Online Educational Resources – Opportunities in Times of Crisis

During my prep-time for participation in the UCL EDUCATE project, being the R&D lead of OS.University, I was exploring the online learning community in order to assess the value proposition (from theory of change perspective) for many of the biggest online learning platforms, whether they were free, commercial, or in between. Now that my PhD journey is about to be completed, I found this list below, among my papers, where many of the platforms have been sorted and for some I have added a short intro next to each one (taken in most of the cases from the platforms).

Might you find it of interest, feel free to share. The world is in need of embracing more actively and seriously the online / distant learning approach. Something which the Covid-19 pandemic had to prove us at too big of a price. In case you wonder how to build your own online learning platform for free, you can check out my open course on administrating a “Moodle Cloud” – based portal (in Bulgarian), or enroll in the English ”Learn Moodle” MOOC, provided by the masters.

Cheers and stay healthy!

ACADEMIC E-LEARNING PLATFORM PROVIDERS

https://www.futurelearn.com – At FutureLearn, we want to inspire learning for life. We offer a diverse selection of free, high quality online courses from some of the world’s leading universities and other outstanding cultural institutions. Our aim is to connect learners from all over the globe with high quality educators, and with each other. We believe learning should be an enjoyable, social experience, with plenty of opportunities to discuss what you’ve studied, in order to make fresh discoveries and form new ideas. Courses are delivered one step at a time, and are accessible on mobile, tablet and desktop, so you can fit learning around your life, rather than your life around learning. We are a private company wholly owned by The Open University, with the benefit of over 40 years of their experience in distance learning and online education. Our partners include over 20 of the best UK and international universities, as well as institutions with a huge archive of cultural and educational material, including the British Council, the British Library, and the British Museum.

https://www.edx.org/ – Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California, Berkeley, are just some of the schools that you have at your fingertips with EdX. Through massive open online courses (MOOCs) from the world’s best universities, you can develop your knowledge in literature, math, history, food and nutrition, and more. These online classes are taught by highly-regarded experts in the field. If you take a class on computer science through Harvard, you may be taught by David J. Malan, a senior lecturer on computer science at Harvard University for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. But there’s not just one professor – you have access to the entire teaching staff, allowing you to receive feedback on assignments straight from the experts. Pursue a Verified Certificate to document your achievements and use your coursework for job and school applications, promotions, and more. EdX also works with top universities to conduct research, allowing them to learn more about learning. Using their findings, edX is able to provide students with the best and most effective courses, constantly enhancing the student experience.

https://www.coursera.org/ – Coursera’s online classes are designed to help students achieve mastery over course material. Some of the best professors in the world – like neurobiology professor and author Peggy Mason from the University of Chicago, and computer science professor and Folding@Home director Vijay Pande – will supplement your knowledge through video lectures. They will also provide challenging assessments, interactive exercises during each lesson, and the opportunity to use a mobile app to keep up with your coursework. Coursera also partners with the US State Department to create “learning hubs” around the world. Students can get internet access, take courses, and participate in weekly in-person study groups to make learning even more collaborative. Begin your journey into the mysteries of the human brain by taking courses in neuroscience. Learn how to navigate the data infrastructures that multinational corporations use when you discover the world of data analysis. Follow one of Coursera’s “Skill Tracks”. Or try any one of its more than 560 available courses to help you achieve your academic and professional goals.

http://online.stanford.edu/courses – Stanford Lagunita offers a variety of professional education opportunities in conjunction with many of the University’s schools and departments. We also offer an array of free online courses taught by Stanford faculty to lifelong learners worldwide. We foster collaboration with other education organizations by sharing course material, data-driven research, and source code for enhancements to our open-source platform Stanford Lagunita. We continually experiment to improve what we do through creative use of technology, and we share what we learn with the rest of the world.

https://www.open2study.com/ – Open2Study offers a way to learn about a wide variety of subjects from some of the best institutions. Explore the origins of crime with Griffith University, learn how to paint and draw from instructors at Abu Dhabi University or discover the world of music at James Cook University. Whether you love to travel the world or are the CEO of your own company, Open2Study offers free, high-quality education. Every course has its own classroom where you can learn through interactive videos, quizzes and collaboration with fellow classmates. Learning a new subject takes only four weeks, so you can try one or try them all. The online classes are taught by leading industry professionals so that you’re getting the most up-to-date information possible. If a subject piques your interest, look into an accredited degree from one of many universities that Open2Study partners with and take free courses related to that topic. New content is constantly being added to Open2Study to provide a unique learning experience for everyone.

