University Blog Free university information

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit.edu)

• Introduction to Astronomy
• The Solar System
• Hands-On Astronomy: Observing Stars and Planets

MIT has several really good astronomy courses that can be completed for free online. Nearly all of the courses include lectures, assignments, reading lists and exams, as well as multimedia materials to help you learn on your own.

2. The Open University (open.ac.uk)

• The Sun
• The Moon
• Comparing Stars
• The Restless Universe
• Telescopes and Spectrographs

Britain's Open University offers five excellent astronomy courses. All of the courses are free and can be viewed online or downloaded to your computer. Most courses are text-based, but there are graphics and illustrations within the materials.

3. About U (about.com)

• Astronomy 101

The Astronomy 101 course offered by About.com consists of 10 lessons that can be viewed online. The course is text based and includes assignments and links to a lot of other valuable resources. There is also a community forum where you can ask questions and discuss what you have learned.

4. National Radio Astronomy Observatory (nrao.edu)

• Essential Radio Astronomy Course

The Essential Radio Astronomy course is a comprehensive course offered for free online by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Best suited for astronomy graduate students and advanced undergraduates, the course consists of text and graphics and can be viewed on the NRAO website.

5. Online Astronomy Academy (kidsastronomy.com)

• Astronomy Courses for Kids

The Online Astronomy Academy offers two free astronomy courses for kids. The first course is recommended for children between seven and eleven years old, and the second course is recommended for kids age 12 and up. Both courses include instructions, assignments, a student center and a final project.

Other Free Astronomy Education Resources

1. NASA (nasa.gov)

• NASA Podcasts
• NASA TV
• NASA Photo Gallery

NASA has a great website for anyone who is interested in space and astronomy. In addition to news, photos and info about NASA missions, visitors can also check out NASA TV, NASA podcasts and a wide range of education resources.

2. Skymaps (skymaps.com)

• Free Monthly Skymaps

Skymaps.com provides free printable skymaps via their website. Maps are updated every month to reflect changes in the night sky. You can print up to 300 copies of each map for non-commercial use. (If you want to print more than 300 maps, you can do so after securing written permission from the site's owners.)

3. Exploratorium (exploratorium.edu)

• Space Weather Research Explorer

The Exploratorium offers a lot of different astronomy resources. One of the most entertaining and educational is the Space Weather Research Explorer. This section of the site provides live data, photos and graphs to teach you how to make your own space weather predictions.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit.edu)

• Intro to Computer Science and Programming
• Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
• Practical Programming in C

Aspiring computer programmers and current professionals can significantly increase their knowledge through MIT's groundbreaking OpenCourseWare program. All courses are free to everyone and include projects, assignments, lecture slides, supporting documentation, online versions of textbooks and other virtual learning materials. No registration is required.

2. The Open University (open.ac.uk)

• Computers and Computer Systems
• Representing and Manipulating Data in Computers
• Data and Processes in Computing

Britain's Open University offers a number of free computer programming courses through their OpenLearn initiative. Individual courses are designed for intermediate and advanced level users and take from five to 40 hours to complete. No registration is required.

3. Open Educational Resources (oercommons.org)

• Introduction to Programming
• Concepts of Information Technology
• Computational Mechanics and Materials

OER Commons is a teaching and learning network that provides free college-level computer programming courses for everyone. There are thousands of offerings to choose from, all sorted by subject and level. Course materials include text, audio lectures, graphics, activities and labs, assignments and online textbooks. No registration is required.

4. University of Southern Queensland (usq.edu.au)

• Object Oriented Programming in C++
• Creating Interactive Multimedia

USQ Australia offers sample courses from each of its five faculties. Computer programming courses are split into modules and include examples, lectures, study schedules, reading lists and more. No registration is required.

5. University of Tokyo (u-tokyo.ac.jp)

• Computational Linguistics
• Communication Systems

University of Tokyo's OCW project is a free publication of UT course materials. There are several computer programming and computer science courses, as well as lectures and video files that have been translated into English. No registration is required.

6. Korea University (korea.edu)

• Computers, Programs and C++
• Quantitative Data Analysis

Korea University recently began sharing education resources through its own OpenCourseWare program. Currently, there are two courses related to computer programming. Both are translated into English and include lecture notes. No registration is required.

7. Wikibooks (wikibooks.org)

• Computer Programming Textbook
• Programming Languages
• Computer Science

Wikibooks is an open-content textbook collection that is free to everyone. There are dozens of textbooks on computer programming, programming languages and computer science. No registration is required.

