Getting information on the Internet is easy. But until recently, getting a good online education was difficult. For people who weren’t already enrolled in a college program, finding a good way to improve their education using only the Internet was challenging. The good news is that the landscape of online education is changing rapidly, providing better information to a greater number of people. Here are three organizations that are making online education simpler, easier, and more affordable.
Ivy League for Everybody
Until recently, the pinnacle of the learning experience was accessible only to those who had the grades, the scholarships, or the means to attend the very best universities. All that is changing with the rise of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Professors from prestigious schools all over the world are taking their course materials and making them available online for free, so anyone with an interest can learn about that subject.
The current king of MOOCs is coursera.org, which allows anybody with an Internet connection to learn about subjects as diverse as economics, genetics, public policy, and songwriting from teachers from top universities. While students aren’t able to earn actual college credit, they do get the complete college course experience (including lectures, reading materials, and tests), and may receive a certificate of completion after earning a passing grade.
Keeping the World Safer, One Class at a Time
While car-related fatalities fall every year, they still remain a serious problem. Tens of thousands of Americans still die annually due to unsafe driving practices. I DRIVE SAFELY, the largest provider of traffic school online and driver’s ed courses aims to change that by providing high-quality driver improvement options online. In many states, drivers who have received a traffic ticket may complete an I DRIVE SAFELY defensive driving course in order to get it dismissed and removed from their record.
To help driving students get an even better education and stay safer on the road, I DRIVE SAFELY is rolling out some innovative learning tools. Students in the state of Texas, for example, have the option to choose a streaming online video course. This allows them to learn safe driving skills and dismiss their ticket by watching a video rather than reading text And in 2013, teen student drivers in select states will be able to choose an exclusive premium course with interactive lessons, videos, and other cool multimedia features.
Teaching the World to Code
The world of online education isn’t limited to academics and driving. If you are looking for a way to step up in your career — or even just pick up a fun and useful new hobby — you would be smart to learn how to create computer code. Codeacademy.com was established with the idea that everybody can (and should) learn how to code, and it has created a simple, straightforward progressive system that allows you to sharpen your skills over time.
Students can learn the languages Javascript, HTML/CSS, Python, and Ruby along with a community of passionate students. By the time students complete the courses, they are able to create simple web sites, code programs that make those sites easier to use, and even build basic apps totally from scratch.