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Top 100 Open Courseware Projects

Published on Wednesday 16th of May, 2007

Open courseware projects provide a head rush for many autodidactics because those projects often offer lecture notes, chapters or entire textbooks online, illustrations, charts, and other tools that help the reader learn a given subject. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) gained notoriety for its online open courseware (OCW) offerings and many other colleges have followed this example; however, the self-learner probably knows that many college professors have offered their course outlines and materials online for years before MIT laid claim to this effort.

Whether you're taking a break from tuition courses, need supplementary materials for college courses, require materials to help out on the job, or want to gain life experience, online open courseware can help you reach your goals. The 100 open courseware sources listed below are freely available for anyone to use, whether you're a student, an instructor, or a self-learner. The courses are categorized by subject and listed alphabetically within that subject.

While you cannot earn credits for working through these "courses," in some cases you can obtain credits if you're a registered university student. Carnegie Mellon's Open Learning Initiative (OLI), for instance, provides credits to Carnegie Mellon and to other university students when their instructors provide a "course admit code" for registration. Otherwise, individuals who aren't students can work through the modules — which range from biology to statistics — at no cost.

Finally, this list is not all-inclusive, as college-level courseware projects number in the thousands, perhaps more if you count professor home pages that are "open courseware" but have never been labeled as such. With this list and some search capabilities you can spread your wings and find more subjects to your liking.

Agriculture | Arts | Architecture | Archaeology | Audio & Video | Biology | Botany | Chemistry | Civil Engineering | Economics | Electronic Engineering | General Engineering | Earth Sciences | Geography & Geology | History | Languages & Linguistics | Law | Literature | Mechanical Engineering | Paleontology | Physics | Political Science | Psychology | Social Sciences

Agriculture

You can probably find free or low-cost classes at local community management offices in rural areas or through the resources offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); but many colleges also offer resources online and through what are often called "Master Gardener" courses. You can use the following to get started:

  1. Agricultural Building Systems: College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, offers materials on historic and currently successful building systems that can shore any agricultural effort. The lecture notes are the most impressive portions to this site, but resources to regional Canadian links also are available.
  2. Design, Analysis, and Interpretation of Experiments: This is a graduate-level course, where students in agricultural and environmental sciences are introduced to the research process and statistical methods to plan, conduct, and interpret experiments in plant sciences. Use the menu at the bottom of this page to gain access to general information, lectures, and lab sections. Jorge Dubcovsky at California University offers this course.
  3. Lecture Notes on the Major Soils of the World: This resource, provided by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), provides a basic foundation for all soils. The lectures follow an explanation on the World Reference Base, which serves as a reference system for users interested in a broad division of soils and as a catalyst that facilitates soil correlation across a wide range of national soil classification systems. You can extend your research at this site with specific keywords.

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Arts

The visual arts is in a category by itself in a way, as many students can compile a portfolio that will help them to enter a job or into further formal education. But, while the self-learner may have talent, the scholarly aspect is imperative. In fact, many art historians must have two to three languages mastered (at least at the reading level) before they can graduate at the master's level. If you take private art lessons and want to round out your experiences, try some of the options listed below:

  1. Art, Metaphor, and Life: Also known as HUM 210, this course from Sauk Valley Community College offers lectures, notes, and links for the self-learner to become familiar with representative examples of the Arts of the Western European tradition. You can master, to some degree, the style of thinking most often applied to studying the Arts and come to understand the Arts as a cultural practice. Although you cannot participate unless you're a student, you can access materials for writing assignments, a nice tool to help you think logically about course materials.
  2. Art History: Professor Linda Neagley presents an introduction to the history of Western art through a survey of painting, sculpture, architecture and minor arts from prehistoric through the medieval periods at Rice University. Read lectures that are aligned with a course syllabus, and follow links to other courses offered by other universities.
  3. Philosophy of the Arts: This course, offered by Minnesota State University Moorhead, examines the main theories of what art is, what artists are, and whether art and artistic creativity are human universals. You'll find readings (some online), a reading list, and lecture notes among other goodies. Theodore Gracyk offers the course.
  4. Renaissance to Modern Art: This is an introductory survey of the history of European and Northern American Art, focusing primarily on painting with no prior knowledge of art assumed or required. Prof. Nancy Rose Marshall from the University of Wisconsin — Madison offers her notes, lectures, images, and an excellent form analysis guide.
  5. Twentieth Century Art: MIT OpenCourseWare project offers this course by Professor Caroline Jones, which includes a reading list, lecture notes, and assignments. Unfortunately, some of the materials may be impossible for you to complete if you reside outside Boston. But, the lecture notes provide vast materials to learn and study the last century's artistic styles since WWII.