8. Land of Code (landofcode.com)

• Introduction to Computer Programming
• Java Lessons
• CSS Lessons

Landofcode.com provides free information on web development. The site features computer programming lessons, tutorials, examples, tests and references that are great for beginners and advanced programmers alike. No registration is required.

9. Web Monkey (webmonkey.com)

• Java Programming Tutorials
• JavaScript Programming Tutorials
• PHP Programming Tutorials

Web Monkey is a wonderful resource for web developers. The site has comprehensive computer programming tutorials, cheat sheets, interactive learning tools and much more. Everything is free to use and no registration is required.

10. Free Education on the Internet (free-ed.net)

• Fundamentals of Java Course
• Fundamentals of C++ Course
• Fundamentals of Visual Basic

Free-Ed.Net offers more than 180 online courses that are free to everyone. Right now, there are only a handful of computer programming courses to choose from, but they are worth checking out. Courses are complete, including text, assignments, quizzes and practice activities. No registration is required.

1. MIT OpenCourseWare - Sloan School of Management (mit.edu)

• Undergraduate Business Courses
• Graduate Business Courses

MIT OpenCourseWare might be the next best thing to getting an MIT education for free. Through this free online publication you can find bachelor-level business courses, as well as master-level courses, offered by MIT's Sloan School of Management. The curriculum includes lecture notes, videos, labs demonstrations and more. No registration is required and more than 50 courses are available.

2. The U.S. Small Business Administration (sba.gov)

• Financing a Business
• Starting a Business
• Managing a Business

The Small Business Administration has one of the best selections of business courses on the web. Topics include everything from starting a business and business management to government contracting and international trade. Most courses take only 30 minutes to complete.

3. The Free Nonprofit Micro-eMBA Program (managementhelp.org)

• Complete Nonprofit Management Learning Coursework

Free Management Library's Free Nonprofit Micro-eMBA(SM) Program is a great resource for students wishing to learn more about nonprofit management. Completion of this program will not result in an MBA degree, but enrollment is free. The amount of time it takes to complete the program will depend on how fast you learn, but you may expect to spend at least 200 hours on coursework.

4. London School of Business and Finance

• LSBF Global MBA

This internationally renowned business school is offering its entire online MBA program for free. Anyone can sign up for their Facebook application to gain access to all of the course content from the program, including hundreds of hours of videos, lessons, assignments and educational resources. Students who would like to earn the degree can apply to LSBF and pay tuition retroactively at the end.

5. My Own Business - (myownbusiness.com)

• Overview of the 14 Sessions on Starting a Small Business

Nonprofit organization My Own Business, Inc. offers a free online business administration course that would be beneficial to new managers and to anyone who is interested in starting a business. This comprehensive course is split up into 14 sessions covering topics like business plans, accounting, marketing, insurance, e-commerce and international trade. For under $100, students can also acquire the accompanying textbook and a certificate of completion.

6. University of California Irvine (uci.edu)

• Fundamentals of Business Analysis
• Introduction to Project Management
• Training and Human Resources Development

The University of California Irvine offers several free business courses in English and Spanish through their OpenCourseWare site. Courses are broken down into lessons, and include optional reading lists for students who want to dig deeper into the course subjects.

7. Kutztown University - Small Business Development Center (kutztownsbdc.org)

• Strategic Planning and Execution Course

The Small Business Development Center at Kutztown Univeristy of Pennsylvania offers an online business course that can take less than one week to complete. The course presents strategies for crafting and executing business visions, mission statements and goals. The SBDC also provides strategic planning software free to all course participants.

8. University of California Berkeley

• Business Administration
• Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Business

The University of California Berkeley offers a new selection of business courses each semester. Courses are lecture-based and typically include either audio or video or both.

9. Financial Management Training Center Courses (exinfm.com)

• The Management of Capital
• Creating Value through Financial Management
• Project Management

The Financial Management Training Center provides 20 free downloadable business courses for people who need to learn the finer points of financial management. All courses can be taken online. They include full exams as well as evaluation forms for people seeking Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits.

10. State of Maine - Small Business Development Center (mainesbdc.org)

• Overview of Small Business Courses

The State of Maine's Small Business Development Centers offer a few free online workshops that are great for current small business owners as well as for would-be entrepreneurs. The workshops include Starting Your Small Business, Developing Your Business Plan, and Marketing for Small Business. Each workshop takes a few hours to complete and results in a Certificate of Completion.