Modern technology has done many things for our society. With unbelievable advances in medicine and astounding achievements in the areas of science and computation, there is no limit to the benefits modern technology has provided us. As technology continues to infiltrate every aspect of our lives, education and learning have had to respond to the recent tech craze.
More and more primary schools are incorporating computers, social media, and mobile technology into their classrooms. Moreover, more and more institutions of higher education are founding online degree programs and other online methods of learning. As online degree programs gain popularity, more and more schools are introducing open courseware programs for lifelong learning. This innovative step in education allows anyone and everyone to access resources for extended learning.
These three higher education behemoths offer multiple courses free online to whomever would like to take them.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is one of the biggest name technical schools in the nation. As one of the most highly regarded schools in the nation, the fact that MIT offers their coveted courses for free online is impressive. With up to 1,800 courses offered online, anyone can find useful classes in aeronautics, anthropology, engineering, chemistry, political science, literature, history, and much more. These open courseware classes are based off of the actual curriculum of an MIT class and provide the syllabi, reading lists, course notes, and assignments from the actual class. Many of the classes are accompanied by video and audio to make the course feel even more like the actual tradition class at MIT.
Another behemoth in the academic world, UC Berkeley also offers an open courseware program that helps people complete coursework in any subject they wish. As one of the top ranked universities in the U.S. and with some of the most important academics in their field, it is no small thing that Berkeley offers some of their courses for free online. The Berkeley site allows you to view webcasts and podcasts of classroom lectures taking place on campus. Each course that is offered in the Berkeley program provides assignments, notes, and tests from the actual class.
Stanford University teamed up with iTunes U to provide access to a huge range of audio courses online for any person seeking more education. With Stanford’s prestigious name and brilliant classes, this is one of the most impressive open courseware programs offered. There are a few dozen courses offered by Stanford iTunes U, including several continuing education courses and some undergraduate classes. The site offers downloadable lectures on many different topics and is a very useful resource for most anyone interested in expanding their mind and education.
It would be easy to believe that online education wouldn’t be as much fun as a regular college setting because you aren’t in the physical presence of your peers. Though some people might feel this way and refuse to attend an online school because of this, it’s very common that online courses offer some sort of multi-person collaboration space for its students.
What if colleges and universities started using video games to teach important concepts to students? It is an idea that isn’t often considered, but it could be useful in both teaching the students and helping to gather a better understanding of their learning styles. Games can be programmed to measure user response to problems, and this is a potentially excellent way to gather information on how different individuals solve problems. This would give useful insight into how socioeconomic status, hobbies, and educational background influence the way that people handle problems when encountering them. For example, some students may be able to analyze a series of shapes and understand how they fit together to complete a square or triangle, while other students may struggle with this problem and do better with questions involving theoretical knowledge.
Ask for course requirements for your desired degree program, and make sure you understand how that breaks down per term. How long is a term? How many classes will you be required to take each term? How long will the program take you to complete? The answers to these questions are very important. Even if you are attracted to a program because it can be finished in only a year, you may be shocked to learn that you have to take five classes each term – and that a term is only eight weeks. Be sure that the schedule and course commitment is one that suits your learning and career goals.