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Architecture

Like visual arts, a person with architectural aspirations needs to compile a portfolio and a solid background in architectural theory and history. The following courses represent a sampling of what's available online today:

  1. MIT Architectural Courses: Visit MIT for a variety of information on architectural resources, including architectural design, building technology, design technology, history, theory and criticism and the visual arts. Some of the many open courseware architectural projects include Digital Design Fabrication, Fundamentals of Energy in Buildings, and Basic Structural Theory.
  2. Theory of Urban Design and Development: The overall goal of the course is to help students formulate an understanding of the complex forces that shape urban form. This course was offered by Professor Michael S. Owen from the Washington State University's School of Architecture in 2005, but the lecture notes are as relevant today as they were two years ago.
  3. University of Hong Kong Architectural Courses: Like MIT, his university's department of architecture contains a plethora of material on this topic, and it's all in English. The focus is on building energy efficiency and sustainable architecture, compiled by Dr. Sam C M Hui.

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Archaeology

Nothing beats getting out in the field to learn how to dig, shake, and restore. You can join local archaeological groups to experience the nitty gritty, and then back that experience up with some courses like those listed below:

  1. Data Management and Quantitative Methods: Learn abroad from the University of Manchester's History of Art & Archaeology Department, where you adjust to the fact that archaeologists deal with statistics as a primary skill. Dr. Ina Berg and Stuart Campbell offer this course.
  2. Introduction to Archaeology: Learn the absolute basics from Dr. Bruce Owen at Sonoma State University. Topics include carbon dating, relative dating, and "Data without digging."
  3. Introduction to Archaeology/Anthropology: You can also access some basic resources at the University of California Santa Barbara through Brian M. Fagan.
  4. Introduction to Prehistoric Archaeology: This class, conducted by Professor Jeanne Sept at Indiana University, will introduce you to prehistoric cultures and ancient civilizations.
  5. Archaeology of North America: This is just one of three courses offered by Gary Coupland at the University of Toronto. This specific course, with lecture notes and links to resources, examines human prehistory in North America from the time of earliest occupation to European contact. Special topics include Paleo-Indian and Archaic adaptations, the rise of complex hunter-gatherers, origins of farming and the evolution of complex chiefdoms.

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Audio & Video

You can find many sources for audio and video information online, especially through MIT's Media Arts and Sciences offerings. Granted, these courses go beyond audio and video into theatre and photography, but you can scour through their course materials to find information on Special Topics in Cinematic Storytelling and readings in Computational Semantics. Other online courses include:

  1. BBC Training & Development: The British Broadcasting Corporation brings training and online broadcast and new media courses online for anyone interested in media courses. You won't be limited to television, as the BBC brings journalists, radio broadcasters, and even health and safety issues to the table in this extensive course, offered both online for free and face-to-face for a fee. Unfortunately, the Web courses are all face-to-face.
  2. Berklee Shares: Here you will find free music lessons that you can download, share and trade with your friends and fellow musicians, thanks to the Berklee College of Music.
  3. Computing, Audio and Music: Learn the basics and more from a variety of instructors at the West of England University, UK. Click on the topics under the photographs to find specific tutorials, lectures, and modules that address this topic.
  4. Image Compression and Packet Video: An advanced course from Johns Hopkins University with notes on everything from an introduction to image coding to MPEG 4 and H.261/263 video compression. The lab assignments are especially useful to help visualize some of the techniques involved with the lessons.

