As we all settle into new routines around work and home
it is somewhat likely many of us have extra time on our hands.
What if you could spend 30-60 minutes a day and become
even smarter than you are now?
The real challenge is deciding what you’d like to learn.
There are literally hundreds of options. Here are 10 I’d recommend – some you
may have heard of, others, hopefully, you have not. These sites all offer free
or free for a limited time courses:
edX – A site founded by and populated
with courses from some of the best universities in the world (full disclosure: my university, RIT, is a member and I’ve developed two courses on this platform). It
offers massive open online courses (MOOC), specializations, and certificates
(some of which can be applied to graduate degrees at member universities).
There are 1,000s of courses for free (including quizzes and other knowledge
checks) most of which can earn you a certificate of completion if you are willing
to pay a small fee.
Coursera – This platform works with universities and
businesses and also offers MOOC courses, specializations and degrees in a wide
range of subjects such as engineering, data science, machine learning, social
sciences and more.
Khan Academy – You’ve likely heard of this non-profit
educational organization and its 10s of 1,000s of short lessons (delivered as
videos). Its website also includes supplementary practice exercises. All resources
are available for free on the web or the Khan app.
TED-Ed– Only got a few
minutes? Then this is the platform for you. TED-Ed is the famed TEDx
organization’s award-winning education platform that serves millions of teachers
and students around the world. There are thousands of 10-minute
videos – admittedly targeted at grades 6-12, but heck they’re interesting.
HowStuffWorks – As the name suggests focus on explaining
the way many things work. The site uses photographs, diagrams, videos,
animations, puzzles and articles to explain complex concepts, terminology, and
mechanisms. This is also something you can fit into a smaller time frame.
Alison – This is a free online education platform that
mostly focuses on workplace-based skills and generates income from advertising,
and sales of certificates and merchandise. The site offers more than a 1,000
courses at certificate, diploma and learning path levels across nine core
subject categories including tech, science, math, health, humanities and
lifestyle. The certificate level courses require two to three hours of study
while the more rigorous diploma level courses require 10 to 15 hours of study
The Great Courses – A subscription service (currently offering a 1-month free trial) streaming
lectures (more than 11,000 of them) with some requiring up to 20 hours to complete. Be warned: These are often literally
videos of professors lecturing for 30 – 60 minutes straight. Not my ideal
learning environment, but there a wide range of serious academic and general interest
topics.
LinkedIn Learning – Known as Lynda.com before being acquired by LinkedIn this site offers courses
taught by industry experts in software, and creative and business skills. You
need to have a LinkedIn account to access LI Learning and most courses have a
fee, but the first month is free. Also, check with your employer – many buy
business-wide subscriptions to LI Learning.
Hubspot Academy – Is an online training platform that provides various digital marketing
training programs in such areas as marketing, sales and service. It offers free
certification courses in social media, inbound marketing, email marketing and
content marketing among others.
Open Culture – Still not sure what you’re looking to learn? Then this site is for you. It’s
directory of free online courses and other learning resources including MOOCs, free movies, free audio books, free eBooks, free textbooks, free language lessons and free business courses.
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