https://www.canvas.net – The Canvas Network sets itself apart from other education providers by making learning current and directly relevant to you. For example, the network uses the AMC hit TV series “The Walking Dead” to teach lessons in survival, science and society. Looking to advance your business career even further? Learn from knowledgeable professors like Kirk O. Hanson. Hanson has 23 years of experience teaching business ethics and is the executive director for the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Learn about large events like the Olympics with professor Mark Wilson, who has visited eight world’s fairs and two Olympics. The Canvas Network leaves behind the “one-size-fits-all” approach to online learning and offers classes taught by outstanding professors with course material that is made relevant to today’s society.

https://iversity.org/ – Iversity’s vision is to share world-class knowledge. Based out of Berlin, iversity works directly with professors instead of through universities to provide its high-quality courses in multiple different languages. Contemporary Architecture taught by internationally known professor Dr. Ivan Shumkov and Dark Matter in Galaxies: The Last Mystery led by world-famous astrophysicist Paolo Salucci are only two examples of the kind of top-tier courses you can take at Iversity. Google, Shell Company and Deutsche Bank – three of the most innovative and successful companies in the world – declared iversity a Lighthouse Project in Higher Education, a prestigious and highly sought after international honor. PC Magazine named Iversity as one of the best websites of 2013. Iversity’s broad range of courses led by the best professors in the world gives you access to previously unattainable knowledge.

http://platform.europeanmoocs.eu/ – The European Multiple MOOC Aggregator called EMMA for short, is a 30 month pilot action supported by the European Union. It aims to showcase excellence in innovative teaching methodologies and learning approaches through the large-scale piloting of MOOCs on different subjects. EMMA provides a system for the delivery of free, open, online courses in multiple languages from different European universities to help preserve Europe’s rich cultural, educational and linguistic heritage and to promote real cross-cultural and multilingual learning.

https://novoed.com/ – With NovoEd, you can learn from the world’s leading institutions and collaborate with students from more than 150 countries across the globe. This online education platform connects millions of students to MOOcs, or Massive Open Online Courses, to provide them with a one-of-a-kind learning experience. Students develop an understanding of the content through worthwhile projects and collaborating with their peers. You can create a learning experience that is entirely suited to your needs and preferences by responding to student learning as it happens. You can essentially shape your instruction to make the online classes more effective and productive. Through innovative technology, in-depth academic relationships with peers around the world, and instruction from distinguished professors at top universities, you can become an expert on anything from finance to decision quality.

https://open.hpi.de/ – Keeping pace with the rapidly developing world of information technology is a need that Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) helps to fill with openhpi.de. openHPI works according to the principle of “Massive Open Online Courses” (MOOC): * openHPI courses match the high-quality curriculum at HPI, Germany’s highest ranked computer science institute. On the basis of instructional videos, interactive self-tests and practical exercises, participants receive in-depth knowledge on multi-faceted topics in IT technology. * openHPI courses are conducted entirely online. All material can be accessed from any device that is Internet-accessible, whether desktop, laptop, Smartphone or tablet. * openHPI courses are open: that means participation is free and there are no prerequisites of any kind. * openHPI courses enable individual participants to join in a virtual learning community with other participants. Lively discussion forums and virtual learning groups encourage a stimulating exchange of questions and a collaborative learning of the subject. * openHPI courses are targeted at different audiences. Part of our courses address a general audience and introduce the foundations of information technology, e.g., the design and structure of the Internet and the World Wide Web, the structure and operation of database systems or security in information technology. Other courses are geared towards ICT professionals who wish to keep up with the very latest innovations in computer science research, e.g., In-Memory Data Management, the Semantic Web, or Multicore and Cloud Computing. Courses are conducted in German and English.

https://www.fun-mooc.fr/ – Le projet France Université Numérique est une initiative du Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (MESR) répondant à l’attente, en France et dans le monde, d’une offre de formation française en ligne de qualité. Ce projet comprend deux initiatives à court terme : la création d’une fondation de coopération scientifique au 1er semestre 2014 ; et le lancement d’une plateforme nationale mutualisée pour héberger les MOOCs des établissements d’enseignement supérieur français et francophones.

http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm – MIT OpenCourseWare makes the materials used in the teaching of almost all of MIT’s subjects available on the Web, free of charge. With more than 2,200 courses available, OCW is delivering on the promise of open sharing of knowledge.

http://plusacumen.org/ – +Acumen online courses were inspired by the leadership curriculum used in Acumen’s Fellows Programs. We saw an opportunity to use online tools to scale the impact of our work in leadership development so that even more emerging leaders can gain the skills and networks they need to improve the lives of people around the world and build a world based on dignity. Each of our courses fits under one of three areas of Acumen’s Leadership Model: Operational skills, Financial skills and Moral imagination (defined as “the humility to see the world as it is, and the audacity to imagine the world as it could be)”.

http://www.uninettunouniversity.net/en/mooc.aspx – Thanks to the UNINETTUNO MOOCs you will be able to freely follow the lectures of the best Italian and international lecturers drawn from a selection of the best courses of UNINETTUNO, in Italian, English and Arabic; you will have at your disposal digitized and indexed on-demand video lectures, usable on a PC as well as on smart phone and tablet, including hyper-textual links to more- in-depth study materials (books and articles, practice work, slides, bibliographical references, lists of websites). You will also have at your disposal a collaborative discussion environment, a thematic forum by means of which you will be able to exchange views with your colleagues on the issues dealt with in the lectures, discuss the practice work done, cooperatively create new knowledge in a process that will see you active players of your own learning process.