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Biology

Sometimes known as "Life Sciences," biology can cover everything from the human animal to how all life forms evolve and interconnect. With that said, the following courses represent a mere fraction of all the available online courses that tackle biological sciences:

  1. Biology: This is a fantastically easy-to-access course on biology, including study guides with hidden answers. Frank Orme, Merritt College, Oakland, offers these guides along with lectures notes, visuals, and links to many other resources.
  2. Human Biology Course: Offered by the University of Leeds, this site has expanded to include lecture notes on introductory anatomy, evolutionary developmental biology, and workbooks in PDF format.
  3. Introductory Biology: Visit this MIT course to take advantage of the information provided by four professors. You'll need RealOne™ Player for the video lectures, but other information such as the study materials are provided through PDF.
  4. Life Sciences in the 21st Century: Virginia Tech offers materials for such interests as biology, biotechnology, forestry and wildlife resources, and animal sciences. The lecture notes are very basics, but the Exlore! section and the assignments offer great ideas on how to expand your biological knowledge.
  5. The Biology Project: This project, sponsored by the University of Arizona, provides an amazing amount of information about all things biological for anyone. Each click will take you deeper into the specifics on a particular subject, so plan to spend some time investigating this resource.

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Botany

Whether you want to study agriculture, mycology (fungi aren't plants, but they're included in most basic botanical courses), or biology, botany will provide a broad scientific background for you endeavors. You can use these materials in conjunction with local courses at a botanical garden if one is available near you.

  1. Introduction to Botany: Dr. Steven J. Wolf, California State University Stanislaus, provides a month's worth of lecture notes along with links to many resources, including a nifty little tool called the genetic "code cracker." You might also want to visit Dr. Wolf's course, Flowering Plants.
  2. Plant Biology: James L. Reveal & C. Rose Broome from the University of Maryland provide readers with numerous resources for plant biology. Outside the lecture notes and essays, you'll discover databases, dictionaries, and journals that will increase your knowledge about all things botanical.
  3. Plant Biology for NonScience Majors: If you want to learn botanical basics, this is the site for you. Once again offered by the University of Maryland, but by Dr. Angela Caines. After you make it through this course's objectives you can advance to the more complicated issues covered in the previous listing.
  4. Systematics of Plants: Stephen R. Downie and Kenneth R. Robertson, Life Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, introduce the principles and methods of identifying, naming, and classifying flowering plants. This course includes a great digital resource for the plants they cover in their notes. Visit the university's life sciences directory for many more available courses.

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Chemistry

Chemistry, like basic physics, requires a lot of memorization. So online courses and resources provide the budding chemist with handy tools to help in that learning process. The following sites represent a small portion of online available resources:

  1. Chemistry and Biochemistry: This link takes you to Professor Marc R. Roussel's home page, where you'll find more links to lecture notes, illustrations and course materials on five different approaches to chemistry. Roussel teaches at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
  2. Chemistry Classroom: The information provided on this site is a service of the Hardy Research Group, Department of Chemistry, The University of Akron. This particular offering provides a rundown on everything from basic chemistry to radioanalytical methods.
  3. Introduction to Quantum Chemistry: Dr. Scott Kirkby, University of Missouri-Rolla, provides the suggested textbook for this course and then leads the student through course lecture notes and problems based upon that book. This is an excellent step-by-step method to learn quantum chemistry.
  4. Physical Chemistry Lecture Notes: Although not a structured "class," the lecture notes provided by Tom Shattuck at Colby College's chemistry department provide serious background materials for quantum mechanics, spectroscopy, and statistical mechanics.
  5. VisionLearning: Although this virtual classroom is more of a resource than an actual "class," the materials compiled for the chemistry division provide links to cited papers and other materials that can supplement any coursework. The chemistry division covers biochemistry, chemical reactions, nuclear and organic chemistry, and atomic theory.

