is no reason that you cannot pick and choose what you want to do with your life, and do it from the comfort of your home. There is something to be said for the brick and mortar buildings of college, but if you need to, it’s good to know that online learning is available.
