Open Courseware - Free College Courses Online

Did you know that many colleges and universities are putting complete courses on the Internet? And that those courses might include lecture notes, videos and even complete textbooks? And that these materials are being made accessible to the general public for free? Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus for students seeking free college-level courses and it's called Open CourseWare.

Open CourseWare

You might be asking yourself there has to be a catch and to some extent there is. The catch with all of this free education is that you will not receive college credit for having taken the class.

But, for the person looking to gain university-level information on their own time, in their own home and for no cost; open courseware might be the perfect solution.

Free College Credit for Students

Some colleges and universities even offer college credit for students who complete open courseware classes if they are currently enrolled in a degree program at that institution and with prior approval. Students facing hundreds of dollars in course overload fees may find relief in taking open CourseWare courses instead. Clever students, who plan ahead, might add several free courses to their overall college degree plan and reduce their costs and earn their degrees sooner.

Open CourseWare Benefits

There are some things open courseware students will lose over their tuition paying fellow students. You will not have access to the professor to ask questions and unfortunately many of these course offerings are missing some of the lecture-presented materials. But, for the professional suddenly facing a project they know nothing about or the student who suddenly finds themselves unprepared for an advanced course; free online college courses may be the perfect way for them to gain the knowledge they need without spending months in a classroom to gain the knowledge they seek.

Students might also find open courseware as a way to create their own self-directed blended learning program and potentially increase their grades by a full letter.