Without overview:

CORPORATE E-LEARNING PLATFORM PROVIDERS

http://coggno.com/ – Coggno is a comprehensive marketplace features thousands of high-quality training courses created by world-class training developers, and covers virtually all industries – including human resources, management, healthcare, safety, and many others. Coggno provides a “one stop shop” resource to meet all your specific education and training needs, and provides simple, efficient delivery via our LMS platform.

http://www.craftsy.com/ – Craftsy provides education and tools to help you bring your creativity to life.

https://www.skillshare.com – In Skillshare’s unique philosophy, everyone is a teacher, and everyone is a learner. Rather than a traditional lecture format, courses are offered within a global online learning community in which learners collaborate and learn by doing. Instructors are industry leaders who share their skills with anyone who wants to learn. No credits are offered. Founded by online entrepreneurs Michael Karnjanaprakorn and Malcolm Ong, Skillshare’s online “campus” was launched in April 2011. Its catalog has grown from 15 to more than 250 online courses that cover creative arts, entrepreneurship, branding and marketing, lifestyle and technology. The School of MakeOurMark, with courses in photography, illustration and tattooing, was launched in October 2013, and the School of Design went live the following month. Among the instructors who have taught courses are Seth Godin, founder of online marketing firm Yoyodyne, who teaches a class on entrepreneurship; DJ Young Guru, who leads a course on mixing and recording; and actor, writer and director James Franco, whose course focuses on screenwriting for short films. You can begin a Skillshare collaboration by taking an introductory course in a particular area to learn, for example, the fundamentals of Photoshop and expand your knowledge with a five-part, in-depth Photoshop series.

https://www.lynda.com/academic/higher-education – With over 2,400 video courses from which to choose, the online classes offered at Lynda cover all levels of experience, from technical skills and creative techniques to business strategies. New courses are added weekly and Lynda allows you to learn on the go or at home with your computer, tablet, or mobile device. Lynda is a top online education platform which has logged 4 million subscribers from 150 different countries. Some of the members of Lynda include companies such as Apple, Adobe and even the Office of the President of the United States. The professors at Lynda are extremely knowledgeable in their field and work with you to learn everything there is to learn. For example, Aaron Dolberg teaches two courses on software engineering, and his past experience makes him a valuable asset. He was part of the engineering teams that developed Flash Professional, Flash Player, Flex and Flash Catalyst. With a vast library of video tutorials led by experts, there’s a lot to explore with Lynda.

http://www.k12.com/ – K-12 partners with various companies and organizations such as the Girl Scouts, Education.com and HersheyPark to provide a 95 percent satisfaction rating among students and parents. This online education experience personalizes learning so that children receive engaging content through the use of CDs, videos, textbooks and hands-on exercises that accommodate a variety of learning styles. No one learning plan is the same, with each adjusting to individual students’ strengths, weaknesses and aptitudes. In fact, each student has a personalized learning plan to keep an eye on progress throughout their education. The curriculum at K-12 also offers optional lessons to give students more time and experience on a certain subject. But if the subject is already well understood, the student can move on to the next lesson.

https://www.pluralsight.com/ – Pluralsight’s mission is to publish high quality online training courses for professional developers, IT admins and creative artists. Over 750,000 Learners have already made use of the 3,500+ Courses available in this extensive library. Pluralsight delivers world-class training that¹s easy to comprehend and quick to learn. That¹s the beauty of being taught by experts. Course authors are an elite group of tech and creative professionals, innovators and leaders. As a subscriber, you are connected with authors through discussion boards for ongoing, real-time learning. Courses give you the experience and skills you need to succeed on the job and grow your career. With downloadable exercise files, you can follow along with the video to practice applying your new skills. Pre- and post-course assessments track your progress. When you successfully complete a course, we you receive a certificate and an official transcript to validate and build your online resume.

