10 Best Free Sites for Online Learning 2023/2024 in General College & University

10 Best Free Online Learning Sites for General College and University

They should be busy adjusting to student life as the first semester of their university studies is well under way. It can be challenging at times to get used to lectures, make friends, settle into your new dorm room, and just adapt to a new city. One of the most useful tools at this time and throughout the university term is the internet.

In order to keep your kid motivated and on track, some courses are instructor-paced with a predetermined schedule and mandatory attendance. The majority are self-paced with recorded lectures, which is advantageous for teenagers who might ordinarily have a busy schedule but still want to make the most of their downtime. Be aware that completing college-level classes in high school does not guarantee that the credits will transfer to their subsequent college; this relies on the policies and regulations of each institution. Even if credits do not transfer, taking college courses in high school may be beneficial for students whose present coursework does not challenge them. Although university course offerings far beyond those typically offered in high schools, taking college courses may be a method to explore interests. College courses may even be used as a supplement to official and informal research projects that some gifted students are already engaged in or would like to start.

Knowinsiders.com ranked top 10 websites for students that provide the best knowledge, guidance, and assistance. These websites and applications offer a variety of educational resources that can help students of any age prepare for forthcoming exams, all for the low, low price of being completely free. These tools include time management, digital flashcards, custom quizzes, study games, and other instructional tools.

What are the free online sites for General College and University - Top 10

1. EdX

EdX - Photo: blog.freec.asia

Around 14 million users can access free courses from colleges through EdX, one of the biggest huge open online course providers in the world. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Universities developed the website, which currently offers classes from numerous other prestigious universities across the world, including Boston University and Caltech.

On the internet, you can take classes in a variety of subjects, including science, education, history, medicine, and more. Several free courses in computer programming are also offered.

Even if the courses are free, authenticated certificates and degrees are not. On its website, EdX offers certifications and online master's degrees, but customers must pay fees or tuition for them.

2. Khan Academy

Khan Academy - Photo: hola.edu

Another fantastic option for people who wish to study and learn more outside of the classroom is Khan Academy. You can choose from classes here that are suited to your hobbies and educational level. Basic geometry, electrical engineering, organic chemistry, microeconomics, personal finance, and other topics are covered.

Khan will hook you up with courses to help you reach your goals once you've chosen your hobbies. In order to keep you on track, the application tracks your progress.

Many the websites on this list offer "pro" accounts or improved packages for a fee. Nonetheless, every single one offers free resources that are perfect for students. Try some of them out to see which ones can best assist you.

3. MIT OpenCourseWare

MIT OpenCourseWare - Photo: al-fanarmedia

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was a pioneer in offering online college courses. The university gives you the ability to download and follow their archived courses through its OpenCourseWare platform.

The benefit of using the platform is that you get access to a huge range of actual courses that the university has offered over the years. The downside is that you may still need to purchase textbooks to follow the curricula.

The website also doesn't offer accreditation or certification, since these are archived courses. But they are a useful resource if you want to expand your knowledge on certain subjects.

4. Learning Space: The Open University

Learning Space: The Open University - Photo: prisonerseducation

OpenLearn is an educational website. It is the UK's Open University's contribution to the Open educational resources (OER) project and the home of free, open learning from The Open University. The original project was part-funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

This website offers downloadable free online courses in lots of different categories like youth and children, languages, business, engineering, and others. When you look through the coursework, you can view them according to rating. Other users can rate the class, which may help you in deciding what course to take. The main page does warn that there is a new site design coming in the fall of 2012, so there may be changes soon.

5. Carnegie Mellon OpenLearning

Carnegie Mellon OpenLearning - Photo: lumenlearning

Carnegie Mellon University provides free online courses for anyone wishing to access them. In fact, it even offers materials for instructors who wish to teach their students these courses.

For independent learners, there are short courses on topics such as computer science, biology, psychology, and more. The downside is that the number of open courses is much more limited than other open learning websites.

Carnegie Mellon's open courses are similar to what a paying student would receive minus the course credit or access to an instructor.

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6. OpenLearn

The OpenLearn platform offers content from The Open University--- a university that pledges to be open and offer free learning to as many people as possible. While the university has physical classrooms based in the UK, it has also opened its content to anyone online through its OpenLearn website.

The online college courses are laid out extremely well and cover many different topics. A great feature is that it offers courses for differing skill and knowledge levels, from beginners to experts.

Once you have completed a course, you can receive a statement of participation to show potential employers. While this does not count towards university credits, it provides evidence that you have successfully completed courses from The Open University.

7. Coursera

Coursera - Photo: cellphones

Several colleges and businesses offer their open courses on Coursera, another online learning platform. You can access courses for free, just like other course providers on the list, but you must pay to be accredited or to earn a certificate.

Yet, the website offers a fantastic environment for online study. Courses are available on the site from prestigious universities including Duke and Columbia. You can also access online courses from Google and businesses like Intel and Amazon in the interim.

There is a monthly membership available if you want to use the platform's certification and specialized capabilities. Nevertheless, if you select the audit option, you can view each individual course for free. With the exception of a certificate or accreditation, this offers you access to all the readings and lectures from the course.

8. FutureLearn

Photo: riba

FutureLearn is another platform that offers courses from universities and organizations around the world. Like the other open learning platforms, courses are available for free but certificates require a fee.

The website has an impressive range of courses across different fields, as well as various courses aimed at improving life skills. For example, FutureLearn has courses dedicated to improving your budgeting skills, online research skills, critical thinking, and job interview skills.

A platform is a great tool for those looking to expand both their academic knowledge and useful everyday skills.

9. Stanford Online

Stanford Online - Photo: scholarship-positions

Stanford Online is the website through which Stanford University offers all its online courses. While you would have to pay tuition to complete a certificate or degree through the platform, the university's open learning courses are available to anyone for free. This includes courses offered by the different university schools, such as Stanford School of Medicine and Stanford Business School.

These open courses are particularly useful for those looking for Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits, which can be earned by completing certain courses on the website without needing to spend a cent.

10. Quizlet

Quizlet

With this website, Quizlet provides the study tools while you supply the material. Users are able to construct "sets" in any topic imaginable. The website will produce matching games, quizzes, practice tests, flashcards, and even auditory tools based on the set. There is a free Quizlet app available as well for studying while offline and learning on the go.

You can learn the topic and have fun while doing it thanks to the two games, Scatter and Space Race. With Scatter, users clear the screen by quickly dragging definitions or information to their relevant equivalents.

In Space Race, meanings scroll across the screen while you type in the appropriate word or phrase before it reaches its conclusion. You can compete for the best times using leaderboards and top scores, adding the competitive element to your studies.

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