Have You Been Feeling Quite Unproductive and Want to Learn Something New? Check Out These Amazing Free Online Courses.
If you had told people 10 years ago that they’d be able to learn anything in the world they wanted for free… they would have told you, you’re crazy. But here we sit in 2021 and the world is literally at our fingertips. We’ve got the Top 10 Most Useful Online Courses That are FREE to share with you today.
Welcome to Alux.com – the place where future billionaires come to get inspired. If you’re not subscribed yet, you’re missing out.
Let’s face it, no one likes reading a long article online. Switch over to the free video version of this text instead:
With that said, let’s move forward with the article.
1
Jordan Peterson – University of Toronto
When you’ve been nominated 5-years in a row as one of Ontario’s Best University Lecturer’s, then you know that this is a man worth learning from. Add to that, Peterson is one of three professors rated as “life-changing,” in the University of Toronto’s underground student handbook of course ratings.
He, along with students and colleagues have published over a hundred scientific papers, covering the modern understanding of creativity, competence, and personality.
Peterson has his own YouTube channel with 3.74 million subscribers where he posts his university and public lectures. He interviews a wide array of people on a huge variety of topics. Some of his most popular videos include:
- How to Organize Your Life Properly
- The Psychology of the Flood (Biblical Lectures)
- Stop Being So Bloody Nice
Aluxers, getting an education is way more than just a piece of paper. It’s also about being educated in life and your role in it, which is why Jordan Peterson will offer you a lifelong education, for free.
2
Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python) – University of Michigan
On Coursera, you’ll be able to select from thousands of free online courses. The courses that were most popular in 2020 included this one which saw over 2-million students enrol online.
Coursera are affiliated with over 200 Universities and all their courses are conducted by reputable, qualified lecturers.
Programming for everybody covers the basics of constructing a program using simple instructions in Python. The course only requires moderate computer experience, giving you the grounding to continue with more advanced programming courses.
According to Coursera, 30% of students started a new career after finishing the course, 31% affirmed it created a tangible career benefit for them with 12% citing a pay increase from it.
The instructor is Charles Russell Severance who received a rating of 4.85 out of 5 for his teachings.
Feedback from some of his students included, “I loved it! Dr. Chuck is extraordinary in his explanations. A great way to start on Python programming,” and “Extremely basic but Dr. Chuck is so interesting that you never get bored. You can pass the course in a few days with minimum or even no programming knowledge. It’s a good starting point for beginners.”
3
Artificial Intelligence for Robotics – Stanford University
Sebastian Thrun is the founder of Google X and Google’s self-driving car team. He is also CEO of Kitty Hawk Corporation, and chairman and co-founder of Udacity, an American for-profit educational organization that also offers free online courses.
On his own platform, Thrun offers this course, backed by Stanford University, where he used to lecture.
By enrolling in this course, you will learn the basic methods in Artificial Intelligence, including probabilistic inference, planning and search, localization, tracking and control, all with a focus on robotics.
The course finishes with a runaway robot, which you will need to chase and hunt down using the skills you learnt in the course!
The course is 5-star rated with one user describing it as “Wonderfully taught! Very elegant building of concepts from minimal discourse. “Show me, don’t tell me” leads to deep understanding naturally. Very gifted teacher.”
Aluxers, we encourage you to subscribe to our channel to never miss one of our daily videos made with you in mind.
4
Psychology on iTunesU with Professor Paul Bloom
iTunesU is gaining a lot of momentum as a great alternative to traditional studying. The beauty about taking a course through iTunesU is that it’s a seamless integration between your Apple devices – making studying anywhere, anytime, a possibility.
Yale has an excellent Open Course Psychology collection available on iTunesU, under the tutorage of Professor Paul Bloom.
Some of the subjects explored include lust, hunger, religion, memory, communication, and perception.
Bloom has an incredible collection of titles available for you to listen to on Audible – you’d find it hard to pick one for your free download that we have to offer you.
We suggest “Just Babies, The Origins of Good and Evil” or “Against Empathy, The Case for Rational Compassion.” Get your free download by heading to alux.com/freebook.
Paul Bloom recently Tweeted that he will be leaving Yale University to join the Psych Department at the University of Toronto in July 2021. Wouldn’t a discussion between Paul Bloom and Jordan Peterson, who is also there, be absolutely epic?