http://www.rea.com/ – For more than 50 years, Research & Education Association (REA) has helped students of all ages and backgrounds pass standardized tests and reach their educational goals. Our family of test preparation and study guides is built around expert content, true-to-format practice, and a standard of quality that’s recognized by educators across the country. Our portfolio of leading test preparation material includes AP®, college admission and placement, CLEP® credit-by-exam, teacher certification, and more. REA’s products help students master the material on their exams and build confidence through hands-on practice. Our test preps give students everything they need to succeed, including targeted subject reviews and full-length practice tests designed for classroom or home study. Many of our most popular titles come with integrated testing packages featuring diagnostic tools, online quizzes, practice tests, and e-flashcards. Whether you’re looking to advance your education or your career, REA will help you achieve your highest potential.

https://caronelearning.com/ – Carone Academy is an NWAC accredited supplemental online school specializing in health and PE courses for grades 6-12. Students can register directly with Carone Fitness to receive credit for health or PE courses. Carone Academy also partners with other schools to provide quality online health and PE curriculum.. The courses provided by Carone Fitness, are known as The Personal Fitness Suite.™ These courses have been used by hundreds of schools and thousands of students nationwide! The Personal Fitness Suite™, a comprehensive online curriculum presented by Carone Fitness, is a fresh approach to health and physical education for both secondary and higher education. This series of one-semester online courses focuses on the needs and interests of individual students. In the fitness courses of The Personal Fitness Suite™, students tailor the frequency, intensity, time, and type of their workouts to fit their schedule and fitness level. Students also practice sound principles of healthy living, receive timely, individualized motivation and tips, and experiment with different types of exercise in a personal and non-competitive environment. The Personal Fitness Suite™ is developed with cutting edge technology and is designed with the today’s student in mind. The ultimate goal of The Personal Fitness Suite™ is to empower students as they develop a lifelong commitment to physical fitness and healthy living.

https://www.techchange.org/ – Technology Training for Social Change * Study at your own pace with our dynamic online learning platform * Explore the latest innovative multimedia content: video, blogs, articles, games, and more! * Join a global alumni network of professionals engaged in social change

https://www.datacamp.com/ – DataCamp is a young team of data analytics enthusiasts that provide free interactive data science and statistics education to the world. To us, the best way to learn is by doing; therefore at http://www.datacamp.com all our courses are provided through an online interactive learning platform tailored to hands-on experimentation in the browser and prepare you for jobs in the future.

https://teamtreehouse.com/ – Imagine an environment where you can become an expert on a topic that interests you through interactive code challenges, exercises and insight from some of the best professors in the nation. You can become an experienced coder and know all there is to know about HTML, Javascript, HTML, CSS and so much more. One of the instructors is Chief Content Officer Nick Pettit, who is an experienced designer and public speaker, so he knows how to get concepts across in a clear and concise way to give you the best learning experience possible. The professors of online classes at Treehouse deliver content in an informative yet easy-to-understand manner to suit a wide variety of learning styles. This learning platform features online quizzes, in-depth video lectures and code challenge exercises to help apply what you’ve learned to real world situations. With Treehouse, developing your career means learning straight from the professionals in a concise period of time so you can promptly use those skills in the workplace.

https://www.udemy.com/ – Learn how to program, sharpen your woodworking skills, discover what it takes to bake real artisan bread, or figure out how to publish your book on Kindle. Udemy can help you work toward a promotion, change industries, start a company, or take a course out of interest at home or on the go with their mobile app. Whatever you wish to learn, with Udemy you’ll be getting instruction from some of the best and most knowledgeable professors in the field. You can learn how to get in shape with yoga from Dashama Konah, an internationally known yoga teacher, author of five books, star of 11 DVDs, and founder of the Pranashama Yoga Institute. You’ll be learning real skills from the experts with over 2 million other students in 190+ countries in over 10 different languages. Hundreds of new courses are published every month, so you will never run out of material. Udemy also offers course bundles that help you master a skill across multiple courses and corporate training opportunities for both employees and companies. The ultimate goal of taking online classes with Udemy is to help you accomplish your goals faster, whatever they may be. Udemy only recruits the best professors to help you learn, including CEOs, celebrities, Ivy League professors and New York Times best-selling authors.

https://www.udacity.com/ – Udacity gives students the opportunity to create hands-on projects that can be put into their portfolios and used to demonstrate their skills to future employers. You’ll have a personal coach who helps provide feedback on your assignments and projects to assist you in reaching your goals and staying on track in your online classes. Throughout your education experience, you’ll be able to track your development, complete in-class projects, have access to interactive exercises and videos and earn a verified certificate at the end of the course as proof of all that you’ve learned. You’ll be learning from knowledgeable professors across various schools and parts of the globe. Learn about computer science from Dave Evans, an instructor at the University of Virginia, or delve into app development with Samantha Ready, a Developer Evangelist at Salesforce.com.

