15 Great Opencourseware options to increase your knowledge for free

One of the great things about technology is the ability you have to access a great deal of useful information. Additionally, you can learn just about anything with the help of the Internet. This includes access to a world class education. Many colleges and universities offer full courses online, allowing you to study at Harvard or MIT.

Naturally, you can’t expect to get credit when you access free open courseware. And you certainly won’t end up with a degree. But if you are looking for is a little extra knowledge and some enrichment, there are plenty of free options out there. Some collections even include complete syllabi, assignments, tests and labs. Here are 15 great opencourseware options that can help you improve your knowledge:

1. MIT: The prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology has one of the best opencourseware collections in the world. Take online classes from the institution that started it all.
2. iTunes U: iTunes offers audio and video files of more than 350,000 lectures from around the world. Includes such schools as Standford and Harvard.
3. UC Berkeley: Get access to a number of webcasts from UC Berkeley. Includes course lectures as well as special lectures and events.
4. The Open University: A number of options from this U.K. based online university. Interesting courses from art to psychology to physics.
5. YouTube EDU: This awesome resource is for legit courseware only. No videos of cats doing silly things. Includes lectures from UCLA, Stanford, Purdue, Auburn and more.
6. Khan Academy: This is one of my favorite educational sites. There are plenty of videos on different subjects and concepts, and self-pace exercises. One of the biggest boosters for Khan Academy? Bill Gates.
7. Connexions: This opencourseware collection is offered by Rice University. You can learn about a number of different subjects, and even collaborate to share your own knowledge and expertise.
8. Columbia Interactive: Check out the opencourseware from Columbia University. Plenty of interesting events, courses, lectures and materials to keep you learning.
9. Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health: If health issues are of interest to you, this is a great option. You can learn about a variety of health subjects through these open courses.
10. MyCourses: This initiative from Harvard offers access to some of the Ivy League school’s offerings. Not overly extensive, the quality makes up for the lack of quantity.
11. Academic Earth: A great collection of online courses, as well as video lectures and more. A fabulous collection of thousands of resources from around the world.
12. BBC – Languages: This is awesome. The BBC offers free audio and video courses on different languages. Some of the most popular languages, including French, Spanish, German, Italian and Chinese are offered.
13. Einztein: This is a social learning network that allows you to find courses from around the world. A great curator of information related to all things free online learning.
14. OCW Consortium: Check out this consortium of different resources related to open courseware. A great way to get access to a number of courses from some of the best schools out there.
15. Open Culture: This site represents a guide to free educational resources. Find out more about audiobooks, podcasts, videos, language lessons and more when you visit this web site.