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Civil Engineering

If you want to learn about civil engineering, you're in luck. Hundreds of course outlines, notes, and exercises abound at places like MIT and Texas A&M (see below). Plus, you can search for course-specific objectives at various universities, such as the one on residential subdivision design course offered in number 39.

  1. Civil and Environmental Engineering: This course outline provides sample chapters to textbooks, since both books mentioned are out of print. You'll also find lecture notes, assignments, and an exam section provided by Richard Palmer at the University of Washington.
  2. Civil Engineering: The Civil Engineering Department at Texas A&M University offers a variety of course materials online. Some courses are fairly complete with course notes and exam sections, while others are under progress. Think of this offering as a swim in a civil engineering pool.
  3. Civil Engineering Measurements: Charles V. Camp, Ph.D. from the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Memphis offers this theory of measurements, linear measurements, angles, topographic surveys, and mapping with applications in Civil Engineering. There is an emphasis on individual and group problem solving, techniques of data collection and analysis, and project documentation.
  4. Coastal Engineering: The University of Queensland provides a site where you can discover a copious reading list and numerous course notes about coastal hydrodynamics, coastal sediment transport and coastal groundwater. The Coastal Engineering Research Centre at the University of Queensland forms part of the hydraulics group in the department of Civil Engineering.
  5. Residential Subdivision Design and Construction: Whether you want to learn how to build structures or simply learn how someone is building yours, this is a great place to learn about all the basics behind residential subdivision design. From land use regulations to storm water management, Dr. Bradley A. Striebig at Penn State offers motivating course lectures, visuals, and ideas.
  6. Strength of Materials: This page contains two basic courses that allow you to brush up on your basic physics and calculus and trig formulas before you launch into course notes and exercises. This course provided by Associate Professor Robert J. Foley at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

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Economics

Yes, you can study the various markets online (try Investopedia, for instance), but it's nice to know that you can also study lecture notes written by professors at some top universities for your edification:

  1. Economics Interactive Tutorials: Dr. Samuel L. Baker at the University of South Carolina offers modules that teach economics basics. The modules use Java applets to help you understand various concepts.
  2. Economics Lecture Notes: Professor Brad DeLong, Berkeley University, provides his extensive Econ 101 notes for your perusal. The notes are provided in HTML and .doc versions. You can visit DeLong's macroeconomics page as well.
  3. Environmental and Natural Resources Economics: Professor Steve Hackett, Humboldt State University, offers lectures as slides that will lead you step-by-step through numerous aspects to this topic. This is an interesting course that fits neatly with any earth science focus.

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Electronic Engineering

The following three listings provide just about all you need to know about electrical engineering basics and more advanced options:

  1. Electrical Networks I: Get a grip on fundamental network theorems for AC/DC analysis through design and measurement of linear analog electrical systems. Dr. Holbert at Arizona State University's Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering provides Flash animations, handouts, and homework assignments among other tools to keep you busy for a while. When you finish this course, visit Dr. Holbert's other courses.
  2. Electrical Science and Linear Circuits: Prof. James A. Svoboda at Clarkson University offers these two courses and options within those samplings to learn all the basics. Each course option provides links that lead you to visuals, more notes, and even an online textbook. Wonderful resources for the beginner or as a backup study option for more experienced engineers.
  3. High Speed Communication Circuits: Professor Hae-Seung Lee at MIT provides the course material for those who want to learn more about high-speed communication systems, with primary focus being placed on wireless and broadband data link applications. Don't limit yourself to this course, as MIT provides many courses in their Electrical Engineering and Computer Science open courseware department.

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General Engineering

This topic covers nuclear and chemical engineering along with some numerical methods and analytics.

