Every day we learn something new. We watch the news, watch DIY videos on YouTube, go to school, or even if it’s just scrolling through our social media feed to see what the world is up to- We are constantly taking in information and learning something.
But what if what we learned came from somewhere say, Harvard, Duke, or Princeton to name a few? One’s initial thought would be somewhere along the lines of “Wow, an Ivy League school, that’s expensive!” While this statement is most definitely true, what you didn’t know or maybe haven’t heard about is that you can now take free online courses in a wide variety of subjects from world renowned schools.
During this whole coronavirus situation many of us have had spare time on our hands, and even though some businesses and restaurants have been opening up at limited capacity, it’s not a bad idea to spend some time learning something new or something that spikes your interest.
These online courses are being offered through edX, a nonprofit organization founded by Harvard and MIT that focuses on bringing education access to millions of people around the world without having to worry about cost. There are plenty of courses available from different schools covering just about anything you can think of. Additionally, these courses are taught by instructors from the respective college or university with accesses to lectures, assignments and related materials available online. One of the best features of these courses is that they are self-paced which means you can go through a lesson whenever you have time to spare. Each course is different in terms of length and they can range from a few hours to a couple of months.
The registration process for one of these courses is quite simple. Basic information is required such as name, username, email and password. I recently signed up for a computer science class through Harvard University and from start to finish to took me no more than 15 minutes to sign up and enroll.
Even though these courses are free to take, you do have the option to pay for a verified certificate from the school from which you are taking the course. The fee for a verified certificate can vary between $40-160, depending on the course. This is a great way to build up your knowledge and build your resume.
So, no matter what your end goals may be, whether you are aiming to get that dream job or you just want to learn something that interests you, education is out there, and the opportunity and end results are limitless.
Happy Studying!
Here is a link for edX: https://www.edx.org/
