The idea that you are never done learning has never been more true than today. The Internet has revolutionized the way we access information and knowledge – formerly a luxury accessible only to the rich and highly gifted – which is now freely available to anyone with Internet access.
Education and learning should be a lifelong process and the Internet is your chance to get a university level education for free, regardless of where you are in life. This article introduces you to the three best websites to get started.
Khan Academy
The Khan Academy is probably the most famous educational website out there. It was started in 2006 with the mission to provide “a high quality education to anyone, anywhere.” Meanwhile, the site provides over 3,000 videos on subjects from science to humanities, which have been delivered to millions of people. More than just videos, the site also offers short exercises to help students practice the knowledge they have acquired by watching the video material – all of it for free.
Coursera
Online education is spreading and the traditional institutions are taking note. Coursera has partnered with top US universities to provide some of their courses for free. The site offers lectures on computer science, healthcare, social sciences, and economics from universities like Princeton, Stanford or Berkeley.
Like the Khan Academy, they offer interactive exercises. Moreover, Coursera promises that you will join a global network of thousands of students, who you can depend on for feedback and support. Coursera takes you through full courses, which follow a schedule, meaning you have to sign up for them in advance.
If you enjoy Coursera and the Khan Academy, you may also enjoy one of these 6 Really Good Sites with FREE Video Lectures from Top US Colleges or 5 Great Sites with Free Video Lectures from Top Colleges.
Academic Earth
Similar to the Khan Academy, Academic Earth’s vision is to offer “a world-class education for everyone on earth“. The site offers free online classes and in-depth online learning through video lectures from university professors. Interestingly, Academic Earth has partnered with the same universities as Coursera and many more. In addition to Princeton, Stanford, and Berkeley, you will find video lectures from UCLA, Harvard, and Yale. Moreover, Academic Earth has partnered with the Khan Academy.
What makes Academic Earth unique is that you can sign up to earn an actual online degree. While this isn’t necessarily free (no definite information is available), it may at least be accessible to you regardless of where you live.
If you still haven’t learned enough, we have written about 8 MORE Knowledge Websites With Free Online Video Lectures, as well as 12 Great Free Video Tutorial Sites To Brush Up Your Tech Skills, and 5 Websites To Watch Educational Videos That Will Expand Your Mind. Would you like to take classes on your iPad, iPhone or iPod? Check out iTunes U, which we have recently reviewed here: Taking Free Classes & Courses At iTunes U.
Fans of YouTube, check out these articles:
- The Five Best Educational YouTube Channels
- 14+ YouTube Playlists To Watch & Learn Computer Programming Quickly
- The Best 2 Channels To Seriously Help You Visually Learn Complicated Math Concepts
How do you maintain lifelong learning? Are there any great resources we have missed so far?
Image credits: Education via Shutterstock
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thx for the info. i’m bookmarking all the sites you recommended
I would like to add a site to the list:
http://www.udacity.com/
Udacity is mostly about programming, but it is quite good.
Thank you for sharing, memo!
you’ve seen this
http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm
geat stuff!
Great, and education without the degree, credentials, or recognition by any employer. Just how I’d like to spend my years learning a new trade.
Well, some people are just hungry for knowledge and enjoy to work out their brains. They don’t necessarily need a piece of paper to prove they are educated. Personally, I find it very unfortunate that this piece of paper is still worth more than the actual knowledge and experience. A degree is merely an indicator of what someone should know and it’s not even very good at that.
I wholeheartedly agree!
I agree absolutely ! In any case – it’s very easy to forge a Degree certificate but very hard to convincingly fake knowledge of the actual subject matter. Many thanks for the article – I was unaware of these resources.
All that piece of paper says is “I was willing to incur a large debt before I ever had a full-time job”. I have been lucky enough to find employers who allowed me to prove to them that a piece of paper is just a piece of paper. The same thing applies to CompTIA, Microsoft and other certifications. In most cases, I have been able to outperform the individuals who had degrees and certifications. With one placement agency, I was the first to get a perfect score on a computer technician aptitude test, at least in that particular office.
Yes, you have been lucky. Unfortunately most employers insist on that piece of paper even though the degree may be in basket weaving. Many employers use the paper as another reason to disqualify an applicant. The problem is that most initial interviews are done by Human Resources drones who just follow a standard script of questions. The have no expertise in evaluating professional applicants.