https://alison.com/ – Welcome to ALISON – a three million-strong, global online learning community, filled with free, high-quality resources to help you develop essential, certified workplace skills. ALISON was founded in 2007 by global leader and innovator Mike Feerick. Our mission at ALISON is simple: to enable you, wherever you are in the world, to learn and get certified – at your own pace – using our free, interactive, multimedia. There are 600 free courses for you to choose from: * Financial & Economic Literacy * Digital Literacy & IT Skills * Diploma Courses * Health Literacy * Health & Safety (Irish Legislation Only) ALISON is for anyone taking their first step to a new job, and for everyone taking their next step to a better job. ALISON is as individual as you are. Our materials will help you to develop your creativity, confidence and competence for work, and to be as contented and productive as you can be in the world of work. Every course is standards-based and certified. That means bragging rights with family and friends, an edge in your first job or new job, and inspiration to be all you can be. So now get ready for a bright new future!

https://open.sap.com/ – openSAP is SAP’s open online course provider and has proven to be a successful enabler for innovation adoption at scale and thought leader in cloud based knowledge transfer. SAP is the world leader in enterprise software and software-related services. To enable users to keep up to date with the latest innovations, openSAP delivers Enterprise MOOCs, free of charge, to enable SAP employees, Partners, Customers, students, and others to keep up to date with the latest technology. openSAP can be accessed by anyone, anywhere, and at any time.

https://onemonth.com/ – One Month’s unique objective focuses on providing learners with the course material that they need to accelerate their online education in only one month. As an online academic course provider, One Month provides learners with a plethora of options to build knowledge and gain new skills, and they specialize in offering courses in technology related subjects such as HTML, Ruby on Rails, and Stripe Payments. Mattan Griffel, co-founder of One Month, said the philosophy behind the platform revolves around the desire to provide learners with options that they didn’t know they had by organizing and disseminating information online that can be consumed in just a few weeks and can be applied immediately to make a real impact on people’s lives. By providing easy access to these in-demand course subjects, learners are able to access the information that they need to take their career to the next level or to simply learn a new technology related skill. Professionals in a variety of industries such as technology, computer programming, software development, application development, etc can benefit from taking online courses from One Month. Enroll in online courses from One Month to gain the most in-demand skills you need to change your life in only one month.

http://tutsplus.com/ – Tuts+ helps you learn creative & technical skills with 18,400+ free written tutorials and 420+ video courses. In fact, over 5 million people visit Tuts+ each month to learn coding, design & Illustration, photography, web design, and more. Our expert instructors, practical approach, and affordable pricing make it easy for anyone, anywhere to get creative and shape their future. As part of Envato’s creative ecosystem, Tuts+ is committed to helping people learn and earn online. There’s a world of opportunity out there: create interesting things in your spare time, pursue a great job doing what you love, sell your digital creations on Envato Market, or earn money as a freelancer. There are so many possibilities – and it all starts with learning on Tuts+.

https://www.goskills.com/ – GoSkills.com is an online learning company that helps anyone learn business skills to reach their personal and professional goals. With a GoSkills.com subscription, members receive personalized courses consisting of high quality and to-the-point video tutorials, transcripts, cheat sheets, exercise files and short quizzes.

https://university.mongodb.com/ – With more than 200,000 registrations to date, professionals all over the world are using MongoDB University online. Build your MongoDB expertise with free online courses to teach you how to build and deploy MongoDB. Each class runs for seven weeks with new lesson videos, quizzes and homework assignments released each week.

https://filtered.com/ – Personalized online training for the world’s 600 million knowledge workers. Using adaptive technologies we accelerate learning and reduce training time. We won’t teach you everything. Just what you need to learn.

Without Overview:

OTHER E-LEARNING PLATFORM PROVIDERS

http://www.oraprep.com/ – ORA Prep is an online learning platform offering a wide range of exciting and intellectually stimulating courses designed to support students applying to university in the UK. We realise that applying to university can be a daunting and challenging task, both in the decisions that need to be taken and in the application process itself, and our courses are designed to help students overcome both of these challenges. Our courses are short, typically composed of 4 tutorials that each take between 1 and 1.5 hours to complete, and are available instantly online – once you’ve chosen the course you want to take, you can get started straight away.

http://iai.tv/iai-academy/courses – IAI Academy is a new online platform with courses from leading scholars on the ideas that matter. With a philosophical take on today’s biggest questions the courses are available to everyone for free.