  1. Advanced Analytic Methods in Science and Engineering: MIT is the place for an example of this course, where Professor Hung Cheng offers lecture notes, projects, and an exam section in a comprehensive treatment of the advanced methods of applied mathematics. But you don't need to start or stop here - MIT offers dozens of open courseware opportunities within their engineering systems division.
  2. Engineering Graphics: Dr. Stephen W. Crown at the University of Texas - Pan America offers his lectures and visuals on engineering graphics so you can learn through PowerPoint presentations and a Virtual Traning Camp. Dr. Crown offers the needed software for you if you lack the means to view some of the work. If you want more from this professor, visit his homepage.
  3. Engineering Statistics: Carnegie Mellon's Open Learning Initiative (OLI) provides modules in various courses, and engineering statistics
  4. Java Applets for Engineering Education: This project, funded by the National Science Foundation for Virginia Polytechnic Institute, offers applets for various engineering applications. Some applications are applets, others are links that lead to other resources.
  5. Nuclear Engineering: This is Bill Garland's site from the Department of Engineering Physics, McMaster University. At first, the site appears to be a series of links out to other sites (which is a great resource in itself); however, if you slide down the left menu, you'll find "courses." This is where you'll discover the lectures. Although I couldn't find a syllabus, any autodidactic intent on learning this topic will like this site. The sheer amount of information will brim over the edges of your monitor.
  6. Numerical Methods in Engineering: If the advanced MIT course is way over your head, try the introductory lecture notes on numerical methods offered by Professor Joannes J. Westerink at Notre Dame first.
  7. What is Engineering? If you don't know, then check out this course outline that provides reading material, notes, and examples. Michael Karweit from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University provides this site.

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Earth Sciences

This is a hot topic as the world ponders global warming. The following courses provide a great background that will help build your debates on this topic, as well as provide diversions for your interests in biology, geography, geology, and other earth sciences:

  1. Biodiversity and Conservation: This core course is one of three offered by the interdisciplinary minor in global sustainability offered by University of California, Irvine. But, it is the one course that's filled with PDF books, lectures, and notes on how to expand your knowledge in this realm. Some information is available only to registered students, but the majority of information is freely available to anyone, thanks to Dr. Peter J. Bryant.
  2. Earth & Environmental Sciences: That link will take you directly to Stephen Nelson's page at Tulane University. He teaches several courses through appropriate reading materials, lecture and/or field notes, and supplementary links to other online resources. Much of the reading material is presented online along with graphic images and charts.
  3. Environmental and Natural Resources Economics: Professor Steve Hackett at Humboldt State University explains how nature, economies, politics, and policy making mix - or not — through a series of slide lectures.
  4. Field Techniques: So you can't afford a class in field techniques. So what? Get started on the reading list, get some friends together, read over the course notes, and conduct a few exercises at this site, which provides an excellent reference for proper field note techniques.Created by William E. Doolittle for the University of Texas at Austin.
  5. Introduction to Environmental Engineering: Don't let this title put you off — this is a great introductory site that leads the viewer through various basics with slide presentations and notes. This course compiled by Professor Bradley A. Striebig at Penn State.
  6. Wetland Ecology and Management: Dr. Kevin J Devito, University of Alberta, provides his lecture notes and readings for anyone interested in water management issues.

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Geography & Geology

Plates, shelves, mapping, and general sciences. Many colleges now offer their geography/geology notes or slide lectures online, and some focus on specifics like volcanoes or earthquakes. Others, like most included in the list below, are general and offer a great basic knowledge base in this topic.

  1. Cornell Geo-Sci Lecture Notes: These notes are for the most serious geographers, all offered through PDF format with equations and graphics. This site goes to prove that you can find just about anything you need online if you look hard enough!
  2. Geology and Science: Geology 100 is an introduction to scientific inquiry and the scientific method as they apply to understanding human interactions with the geologic environment. One textbook, copious notes, and plenty of links to guide you through this basic course designed by David L. Ozsvath at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
  3. GIS Fundamentals (Tools for Spatial Analysis): This course introduces Geographic Information Systems in a multidisciplinary context. This is a University of Texas at Dallas course taught by Dr. Ron Briggs. Many course files are Microsoft Word .doc files or PowerPoint presentations.
  4. Matthias Tomczak's Oceanography Web Site: More than entertaining, this site holds site-specific information about oceanographic conditions through lectures, online PDF books, and exercises in physical oceanography. The materials are based on Tomczak's lecture notes for the physical oceanography part of the first year undergraduate topic, Marine Sciences 1, at the Flinders University of South Australia in Adelaide. The site is also available on CD.
  5. World Geography: You don't need to register or sign in to access all the lectures, notes, and maps you'll need for an overview on world geography. Compiled by Professor Mark L. Healy at William Rainey Harper College.