In one case, I didn’t talk to HR until after I was offered the position. I knew someone else in the IT department who hand delivered my resume to his boss. My initial interview was telephonic with the man for whom I would be working. After that brief conversation, we set up a face-to-face interview for the following week at which point I was offered the job. Only after that did I even meet anyone from HR. I’m not even sure they ever saw my resume.Also, when I have been looking for work, I tend to veer toward those who have people in power that have come from a technical background. Either the owner of a smaller company started as a technician or programmer or others in upper management have similar backgrounds. They are the ones who have seen first-hand that papered individuals are not necessarily the most knowledgable about the technology in use and are frequently not a cost effective solution.
I already know abt Khan Academy n Coursera but Academic Earth is new. Thanks for all the info. on educational sites. I’m looking forward to learning from them.
Glad you found something new, Sarina!
Udacity.
hey guys, what about codecademy.com Its also good & specially for programming.
Cheers…
Thank you so much for the information. I am thrilled that I will be able to continue my education with the sites you have recommended. As Always MUO is a GEM!
How about this huge list of 1000+ free college courses http://freevideolectures.com/free-college-courses-online/
Do not forget to add MITx the new online courses that mit offer and if your good enough you can gain a cert of recognition. Its currently In its trial phase.
khan and academic earth are 2 of my favorites.
There is also teachertube, a bit like YouTube full of mini vids etc…
I didn’t know about MITx, that sounds great. Thank you for adding this information to the list.
MITx is now edx in parntership with HARVARD
this gonna be thrilling
I am following circuits and electronics at MITx and it is awesome
Thanks for the update, Amine!
Thanks for sharing these educational websites. I’m going to use them.
Mixed-Development-Master-Pan: http://www.mdtrf.com/
Bookmarked the article and all the sites recommende besides sharing ot on my social sites.
I am 64 now but eager to gain more from eery source and the internet is found the greatest source by me, this article has opened a great road to knowledge.
Thank you for the feedback, Tripathi! I’m glad to hear you found this article helpful and I hope you’ll discover a lot of interesting lectures on the recommended sites.
great useful sharing. thank you.
Hi Tina. You included some really interesting websites for online/distance/self learning that should give students/educators/institutions new ideas into what education can mean in the coming decades. In the debate about a piece-of-paper certificate vs real-life work skills, I think there’s room for both perspectives. Obviously there’s a lot of knowledge that can be provided by the online or virtual lecture/classroom. However, I’m not so sure I’d do away with the institutional, certification process for pilots, surgeons, mechanics, electricians, engineers, etc?!! I think many things still benefit greatly from in-class, human instruction and validation/testing.
To provide more insight. Most certification and classrooms allow you to challenge in order to gain recognition. They might require some class, but this is similar to taking AP courses in high school.
Heri,
You’re absolutely right. There are a lot of jobs that require training and experience that cannot be self-taught and you named some good examples.
Obviously, standardized degrees and certificates generally make things easier for employers. Nevertheless, creative ways to demonstrate education and experience should be equally respected.
Hi. Thank you for writing this article, and also a thank you to the various people who have supplied additional links. I am 60 and very satisfied with where my career has taken me, so I am no longer concerned with collecting certifications for future promotions or transfers. However, I still like to keep my brain working and learning new things, and these courses sound ideal for that purpose. Kudos.
thanks makeuseof for great post
i share this page with my friends for back to study
Just wanted to Saylor.org to the list. Looks good and well organized. From the site:
http://www.saylor.org/
Saylor.org is a free and open collection of college level courses. There are no registrations or fees required to take our courses, and you will earn a certificate upon completion of each course. Because we are not accredited, you will not earn a college degree or diploma; however, our team of experienced college professors has designed each course so you will be able to achieve the same learning objectives as students enrolled in traditional colleges.
Hi Tina..
I would like to know whether there are any universities which provide free online degree courses so that I can earn my degree.. Not course lectures but the degree or diploma!!!
please help..
hope to do the needful..
Prabhu, I’m afraid I do not know.
Hi tina..
I would like to know whether there are any universities that provide free online degree or diploma.. I want to earn a degree.. Not the course videos instead a complete degree or diploma certification with accreditation..
Hope to do the needful..
Thanks for the information, I would like to further my studies
Cool site! I am all for education being free.
Another great source for free-tuition online university : University of the People http://www.uopeople.com