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Free Online College Education Classes & Resources by Catrin Cooper offers five Internet sites that offer free college courses. They are mostly designed for people who just want to learn something, but some have options to verify that you finished specific courses. You should also check out their Skill Success resource.

Introduction

• With free online college education classes and resources, there’s no need for you to spend thousands of dollars in tuition just to obtain an excellent education from the best schools in the world.
• It’s true that not all online resources will give you a college degree. There’s a lot more to the Internet than going to Wikipedia when you wish to learn something. Whether you study through a video or text, there are a few places online that can give you the full experience.

MIT OpenCourseWare

• MIT OpenCourseWare provides free lectures, examinations, and videos from the classes at MIT. You can also find classes that help you in fulfilling your dream of becoming a news reporter. Since 2002, the MIT faculty has been publishing educational materials from their courses for free. To take advantage of its materials, there’s no registration required.
• The course materials reflect all undergraduate and graduate subjects being taught at this school. However, the OCW isn’t an MIT education and it won’t grant you degrees or certificates.

EdX

• EdX is a partnership between the MIT and Harvard University. It offers MIT and Harvard classes for free online to millions of people around the world. The platform is based on technology designed at MIT to provide online versions of its courses. The online versions include video lessons, real-time feedback, and embedded testing, among others.
• If you wish to complete a course for a job, promotion or college application, you may need to get a verified certificate from EdX. It’s not free, but the fee is minimal. On the other hand, if you don’t want to get verified, the courses you’ve complete won’t let you get a certificate, or they can’t be used for a degree.

Open Yale Courses

• Open Yale Courses offers free access to a wide array of introductory courses taught by teachers at Yale University. The lectures are recorded in the classrooms of the school. You can get them in video, audio, and text.
• To get the free classes and resources, there are no registration requirements. You can just click the links and watch the videos or read the text transcript. But you’ll never get to receive a degree or a certificate for completing the classes.

The Open University

• The Open University is the leading expert in providing flexible higher education. All undergraduate courses don’t require prior qualifications and experience. It supports an open learning system that lets you choose and plan how you study so you can still fulfill your other commitments. You get support from a tutor or an online forum. You can also contact other students within your region.
• The classes, however, won’t give you a certificate. If you wish to continue your studies, you can apply for a government-backed loan. The university also offers other flexible and affordable ways to make your education more affordable.

FreeEdNet

• FreeEdNet offers courses, tutorials, and materials that you can find on the web. It also includes study materials developed by the people at FreeEdNet. All courses are free. Once you find the best course for you, you can begin working on it.
• However, the classes won’t replace formal education from a reputable school. They also won’t give you a degree or certification. Then again, they’re useful in helping you prepare for a job or extend your skills.

Catrin Cooper

• Catrin Cooper is blogger and freelance writer from New York. She’s always ready to cover topics related to personal development, marketing, and education. Feel free to contact Catrin at catrincooper99@gmail.com. Her guest posts are free so don’t miss an opportunity to add some value to your blog.

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Top Online Learning Tools to Finally Master Your Second Language by Joan Selby introduces six apps you can use to learn another language. They all seem to have their strengths. Some are free while some come at a reasonable cost. You might be more likely to stick with the effort if you have some skin in the game. Thanks, Joan.

Introduction

• You thought learning a second language would be easy. That initial enthusiasm kept you going for some time, but then you started procrastinating. People who take traditional courses often find themselves visiting the classes with no interest. Those who try to learn at their own pace, on the other hand, easily forget about the plans they made.
• At one point or another, you get in a situation when you have to speak that second language. What do you do? There’s no other solution: you have to speed up the process and make effort to finally master your second language. Fortunately, it can be done.
• Robert Laurens, an English language tutor from SuperiorPapers explains: “I see students struggling with English as their second language all the time. This is the advice I give them: you have to do your part – the commitment. Whenever you encounter a problem, remember: there’s an online tool for that. You can use an app or online tool to get lessons and practice sessions, connect with other learners and track your progress. With the right tool at hand, mastering a language is easier than ever.”
• What are the best tools for improving your language skills? We’ll give you six great ones to explore.

Duolingo

• This tool gives you a complete program for mastering a language. You can start from the level appropriate to your skills, and make your progress from there on. Duolingo gives you daily lessons and practice sessions for learning Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Irish, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Welsh, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Hebrew, Vietnamese, and other languages. The best part about Duolingo is that it’s completely free and there are no hidden charges to it. Each lesson involves some gamification. You’ll be having fun while learning and practicing your target language.

Busuu

• Do you know what the most common excuse of language learners is? There’s not enough time. Yes, you have to work, study, or take care of life in general. The creators of Busuu understand that. That’s why they suggest a simple goal: speak a language in 10 minutes a day. You have 10 minutes, don’t you?
• The available languages include English, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and few others. The City University of New York estimated that 22 hours of Busuu Premium is equal to one college semester of language study. Impressive. The app is free, but you don’t get much with it. You’ll have to pay for a Premium plan, but the good news is that the program is quite affordable.

Memrise

• This is a serious language learning tool with a fun edge to it. It gives you access to high-quality courses in over 200 languages. It’s different because it adapts to your unique performance and learning style. You’ll get a program that inspires you to learn faster and remember what you’re learning. However, the pace will still be adjusted to your capacity.
• Memrise allows you to create your own flashcards, so you’ll easily remember the words and concepts. The competitive aspect inspires you to keep doing better.

FluentU

• The name of this tool says it all: it helps you get fluent in the language you choose. Most other learning tools include speaking sections, but they are mostly focused on grammar, vocabulary, and writing. This one is different; it’s entirely focused on speaking.
• You’ll see great videos with interactive captions, which are subtitled and translated. Click on the word you don’t understand, and you’ll see an in-context definition accompanied with example sentences. This system supports intuitive learning, and that’s the best way to master a second language. Instead of memorizing, you’re understanding.

Preply

• Learning at your own pace can be effective only if you’re committed to a routine. You have to spend some time with the tool of your choice every single day. All tools on this list inspire you to keep track with the schedule, but you may still fall behind if you’re not committed enough.
• If you lack consistency, then Preply is the right choice for you. It’s not an automated tool. It’s a service that connects you with a language tutor. The human element will keep you going. You’ll feel like you’re attending a traditional language course combined with all benefits that technology offers.
• Being able to connect with a native speaker and get actual tutoring via Skype brings you to a whole new level of engagement. As for the price, you’ll discuss it with the tutor you choose. Preply does not set the prices; the tutors do.

Rype App

• This is another tool that lets you connect with professional language teachers. You’ll get lessons based on a precise curriculum every single day. Through regular and planned immersion, you’ll master the second language in a very short time. You’ll book the lessons to fit in your own time since the teachers are available whenever you need them. The monthly fee differs between the languages offered. For Spanish, for example, the price is $95 per month if you sign up for an annual program. For this price, you get up to 30 minutes of lecturing every single day of the month. You can learn Spanish, English, French, and Italian with the Rype App.

In Conclusion

• Needless to say, you can’t start using all these apps. That would only get you confused, and you don’t really have time for them all on a daily basis. Browse the websites, see how the tools work and try few you like. Then, stick with the one that works best for your style. Remember: daily commitment is the key to success.
• Joan Selby is a former ESL teacher and a content marketer from California. She also runs her own blog about social media and writing tips. Joan is a Creative Writing graduate and fancy shoe lover. A writer by day and reader by night, giving a creative touch to everything. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

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