http://www.mruniversity.com/ – When you use MRUniversity’s resources, you develop a deeper understanding of economics. Some of the world’s leading professors, like Bloomberg’s 2011 Hottest Economist Tyler Cowen and Chairman of Economics at George Mason University Alex Tabarrok, will supplement your economics knowledge through video lessons and other learning materials. Learn about geopolitical landscapes and their effects on world economies. Discover how food and agricultural productivity on the other side of the globe has an impact on your life. Create awareness in the community by asking your local government questions about water economics that were brought up in your MRUniversity courses. Simply audit the courses without even creating an account or actively participate and receive a formal certificate of completion. Find out what you can do with a quality economics education from MRUniversity.

https://www.openlearning.com/ – OpenLearning’s aim is to inspire, motivate and empower through education. We believe that learning can and should be enjoyable, ongoing, and above all effective. Transformative education enhances people’s abilities, promotes dynamic communication, and fosters a lifelong love of learning. We’re committed to creating fun and interactive communities and want our learning vision to spread far beyond educational institutions, branching into boardrooms, offices, team sports, group work, and right through to retirement. We believe that you should never stop learning, and we want to share our passion for accessible education. Discover yourself through education!

https://www.sophia.org/ – Sophia offers students more affordable ways to get to and through college, while giving teachers tools to transform the way they teach. Sophia Pathways offers proven and affordable online college courses to accelerate academic success. We also offer customizable training solutions to enhance employee skills.

https://www.kadenze.com/ – Kadenze brings together educators, artists, and engineers from leading universities across the globe to provide world-class education in the fields of art and creative technology.

http://gacco.org/index.html – Gacco is an online education platform providing interactive online courses from many universities for anyone, anywhere and for free.

http://www.ed2go.com/ – Through personalized instruction and relevant class material, ed2go helps adults continue their education and further their careers with courses from over 2,000 top institutions. For each course that you take, there are a number of convenient resources that aid in your development and strengthen your knowledge on the subject. Understand the goals of a class through course objectives, search through frequently asked questions by students, get recommendations on course-related texts and use course-related materials like CDs, books and videos that will help you throughout your online education experience. If you are looking to jumpstart your career or remain current in your field, try one of over 100 online career training programs. Whether healthcare, business, or sustainability, ed2go helps make professional development simple. Learn how to play the guitar through a series of thought- out lessons or put your writing skills to the test with a class on young adult fiction. Not sure where to start? Try out any of the demo lessons to see which online classes may be best suited to you and your goals.

Without Overview:

LIMITED ACCESS LEARNING PLATFORMS

https://www.codecademy.com – Codeacademy knows how much people rely on their phones in everyday life. This is why they have created an app that teaches you programming basics so you can learn right from your smartphone. The app is known as Hour of Code, and in just one hour you can allow yourself to interactively explore how to create code. Free online classes are also offered to expand your knowledge and sharpen your coding skills. Just take Michael Perry, for example. When he founded GVING, which offers loyalty programs for businesses, he needed to learn code, and fast. Through Codeacademy, he was able to create his own app for his organization. Receive feedback, earn completion badges, publish your own courses, and show off your progress to other users. Learn through your smartphone with interactive exercises or with online courses to tackle everything there is to know about coding.

https://www.thinkful.com/?rel=nav – Thinkful provides self-paced engineering and design education through 1-on-1 online mentorship. The company has a network of software engineers who work directly with students in project-driven courses. Most students are fully- employed, joining Thinkful to gain the skills they need to advance their careers. Thinkful was founded by Darrell Silver and Dan Friedman in 2012 and has received funding from Peter Thiel, Floodgate Fund, RRE Ventures, and Quotidian Ventures.

http://firstbusinessmooc.org/ – What if you could stay home and get FREE lessons from some of the best teachers and professionals in finance? Get the best of both worlds with our MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course) in Financial Analysis and Capital Markets instructed by Marc Bertonèche, professor at Harvard Business School, and Steve Weiss, former hedge fund manager, writer and CBNC contributor with 27 years of experience on Wall Street.

https://place.fi.ncsu.edu/local/catalog/section.php?id=1 – MOOC-Ed.org is a project of the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at the NC State College of Education. Built on research-based models of effective professional development, professional learning communities, and online communities of practice, MOOC-Ed courses focus on authentic, project-based learning, collaboration, and peer-supported learning, rather than tests and grades that are needed in other types of MOOCs.

https://janux.ou.edu/index.html – Created by the University of Oklahoma (OU), Janux is an online interactive learning community that gives students direct connections to courses, educational resources, faculty, and each other. We believe students learn best when interacting in meaningful ways with other learners versus working alone in a course. Janux is designed to connect people while they learn from top OU faculty and content.

https://smart.ly/courses – Smartly is an online learning platform that seeks to transform business education. Solve real problems to gain skills for the real world—fast!