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History

The benefit to attending college classes in history is to discuss theory. Beyond this, the best way to learn history is to read as much as you can on this topic in a specific time and place. Here are some suggestions:

  1. AP History Lesson: If you know about Cliff Notes, this course will remind you of those course basics because it covers recent American history through photographs and brief overviews. This AP History lesson is brought to you by The National Repository of Online Courses (NROC), Monterey Institute for Technology and Education.
  2. History of Western Civilization: This is a college course in European history from ancient times to the early modern era, offered by Dr. E.L. Skip Knox through Boise State University. You'll enter the Crusades, the Renaissance, and the Reformation as you use the guide to work through primary and secondary sources.
  3. The American Civil War: The University of Washington offers this course along with others (like the American Revolution) specifically as open courseware. They suggest that you purchase specific reading material, and they ask that you register before you can access the materials.

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Languages & Linguistics

If you want to learn new languages, you're probably familiar with the Free Online Language portal. Many of these courses contain audio tools where you can learn through repetition, which is a great way to learn a language. But, if you want to dig deeper into the science of language, you might want to delve into the following courses:

  1. Introduction to the Study of Language: This course examines what the nature of language is, how the science of linguistics analyzes language data, and how language is acquired and interacts with human biology and psychology. Professor Philippe Schlenker at UCLA compiled this course.
  2. Language and Mind: This course represents a one-semester tour of the science of language and its position within the human mind. Not only do you get a grasp on reading materials, but you'll have access to homework assignments, lecture notes, and resources. Instructors Colin Phillips & Yi-Ching Su offer these materials through the University of Maryland.
  3. Mandarin Chinese: The Free Online Language portal doesn't contain Mandarin Chinese in its listings, but you can learn how to speak this language conversationally, thanks to Dr. Tianwei Xie from the Dept. of AAAS California State University, Long Beach.

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Law

Law practice usually begins with the basics, but you can find many other courses online if you do searches for specific topics within the law field (such as criminal law). You might also want to check out sources under political sciences.

  1. Constitutional Law: The syllabus, lecture notes, and links to further resources make this site one of the best basic sites on constitutional law. The materials are provided by Professor Mark Stevens at North Carolina Wesleyan College. If you like this topic, you might check Prof. Steven's home page for more materials, such as criminal or forensic law.
  2. Criminal Law: What better way to learn about criminal law than from a judge? Judge Colquitt provides a syllabus, news, lecture notes, case studies and more through this comprehensive site.
  3. Economic Analysis of Law: This course is a bit old (1997), but relevant nonetheless. The nice perk to this project is that portions of Professor David Friedman's Price Theory textbook are available online.
  4. Law and Veterinary Medicine: This course acquaints students with basic concepts of law, as well as ethics at a graduate level. The course also seeks to enable students to practice medicine more prudently through application of legal rules. This course is just one of many open courseware projects offered through Tufts University.

