5 Web Resources for Free Online College Course Lectures

Free online college course lectures are widely available across the Web. While free online course lectures are by no means the equivalent of a college education, they can help people widen their knowledge, improve their skills and figure out whether they have a knack for mastering subject matter that interests them. Subjects might include learning a foreign language, refreshing algebra skills, improve writing skills and many more. These five websites offer a glimpse of what’s out there.

1. Open Culture

Open Culture has more than 530 free online college course lectures on topics including these downloads available on iTunes:

• Exposing digital photography
• Ancient and medieval philosophy
• Financial theory

And many more. No matter what topic students are interested in learning, they can find a course on Open Culture.

2. Open Courseware

Another great source for free college course lectures is Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Open Courseware. Students can browse courses by department and find a class that fits their needs. Examples:

• Chemistry
• Foreign languages
• Women and gender studies

Using the resources at Open Courseware, students will find all of the information they need to learn new and engaging topics. Each course provides a course syllabus, readings (you may have to pay for textbooks) and assignments. There are links to find many of the readings online and students will be able to quickly get started.

3. The Best Colleges

TheBestColleges.com compiled a list of resources available through well-known universities. People can browse through a number of different colleges that provide free online courses. In just minutes, students will have access to great lectures including:

• Shakespeare (iTunes download)
• The fundamentals of physics
• Ancient Greek history

For those who have always been interested in the arts, math, science or literature, taking free online classes is one way to improve their minds. Even if students do not have the time or the money to attend college, they can download and listen to free lectures from some of the country’s best professors.

4. Academic Earth

Academic Earth offers a wide range of free courses, subjects and lectures from a variety of colleges and experienced professors. Lecture topics include:

• Entrepreneurial marketing
• Introduction to robotics
• New Testament history and literature

Using these free online online college course lectures, people will have more information at their fingertips than ever before. Students can learn at their own pace during times that are convenient to them. Taking advantage of educational opportunities has never been easier.

5. Virtual Professors

VirtualProfessors.com provides free online college courses and lecture. The topics focus on current events and include:

• “The State of the World Economy 2012“
• “The Illusion of Security”
• “Can Smartphone Apps Make Government More Efficient?”

Free online college courses can help everybody increase their knowledge and keep their minds active. Whether students are trying to make themselves more marketable in the job force or just filling up time after retirement, there are many savvy reasons to get smarter by taking online college courses for free.

6. Course Marks

Course Marks is a course search engine that’s useful for finding online courses from top universities. Their website boasts that you can explore 4,881 online offerings from top universities.