Today, names like Coursera, edX and Udacity are well known. But have you heard of Complexity Explorer, Kadenze or SWAYAM? Maybe not.
If you want to expand your options for learning, check out the lesser-known International Mass Open Online Course providers who offer free online courses.
The benefit is that you can keep learning new subjects in your pajamas from anywhere in the world and at any age. You can even complete an entire college-level course online.
- Courses: 30
- Education program: Social change
- Cost: Free and Paid
- Certifications: Yes (Certificate of Completion)
Acumen Academy offers free and paid courses for learners who want to make a social impact. Social entrepreneurs, social workers and conservationists are perfect candidates for courses on the MOOC platform. That doesn’t mean others shouldn’t. There are also general courses in grit, leadership and creativity.
You can sign up for three types of courses: Group Courses, Master Classes, and Accelerated Courses. Group courses are free, but you must join your group. Master classes are paid and self-paced while smaller groups join Accelerator.
- Courses: 65+
- Education program: Shared
- Cost: Free and Paid
- Certifications: Not available for free courses
The name Carnegie Mellon is famous for its benevolence. While the private university is world-renowned, the Open Learning Initiative may be lesser known. The course portfolio includes ten college-level disciplines, ranging from art to technology and design.
Free courses are self-paced while the Paid Academic course is led by an instructor and offers other tools such as LMS (Learning Management System) and additional course materials fig.
- Courses: 100+
- Education program: Shared
- Cost: Free
- Certifications: Right
Saylor is a nonprofit educational initiative that offers free and open online courses to learners worldwide. All courses are university-level, self-taught and free.
While the site won’t win many awards, it does work and it’s all free. Start with a short Study at Saylor Academy course to get to know each other better.
- Courses: 100+
- Education program: Journalism and communication training
- Cost: Free and Paid
- Certifications: Yes, at checkout
Poynter is synonymous with journalism. Non-profits want to promote honest information and University News is part of that. It offers interactive journalism courses and online webinars to students and journalists anywhere in the world.
If you want to eat less, then subscribe to their weekly training newsletter.
- Courses: 50+
- Education program: Education
- Cost: Free and Paid
- Certifications: From individual instructors or sponsoring organizations
Canvas is very similar to Udacity and Coursera. It doesn’t have many major course providers, but has smaller institutes and their courses on their platform. You’ll find a variety of professional development courses appropriate for teachers K-12 and up here.
For example, a course helps find and help students at risk.
Categories include Blended Learning, Education Reform, and languages like Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese.
- Courses: 5+
- Education program: Science
- Cost: Free
- Certifications: Right
This website is the educational face of the World Science Festival. The unique feature is that respected Nobel laureates and science educators will guide you on the other side of the screen.
The lineup includes people including experimental physicists, cosmologists, geneticists, neuroscientists, astronomers, etc.
Short courses and modules with demonstrations, exercises and discussions.
- Courses: 584+
- Education program: Shared
- Cost: Free and Paid
- Certifications: Right
Spanish after English is the most common language. 20 Spanish-speaking countries. That’s why you shouldn’t miss this regional MOOC, which hosts over 100 university partners from all Spanish-speaking countries.
- Courses: 80+
- Education program: Information technology
- Cost: Free
- Certifications: Right
openHPI is the MOOC platform of the German Hasso Plattner Institute, Potsdam. Courses cover information technology topics such as cybersecurity, design thinking, machine learning, digital transformation, programming, etc.
Video learning, interactive self-tests, tutorials, practice exercises and homework. The courses are completely free and you can study in German and English.
You can participate in enrollment days and learn topics at your own pace. Take a final exam consisting of multiple-choice tests, hands-on programming exercises, and peer reviews. Complete at least 50 percent of the course and you will receive a Confirmation of Participation certificate.
- Courses: 100+
- Education program: Shared
- Cost: Free
- Certifications: No
As the name says, Peer2Peer University is geared towards social learning to spread open education without barriers. Unlike other open courses, anyone can create and teach an online course on the platform.
There are several “schools” on the platform that focus on one area of expertise. To try on Webcraft School (with Mozilla), Open School (with Creative Commons), Mechanical MOOCs (with MIT).
P2PU is also tapping into offline learning with learning groups and learning circles by collaborating with public libraries. For example, it started its first project with the Chicago Public Library. P2PU does not charge tuition and does not provide certificates.
- Courses: 140+
- Education program: Shared
- Cost: Free
- Certifications: No
EMMA is the MOOC aggregator for all open courses offered by European universities. With the support of the European Union, organizes free and open courses in different European languages. Subject areas include Business, Digital Culture, Environment, Food, Humanities, European Law, Science, Health and Technology.
Some courses have self-study periods while others have deadlines for completion. EMMA does not directly award certificates of completion, but individual course providers can.
More international courses and MOOC providers to consider
Lifelong learning without barriers
This is a small list. There are more online course providers, and your college education from a distance is no longer an exception. You can take a semester-level course or master smaller modules to gauge your interest in a subject.
The most important thing is that you choose the right course provider and follow the discipline.
Worried that you don’t know your way around the computer? You don’t have to become user-friendly and you can just start with any online course to see how easy it is.