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Literature

You might read 100 books a month, but reading for critical thinking is a bit different. The following courses can help you build a base for learning how to communicate as you learn how to analyze literature:

  1. Criticism and Literary Theory: The University of Sheffield offers a more intermediate/advanced module on literary theory that focuses on English literature. Their resource, which you may use often throughout this online instruction, is the Johns Hopkins guide to literary theory and criticism.
  2. Literary Nonfiction: Yes, this is a broad course, but an essential one to learn how to analyze primary literary sources. Originally compiled by Dr. Richard Nordquist for Armstrong Atlantic State University, the site now acts as an archive for previous course materials. You must be motivated to work through all the readings and writing projects located on this site.
  3. Survey of American Literature: This course is compiled by Dr. Geoffrey A. Grimes for Mountain View College as a resource for Distance Learning Associates. Although the site asks you to register, you don't need to apply to the college to read the comprehensive lecture materials that cover U.S. writers from the early colonial period through Walt Whitman.
  4. Survey of British Literature III: Professor Lisa Jadwin from St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY leads the viewer through an advanced literature course. The course is designed to give you a sense of literary history, an understanding of some central texts, and a grasp of how British literature and its readers have developed in the past century and a half. Scroll down this page to access the important materials, but the writing guides and study questions are great tools for self-starters.
  5. VCCS Litonline: Virginia Community College System's comprehensive online literature courses can be used as an introduction to literature or as a composition and research course designed to develop students' critical thinking. E. Hibbison and D. Reiss developed this resource.

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Mechanical Engineering

Check out MIT's offerings in mechanical engineering, as their resources could steer you toward other online courses outside the outstanding ones listed below.

  1. Experimental Engineering: Professor Chen at Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences, Iowa University, offers an engineering project that leads the viewer step-by-step through course notes, labs, and the final project along with photographs. Even if you cannot conduct this experiment, you can learn much from this course material.
  2. Expert Systems in Mechanical Engineering: Berkeley Expert Systems Technology (BEST) lab is an Artificial Intelligence, Expert Systems and Information Technologies laboratory in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University of California at Berkeley, directed by Professor Alice Agogino. This particular course provides lectures, reading materials, and resources for those who want to develop a broader education in mechanical engineering, but check out the entire department to learn more.
  3. Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Gerald Recktenwald at Portland State University's Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department provides a multi-faceted site on mechanical engineering. You need to scroll down to the bottom of the page for course information, but don't miss the information along the way down. Recktenwald provides some sound advice for any student, along with other tools that will help you in other courses as well as the ones offered here.

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Paleontology

Studies in paleontology will help you understand principles behind historical geography, geology, botany, and biology. Here are a few online options for this goal:

  1. Paleontology: Dr. Karl W. Flessa from the University of Arizon provides everything from an online lab manual to a study guide for the final exam at this site. The Cretaceous reef sketches and glossary provide excellent resources.
  2. Principles of Historical Geology: Dr. Thomas Kammer at West Virginia University provides users with broad course materials that relate to fossil recognition and evolution in vertebrates and invertebrates. Visit Dr. Kammer's teaching page for more course information.
  3. Links for Palaeobotanists: Klaus-Peter Kelber, Mineralogisches Institut, Universität Würzburg, has compiled an extensive list of teaching documents, lecture notes and tutorials especially for palaeobotanists with an Upper Triassic bias. Take notes, otherwise you might get lost — this is an amazing amount of information.

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Physics

From the basics to string theory, the fledgling and mature physicist can find many resources online today. The following provides mostly undergraduate samplings from various colleges:

  1. Computational Physics: This course aims to give the student a thorough grounding in the main computational techniques used in modern physics. This material, which is outlined in logical form that's easy to use, is provided by Professor Angus MacKinnon, Imperial College, London.
  2. Modern Physics: Professor Michael Fowler, University of Virginia, provides the physics newcomer with the basics on everything from special relativity to nuclear physics. Professor Fowler also provides pre-modern physics through his lecture notes and link at Galileo and Einstein. The modern physics course also is offered in German.
  3. Modern Technology: This page, offered by the University of Winnipeg, outlines basic physics from the scientific method to the universe through links that lead you through a logical sequence.
  4. Open-Physics Course Information Page: The University of Aberdeen has been offering open access to their physics course material on the web for private study since 1995. While tutors and answers for lectures are available only to registered students, you can still gain access to .doc files, PDF materials, and links to tools that cover level I and II physics courses.
  5. Visual Quantum Mechanics: The Visual Quantum Mechanics project is developing instructional materials about quantum physics for high school and college students, so expect the basics and more as this site grows. The National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute support this project for Kansas State University.

