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General Category => General Talk => Topic started by: Silhouette on November 15, 2007, 05:39:36 am

Title: Free Online college
Post by: Silhouette on November 15, 2007, 05:39:36 am
I think some of you know this already, but MIT has free classes online @ http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm.
There's no credit or diploma, of course, but hey, it's knowledge, and knowledge is power.
I think Berkeley has something similar, check them out too.
Title: Free Online college
Post by: something bizarre and impractical on November 15, 2007, 05:45:48 am
I did not know this and this is pretty awesome assuming legitimacy. But how do I sign up for courses? HMM.
Title: Free Online college
Post by: wilikeh on November 15, 2007, 06:45:19 am
at my university, and i assume pretty much any others, you could just waltz in to whatever lectures you please and pretty much nobody would be the wiser. you could easilly get a free education but have nothing to show for it. just getting a schedule from another student. guess thats why i have to pay the big bucks :(

but free online courses is cool, too.
Title: Free Online college
Post by: JohnnyCasil on November 16, 2007, 03:30:55 am
AFAIK, you can go to any university and sit in on classes for free.  They don't care because in the end you won't have a diploma to show for it, and employers aren't going to just take your word for it that you went to all of these classes.  You have to remember a college education is equally about knowledge as it is getting that sheet of paper that proves that you stuck to something you committed to.
Title: Free Online college
Post by: Moriason on November 16, 2007, 04:04:31 am
haha, nobody goes to college to learn
Title: Free Online college
Post by: GirlBones on November 16, 2007, 04:37:25 am
haha, nobody goes to college to learn

Pshh, I go to college to learn the information I need to pass my tests and get my degree.
Title: Free Online college
Post by: something bizarre and impractical on November 16, 2007, 04:41:12 am
Instructions on how to actually use this would be nice. I downloaded a course, but am lost from there.
Title: Free Online college
Post by: YummyDrumsticks on November 16, 2007, 08:37:21 am
I've actually completed a few courses here and find it quite enjoyable.
Title: Free Online college
Post by: Silhouette on November 18, 2007, 05:38:10 am
There should be something that says "download course packet" i.e. a zip file.
Then it's an index.html, just like a website.
There are even some courses that supposedly have video and sound, which would be very helpful.
Title: Free Online college
Post by: Wash Cycle on November 18, 2007, 02:46:42 pm
yeah you follow the directions in the readme document included

and it takes you back to the MIT website that you downloaded the course from (talk about worthlessss)
Title: Free Online college
Post by: Mince Wobley on November 18, 2007, 03:51:25 pm
AFAIK, you can go to any university and sit in on classes for free.  They don't care because in the end you won't have a diploma to show for it, and employers aren't going to just take your word for it that you went to all of these classes.  You have to remember a college education is equally about knowledge as it is getting that sheet of paper that proves that you stuck to something you committed to.

But what if you hve photographical evidence that you went to the classes?
Title: Free Online college
Post by: Standard Toaster on November 18, 2007, 08:45:02 pm
But what if you hve photographical evidence that you went to the classes?
That doesn't mean that you were paying attention, or even passed/completed them.
Title: Free Online college
Post by: Von Woofen on November 19, 2007, 01:49:07 am
My brother 's fiance tested out of some of her French classes. I've never been to college so I really have no idea, but would it be possible to test out of other classes? I don't plan on doing it, I am just curious.
Title: Free Online college
Post by: ATARI on November 19, 2007, 02:08:21 am
My brother 's fiance tested out of some of her French classes. I've never been to college so I really have no idea, but would it be possible to test out of other classes? I don't plan on doing it, I am just curious.

Yes.  I had a friend last year who was fluent in French, and he was able to get out of his foreign language classes in College by taking a language placement exam that his college offered.  I'm sure that if you took some outside classes from places like this online for something like that (not necessarily a language, but you know what I mean), depending on your college's profile and policy on placement, you can test out some credits.
Title: Free Online college
Post by: blgjr on November 20, 2007, 09:37:11 am
I dont really understand the point of this... I mean sure the idea of self inprovement is great and all... but I mean I have a hard enough time buckeling down and doing my real online course work (my Community College offers alot of classes online and not in the class room at all, so I was forced to take several online courses this semseter).

However, this could be a good study tool to go along with a class... a good way to study.
Title: Free Online college
Post by: Bart on November 20, 2007, 08:06:56 pm
I dont really understand the point of this... I mean sure the idea of self inprovement is great and all... but I mean I have a hard enough time buckeling down and doing my real online course work (my Community College offers alot of classes online and not in the class room at all, so I was forced to take several online courses this semseter).

However, this could be a good study tool to go along with a class... a good way to study.

Being a college graduate, I have massive urges to learn and learn, especially more then a year after graduation. Trust me, a lot of people will take these courses and do them willingly
Title: Free Online college
Post by: Silhouette on November 20, 2007, 08:09:05 pm
Obviously this wouldn't be something to do when you're taking other real graded classes for credit, but you could do it in your off time, as others have pointed out, to learn the things you need to  possibly test out of certain classes via CLEP or whatever it is your college uses, or possibly to study up for a class you're not very good at ahead of time. Or just to learn something cool and enjoy yourself. It's all about "lifelong learning."