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!