May-June 2013 - 11
Free online university courses for everyone : Empowering people to learn .
Coursera ® partners with top universities worldwide to offer courses online free . Coursera ’ s technology enables professors to teach tens or hundreds of thousands of students at a time .
Coursera aims to give everyone access to the world-class education that has so far been available only to a select few . The Coursera staff want to empower people with education that will improve their lives , the lives of their families , and the communities they live in .
Even before you have registered , you can browse through more than 370 courses in over 20 categories created by 70 Universities from various countries and in various languages .
There are a variety of course subjects : Humanities , Medicine , Biology , Social Sciences , Mathematics , Business , Computer Science , and many more .
By Jacob Lange
The courses typically are made up of short video lectures with interactive quizzes and assignments for you to do , which are often just discussing your views and thoughts with fellow students . Throughout the course , you can work at your own pace and using your own schedule . In most courses , there are also peer-graded assessments for you to submit . Some professors offer a certificate of achievement to students who complete the course successfully .
All you need is a bit of time , a bit of dedication , and access to the internet .
Join over 3.5 million Courserians at www . coursera . org .
Author ’ s note : A few days ago I completed my first course with Coursera . I learned a lot , and it was a really enjoyable experience , too ! I ’ m taking another course soon . I recommend Coursera !