Open and Free Courses for Professional Development
Increasingly, many universities and other providers are offering courses for the general and international public free of charge. Some courses relate to content and disciplines while others are for personal development and interest. Unfortunately, not many courses are available in education directly. Not yet, in any case. Perhaps this remains a challenge for mathematics education community to develop such offerings.
The conditions and provisions of the different courses vary. Some include assessment while others do not. In general they do not constitute a part of formal qualification, although some offer certificates upon completion.
The following are some examples of some providers. Click on logo to go to the respective websites.
The conditions and provisions of the different courses vary. Some include assessment while others do not. In general they do not constitute a part of formal qualification, although some offer certificates upon completion.
The following are some examples of some providers. Click on logo to go to the respective websites.
Openlearning
"OpenLearning was founded in Sydney
Australia by University of New South Wales senior lecturer Richard Buckland, developer Theo Julienne and software engineer Adam Brimo.
We love learning and we aim to provide a platform that promotes education and
learning all around the world. We've designed OpenLearning to give
power to students by enabling them to improve courses as they are run and to
teachers who can finally teach the way they've always dreamed."
You can read a recent article about the service at The Sydney Morning Herald "The business of educating others"
Australia by University of New South Wales senior lecturer Richard Buckland, developer Theo Julienne and software engineer Adam Brimo.
We love learning and we aim to provide a platform that promotes education and
learning all around the world. We've designed OpenLearning to give
power to students by enabling them to improve courses as they are run and to
teachers who can finally teach the way they've always dreamed."
You can read a recent article about the service at The Sydney Morning Herald "The business of educating others"
Open Learning Initiative
Carnegie Mellon University offers a platform that offers several courses for
free. “Many college and universities around the world are using our courses and
unique learning platform—and now you can too! You can access course materials at
no cost to you and work at your own pace. Our learning platform gives you
targeted feedback as you go, which helps you know if you are mastering a topic
or if you need more practice”.
You can watch a Youtube video about it at: A case study in OER within the LMS.
free. “Many college and universities around the world are using our courses and
unique learning platform—and now you can too! You can access course materials at
no cost to you and work at your own pace. Our learning platform gives you
targeted feedback as you go, which helps you know if you are mastering a topic
or if you need more practice”.
You can watch a Youtube video about it at: A case study in OER within the LMS.
EdX Universities
"EdX is a not-for-profit enterprise of its founding partners Harvard University
and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that features learning designed
specifically for interactive study via the web. Based on a long history of
collaboration and their shared educational missions, the founders are creating a
new online-learning experience with online courses that reflect their
disciplinary breadth. Along with offering online courses, the institutions will
use edX to research how students learn and how technology can transform
learning–both on-campus and worldwide. Anant Agarwal, former Director of MIT's
Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, serves as the first
president of edX. EdX's goals combine the desire to reach out to students of all
ages, means, and nations, and to deliver these teachings from a faculty who
reflect the diversity of its audience. EdX is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
and is governed by MIT and Harvard."
and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that features learning designed
specifically for interactive study via the web. Based on a long history of
collaboration and their shared educational missions, the founders are creating a
new online-learning experience with online courses that reflect their
disciplinary breadth. Along with offering online courses, the institutions will
use edX to research how students learn and how technology can transform
learning–both on-campus and worldwide. Anant Agarwal, former Director of MIT's
Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, serves as the first
president of edX. EdX's goals combine the desire to reach out to students of all
ages, means, and nations, and to deliver these teachings from a faculty who
reflect the diversity of its audience. EdX is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
and is governed by MIT and Harvard."
Open Educational Resources
"Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that you
may freely use and reuse, without charge. Open Educational Resources are
different from other resources a teacher may use in that OER have been given
limited or unrestricted licensing rights. That means they have been authored or
created by an individual or organization that chooses to retain few, if any,
ownership rights. For some of these resources, that means you can download the
resource and share it with colleagues and students. For others, it may be that
you can download a resource, edit it in some way, and then re-post it as a remixed work. OER often have a Creative Commons or GNU license that state specifically how the material may be used, reused, adapted, and shared." Cources are available in Education , Arts , Humanities , Social Sciences , Natural Sciences , Applied
Sciences & Technology , Mathematics & Statistics.
may freely use and reuse, without charge. Open Educational Resources are
different from other resources a teacher may use in that OER have been given
limited or unrestricted licensing rights. That means they have been authored or
created by an individual or organization that chooses to retain few, if any,
ownership rights. For some of these resources, that means you can download the
resource and share it with colleagues and students. For others, it may be that
you can download a resource, edit it in some way, and then re-post it as a remixed work. OER often have a Creative Commons or GNU license that state specifically how the material may be used, reused, adapted, and shared." Cources are available in Education , Arts , Humanities , Social Sciences , Natural Sciences , Applied
Sciences & Technology , Mathematics & Statistics.
MIT OpenCourseWare
"MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity. Through OCW, educators improve courses and curricula, making their schools more effective; students find additional resources to help them succeed; and independent learners enrich their lives and use the content to tackle some of our world’s most difficult challenges, including sustainable development, climate change, and cancer eradication."
Curriki (Curriculum + Wiki)
“Curriki is an online community for creating and sharing curricula and teaching
best practices.
• Provides High Quality Free Resources – The Curriki repository contains over 42,000 free K-12 lessons, units, assessments and multimedia learning objects across all subject areas.
• Empowers Educators – Curriki’s free platform enables educators to build their own
curriculum by assembling Curriki resources, as well as their own, into collections similar to an iTunes playlist.