5
Justice by Michael Sandel – Harvard University
Aluxers, this course was Harvard University’s first freely available course online and on television. Given by Michael Sandel, a political philosopher at Harvard University Law School, it explores “critical analysis of classical and contemporary theories of justice,” according to Class Central.
One student described it as “Highly advisable for legal students who want to think “out of the box.”
Readings come from John Locke, Immanuel Kant, John Rawls, John Stuart and of course, Aristotle with debate diving deeply into topics like income distribution, human rights, same-sex marriage, affirmative action and more.
Speaking of Aristotle, if you’re a fan, we’ve got a great video we suggest you watch called 15 Business Lessons From SOCRATES. There we shift our attention to some solid advice from the man who once said, “I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.”
6
Fundamentals of Digital Marketing – Google Digital Garage
With over 100 courses to choose from, Google Digital Garage is a great option if you’re in need of free online courses that have zero-time limits, unlimited access, beautifully set out modules and videos.
Courses are interactive, and once you have completed a course, you receive an accredited Google certificate which you can add to your resume.
The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing is a 40-hour course with 26 modules. The course is accredited by Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe and The Open University. The course is crammed with real-world examples and practical exercises.
Just to begin with, you’ll learn to identify your online goals, how to build an online presence, how to market your online presence and how to analyse and adapt to online change… and the best part, Aluxers? You can start right now!
7
University of California, BerkeleyX Book Club
Now it’s time for something a little different. Through the University of California, you could join the online BerkeleyX Book Club.
Think Pride and Prejudice, Dracula by Bram Stoker, A Room with a View from Forster or even Dubliners by Joyce… where over the course of 4-weeks, you’ll be able to sink your teeth into the novel, dissect it, unravel it and debate it with other students interested in the same text.
Participants read the text, discuss it and then write about the influence the book had or still has.
According to Blink Course, “Course materials will include background information for understanding the text, as well as vocabulary and language support. Assessment will include quizzes and short writing assignments.”
If you are interested in book reading, other than joining this book club, you can also check out 15 Powerful Books to Change Your View on Life.
8
3D Printing Classes – Skill Share
Dubbed the “Netflix of learning,” Skill Share has over 10,000 courses available, and you can sign up for a 2-month free trial. So, for two whole months Aluxers, you can study anything you want to for free.
The difference with Skill Share is that courses are not necessarily given by professors or teachers but are given by those in the business with expertise and experience.
We’re highlighting their wide range of 3D printing classes available, and we suggest you start with the “Introduction to 3D Printing: An Easy Start to Your First 3D Design” given by designer and technologist, Lauren Slowik.
Lauren has contributed her skills to Apple, Inc., MoMA, the UN, the Ms. Foundation, and Etsy and teaches you how to model a 3D hand-held, print-ready, object using only free tools. And the best part is that no prior experience is necessary.
9
Buddhism through Its Scriptures – Harvard University
Trending now is this course available through Harvard University, and we’re thrilled because we’ve got a video coming up soon which you’ll enjoy – 15 Most Valuable Lessons from Buddha – so be sure to look out for it.
The 4-week long course is given by Charles Hallisey – Yehan Numata Senior Lecturer on Buddhist Literatures Professor at Harvard University and Alexis Bader, a doctoral student in Buddhist Studies in the Committee on the Study of Religion at Harvard University.
The course isn’t just aimed at those new to Buddhism, but also to those who have been practising for years.
You’re given carefully selected scriptural and informational readings, along with exposure to the arts, devotions and literary works. You’ll learn how to apply the teachings to your own life and to gain a deeper understanding of Buddhism.
You can also add other religions to your learning, like Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity.
10
Making Sense of the News: News Literacy Lessons for Digital Citizens, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
This course is rated 4.93/5 stars and is led by several reputable lecturers from the University of Hong Kong.
It’s a 6-week course helping you to discern the fake news, propaganda, hoaxes, satire, advertising a rumours, from the real-deal. And in our digital space we’re currently in, it’s often difficult to make that distinction.
Over the course of 6-weeks, you will develop critical thinking skills which will help you to identify fact from fiction.
As one student describes it, “Useful and meaningful as we are living in an age of information overload, the ability to make sensible application of information is just too important.”
It’s definitely worth signing up for… it’s not only useful but completely free.
Question:
Have you completed any free online courses? If so, which one did you do and how was the overall experience? We’d love to hear from you.