https://sallyridescience.com/k12-teachers/online-pd – Sally Ride Science is an online academy that facilitates the development of students in subjects like science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Founded by Dr. Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut in space, Sally Ride Science is a shining light for students, especially young women, interested in science and technology. Dr. Ride, a renowned physics professor, followed her dream of one day reaching the stars, and in doing so inspired generations of dreamers to achieve greatness. Sally Ride Science Academy is the culmination of her life’s work. The academy is considered one of the best academic institutions in the world and taking any one of its STEM courses will augment your knowledge greatly. It sponsors the Sally Ride EarthKAM, an educational outreach program associated with the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA), bringing unique images and knowledge of space science to both scholars and the public. Sally Ride Science also participates in STEM workshops and conferences across the country. With the knowledge you gain from taking courses offered by Sally Ride Science Academy, you can help shape ideas and opinions of people within your professional field and become a part of a global community of scientists, researchers and educators.

http://courses.writinguniversity.org/ – The International Writing Program (IWP) is a unique conduit for the world’s literatures, connecting well-established writers from around the globe, bringing international literature into classrooms, introducing American writers to other cultures through reading tours, and serving as a clearinghouse for literary news and a wealth of archival and pedagogical materials. Since 1967, over fourteen hundred writers from more than 140 countries have been in residence at the University of Iowa.

https://careerfoundry.com/en/ – Learning can be a lonely business. Without guidance or support it can be an uphill struggle to stay motivated when learning a new skill. And, let’s face it, self motivation isn’t always enough. At CareerFoundry we understand learning is something that’s easier together. Which is why we have expert mentors to guide you through your Web Development or UX Design course, supporting you as you learn. With the combination of our online course materials, regular mentor Skype calls and feedback on every assignment, you get to grips with programming and UX design without struggling alone. On finishing our Web Development course you can apply for junior developer positions, with in-depth knowledge of HTML5, CSS3, jQuery and Bootstrap, before moving on to Ruby on Rails, today’s hottest coding language, all the while building a professional portfolio to show potential employers. On our UX Design course you learn how to build user personas, information architecture and content development, going on to develop your product’s first wireframes. As well as on-going support from your mentor, our career advice service prepares you for your first job interviews in the industry: by learning together CareerFoundry is getting you set for your new career in tech.

http://www.fxacademy.com/learn – FX Academy is a comprehensive Forex education system conceived directly from the need for traders to learn about Forex trading at their own pace in a comfortable, interactive environment. Founded by the trading experts at DailyForex.com, FX Academy offers traders of all levels the widest range of online courses to increase their knowledge of macro environmental trading conditions, trading concepts and strategies from core to advanced, heighten confidence and ability to trade profitably. In addition to courses about specific technical trading strategies and Forex trading basics, FX Academy also offers lessons in dealing with the complexities of trading psychology. Courses will include videos, quizzes, and trade stimulators aime to have each trader identify their weaknesses, strengths, and be prepared for trading strategies for the future.

http://shop.middleburyinteractive.com/ – Middlebury Interactive’s online high school language courses are available in Spanish, French, Chinese and German as independent study curriculum or with teacher support. Middlebury Interactive’s courses create experiences that allow students to learn a language in context, while expanding cultural understanding and awareness. Vocabulary and grammar are introduced through contextualized examples, helping students naturally explore and practice the language. With consistent exposure to authentic language situations and varied language styles, students become enthusiastic learners who are confident communicating in real-life setting. Middlebury Interactive’s digital language courses for K-12 was developed Ph.D. level academics and linguist experts, using the immersion pedagogy and teaching methodology of Middlebury College’s famed Language Schools. Middlebury Interactive has translated that approach to the K-12 setting through our engaging and task-based online world language courses. The powerful blend of immersion learning and leading-edge technology presented in Middlebury Interactive’s world language courses help create lifelong language learners better prepared for college, a globally connected world and careers in the 21st century marketplace.

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COMMERCIAL E-LEARNING PROVIDERS

http://www.thegreatcourses.com.au/ – The Great Courses are uniquely crafted for lifelong learners like you, with engaging, immersive learning experiences you can’t get in a lecture hall. The secret ingredient is YOU. Our customers are involved at every step of the process, helping to choose course subjects and select professors from the thousands we screen each year. The course creation process that follows involves so much more than just placing a camera in the back of a classroom. We surround the world’s greatest teachers with a team of experts who collaborate on crafting a customized and entertaining educational journey that’s both comprehensive and fascinating. From concept, to development, to custom content & visual design, each of The Great Courses is an unparalleled educational experience designed with people like you in mind.

http://courses.codermanual.com/ – An interactive coding bootcamp that makes you employable. Our curriculum draws from personal experience. Sign up and get lifetime access to over 160 HD videos, code exercises, and an e-book that will help launch your career as a job-ready web developer. Choose from a 12 week track, an 18 week track, or learn at your own pace. Build real apps and get live help from your peers.