• Helps Eliminate the Education Divide – Curriki originated from the idea that technology can play a crucial role in breaking down the barriers of the Education Divide – the gap between those who have access to high-quality education and those who do not. Curriki helps bridge this divide by providing free and open resources to teachers who need them most.
• Leads the Open Education Resource Movement – Curriki is a leading organization behind the OER movement – a
movement based around the idea that teaching materials should be freely available for educators and students to use, mix, modify and share.
• Engages in Dynamic Partnerships with a Global Reach – Curriki is working with partners in the US and abroad to develop multilingual educational content that supports local education initiatives and goals.”
best practices.
• Provides High Quality Free Resources – The Curriki repository contains over 42,000 free K-12 lessons, units, assessments and multimedia learning objects across all subject areas.
• Empowers Educators – Curriki’s free platform enables educators to build their own
curriculum by assembling Curriki resources, as well as their own, into collections similar to an iTunes playlist.
• Helps Eliminate the Education Divide – Curriki originated from the idea that technology can play a crucial role in breaking down the barriers of the Education Divide – the gap between those who have access to high-quality education and those who do not. Curriki helps bridge this divide by providing free and open resources to teachers who need them most.
• Leads the Open Education Resource Movement – Curriki is a leading organization behind the OER movement – a
movement based around the idea that teaching materials should be freely available for educators and students to use, mix, modify and share.
• Engages in Dynamic Partnerships with a Global Reach – Curriki is working with partners in the US and abroad to develop multilingual educational content that supports local education initiatives and goals.”
MERLOT
"MERLOT is a free and open online community of resources designed primarily
for faculty, staff and students of higher education from around the world to
share their learning materials and pedagogy. MERLOT is a leading
edge, user-centered, collection of peer reviewed higher education, online
learning materials, catalogued by registered members and a set of faculty
development support services.
MERLOT's strategic goal is to improve the effectiveness of teaching and
learning by increasing the quantity and quality of peer reviewed online learning
materials that can be easily incorporated into faculty designed courses."
for faculty, staff and students of higher education from around the world to
share their learning materials and pedagogy. MERLOT is a leading
edge, user-centered, collection of peer reviewed higher education, online
learning materials, catalogued by registered members and a set of faculty
development support services.
MERLOT's strategic goal is to improve the effectiveness of teaching and
learning by increasing the quantity and quality of peer reviewed online learning
materials that can be easily incorporated into faculty designed courses."
Courcera
About Coursera
We are a social entrepreneurship company that partners with the top universities in the world to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free. We envision a future where the top universities are educating not only thousands of students, but millions. Our technology enables the best professors to teach tens or hundreds of thousands of students. Through this, we hope to give everyone access to the world-class education that has so far been available only to a select few. We want to empower people with education that will improve their lives, the lives of their families, and the communities they live in.
Our Courses
Classes offered on Coursera are designed to help you master the material. When you take one of our classes, you will watch lectures taught by world-class professors, learn at your own pace, test your knowledge, and reinforce concepts through interactive exercises. When you join one of our classes, you'll also join a global community of thousands of students learning alongside you. We know that your life is busy, and that you have many commitments on your time. Thus, our courses are designed based on sound pedagogical foundations, to help you master new concepts quickly and effectively. Key ideas include mastery learning, to make sure that you have multiple attempts to demonstrate your new knowledge; using interactivity, to ensure student engagement and to assist long-term retention; and providing frequent feedback, so that you can monitor your own progress, and know when you've really mastered the material. We offer courses in a wide range of topics, spanning the Humanities, Medicine, Biology, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Business, Computer Science, and many others. Whether you're looking to improve your resume, advance your career, or just learn more and expand your knowledge, we hope there will be multiple courses that you find interesting."
We are a social entrepreneurship company that partners with the top universities in the world to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free. We envision a future where the top universities are educating not only thousands of students, but millions. Our technology enables the best professors to teach tens or hundreds of thousands of students. Through this, we hope to give everyone access to the world-class education that has so far been available only to a select few. We want to empower people with education that will improve their lives, the lives of their families, and the communities they live in.
Our Courses
Classes offered on Coursera are designed to help you master the material. When you take one of our classes, you will watch lectures taught by world-class professors, learn at your own pace, test your knowledge, and reinforce concepts through interactive exercises. When you join one of our classes, you'll also join a global community of thousands of students learning alongside you. We know that your life is busy, and that you have many commitments on your time. Thus, our courses are designed based on sound pedagogical foundations, to help you master new concepts quickly and effectively. Key ideas include mastery learning, to make sure that you have multiple attempts to demonstrate your new knowledge; using interactivity, to ensure student engagement and to assist long-term retention; and providing frequent feedback, so that you can monitor your own progress, and know when you've really mastered the material. We offer courses in a wide range of topics, spanning the Humanities, Medicine, Biology, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Business, Computer Science, and many others. Whether you're looking to improve your resume, advance your career, or just learn more and expand your knowledge, we hope there will be multiple courses that you find interesting."
Open Culture
“Open Culture brings together high-quality cultural & educational media for the worldwide lifelong learning community. Web 2.0 has given us great amounts of intelligent audio and video. It’s all free. It’s all enriching. But it’s also scattered across the web, and not easy to find. Our whole mission is to centralize this content, curate it, and give you access to this high quality content whenever and wherever you want it. Free audio books, free online courses, free movies, free language lessons, free ebooks and other enriching content — it’s all here. Open Culture was founded in 2006.”