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Political Science

  1. Politics: Paula Mohan, University of Wisconsin — Whitewater, offers four different courses on politics from ethnic to contemporary political theory. You'll find lecture notes, handouts, and links to other relevant sites for your studies at this site.
  2. Political Science Courses: Randall W. Stone, Associate Professor for the Department of Political Science, University of Rochester, offers various courses in political science along with lecture notes at his site. The courses are focused on international policies and theories.
  3. World Politics: Vincent Ferraro, The Ruth C. Lawson Professor of International Politics at Mount Holyoke College, introduces basic concepts in the study of world politics. No books to purchase for this learning experience, but it is highly recommended that the "student" subscribe to the New York Times or gain access to that newspaper's online venue.

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Psychology

Who knows what the human mind holds? You can get a glimpse into its inner workings through psychology courses offered online:

  1. Introduction to Personal Psychology: Study psychology basics at the University of Michigan, where you gain access to PowerPoint presentations, assignments, and study guides.
  2. Lecture Notes for a course in Abnormal Psychology: This web site contains lecture notes written for an undergraduate, honors-level course in Abnormal Psychology. It was written in the late 1980's, and as such relies on the American Psychiatric Association's now outdated third (revised) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (now in its 4th edition). With that said, the lectures contain information about the history of the field, philosophical debates, and comparisons of different theoretical approaches.
  3. SALMON Psychology: Study And Learning Materials ONline (SALMON) was written by Dr. Paul Kenyon who graduated from Queens University Belfast in 1969 with a B.Sc. (Hons) in Psychology I. Paul has recently taken early retirement, and he devotes a good deal of his time to this ambitious project. The topics pertain to evolutionary psychology, the biological bases of behavior and psychobiology. If you note the URL, you'll see that Dr. Kenyon also like to fly fish.

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Social Sciences (General)

While archaeology covers material culture, social sciences introduce the social aspects behind that culture. Hence, you may see courses in social sciences labeled "anthropology," much as you would find that same label in archaeology. The following list provides just a few samplings of many online social sciences courses:

  1. Ecological Anthropology: Whereas earth sciences deal with biological or geological aspects to the environment, this course approaches ecology through interactions between humans and the earth. Dr. Eric A. Smith offers lecture notes, assignments, and other materials that make this course thought-provoking and relevant.
  2. Introduction to Sociology: Illinois State University provides basic concepts in sociology and an understanding of how sociological research is conducted. The best way to comprehend this course is to purchase the textbook and follow along with the lecture notes and other resources based upon that book. Another introductory course, provided by Dr. Arunas Juska, East Carolina University, also follows a textbook; however, this course offers illustrations and additional detailed notes that can supplement the first course.
  3. Sociology: The Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at The University of North Carolina at Wilmington offers some valuable information for the budding sociologist. While you can access lecture notes and other resources, the tips on essay writing, oral presentation, and careers in sociology are clear bonuses for the reader.
  4. Sociology Courses: Professor Robert O. Keel's list of sociology courses at the University of Missouri — St. Louis can keep you busy for a year or more. Each course contains different resources, from lecture notes to links to online resources, and each course brings a new light to different sociological aspects.

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Open courseware is proliferating so rapidly that it makes sense to use these quality online materials to supplement tuition courses or to learn at your own pace without the tuition costs. As I mentioned previously, thousands of open courseware projects exist, from university projects (like Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Open Courseware) to environments that encourage teachers and students to share experiences, lessons, and ideas (like Eduforge).

The best way to find a course that suits your passions is to search through some of the sites listed above and through resources listed on other OEDb articles, like "How the Open Source Movement Has Changed Education", or through courses offered at places like MIT. Be sure to bookmark any sites you find that seem promising, spend a little money on a textbook, and before you know it you'll have basic knowledge about any course offered online — perhaps enough knowledge to take exams for life credit in an undergraduate degree.


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