http://1m1m.sramanamitra.com – One Million by One Million (1M/1M) is a global virtual incubator/accelerator that aims to nurture a million entrepreneurs to reach a million dollars each in annual revenue and beyond, thereby creating a trillion dollars in global GDP and ten million jobs. We offer a case-study-based online educational program, video lectures, lean, capital-efficient methodology guidance, online mentoring/strategy consulting at public and private roundtables, as well as introductions to customers, channel partners and investors (pre-seed, seed, angel, VC, bank, alternative financing). The public roundtable is a free program accessible from anywhere in the world. The rest of the services are for our paying members only. Please note that we focus on business strategy and execution; capital is optional, and may or may not be appropriate for your particular business. Less than 1% of businesses that seek funding are actually fundable. Yes, we help with financing, but we are perfectly happy to help the other 99% build sustainable businesses as well, irrespective of fundability or interest in external financing. 1M/1M is a for-profit business, not a foundation or a non-profit.

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ALTERNATIVE ONLINE EDUCATION PROJECTS

https://textilelearning.com/ – We create engaging and academically meaningful online courses for gifted and talented students, homeschoolers, and lifelong learners hoping to explore their personal interests. Textile Learning is part of CampusNorth, a leading publisher of online high school courses to schools in the U.S. and Canada.

https://www.col.org/services/knowledge-management/mooc-development-mooc4d – Commonwealth innovative education. incl. small state virtual university programmes.

https://www.p2pu.org/en/ – The Peer 2 Peer University is a grassroots open education project that organizes learning outside of institutional walls and gives learners recognition for their achievements. P2PU creates a model for lifelong learning alongside traditional formal higher education. Leveraging the internet and educational materials openly available online, P2PU enables high-quality low- cost education opportunities.

https://www.khanacademy.org/welcome – Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. We tackle math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more. Our math missions guide learners from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps. We’ve also partnered with institutions like NASA, The Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences, and MIT to offer specialized content.

https://www.straighterline.com – It’s all about you, the student. It’s about providing you with a flexible and affordable college education. It’s about putting you on a straighter line to the exact same quality degree from a top online and accredited college, in the field and ultimately the career of your choice. Whether you are starting on the road to your degree, adding new skills to advance your career, coming back to college after life got in the way, or you just need a couple of courses to graduate, StraighterLine is here to help. StraighterLine was founded in 2009, by Burck Smith as a solution to the rising costs of college education. Burck set out to discover why prices for online courses were the same or higher than those of face-to-face courses. Using relationships with colleges, publishers and policy-makers forged in his 15 years of online higher education experience, Burck created Straighterline, as a way for students to get low-priced, high-quality college credit. To date, our students have transferred 26,000+ StraighterLine credits to America’s top universities for career-focused adults. This year, 10,000 students just like you will take StraighterLine courses before getting their degree and advancing their careers. With 50+ Partner colleges automatically accepting your credits when you enroll, at StraighterLine you never have to worry about credit transfers or course equivalency.

http://www.universityseminarassociates.com/University_courses.php – We are a consulting group specializing in negotiating partnerships between academia and private enterprise, particularly partnerships that provide private enterprise access to university and college email list services. Our mission is to facilitate partnerships between academia and business that will enhance educational missions and showcase the role of American and international business in the quality of everyday life.

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OER TOOLS & INITIATIVES

https://www.openstaxcollege.org/ – Openstax initiative

http://oedb.org/ – Directory for free and paid online learning opportunities

https://www.wiziq.com/ – Learning management system

https://www.grovo.com/ – Learning SAAS platform/solution for businesses

https://unhangout.media.mit.edu/ – Google Hangout-alike video conferencing and collaboration platform – open source

https://oerknowledgecloud.org/ – UNESCO open research resources project

http://oer.avu.org/ – Free educational resources from Africa virtual university

https://www.edcast.com – EdCast is a personal learning network to enhance human ability to collaborate and learn across educational materials, instructors, students and employers. EdCast Knowledge Cloud™ powers online learning portals built on OpenedX for world class institutions, enterprises, governments and non-profits to enable millions of students to collaborate with each other and learn. The team has track-record of building large-scale transformational technology and are passionate about the global impact of mobile and online education. EdCast is a Stanford StartX company backed by tier 1 venture capital firms. The company is based in Mountain View, CA with offices worldwide.

https://www.apple.com/in/education/ipad/itunes-u/ – Apple’s online learning solution/tool

https://www.google.com/edu/openonline/index.html – Google’s online learning solution/tool

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SlideWiki – OSS authoring tool

http://www.saylor.org/credit/#proctoring – Monitored examination

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USEFUL RESOURCES