Tis the season of back-to-school; where children with filled backpacks hop aboard buses and college students with packed cars drive to their dorm rooms.
To this very day, I find this time of year thrilling and exciting! Although some of that excitement is due to the laundry list of new materials and supplies, there is no doubt that my excitement is about education in general. My passion for learning is something I know will stick with me throughout my life and so I am always on the lookout for new opportunities and ways to continue to satisfy my knowledge-kick.
This summer, I came across a fantastic site designed for specifically this purpose - Coursera, "is an education platform that partners with top universities and organizations worldwide, to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free."
Over 120 partners worldwide (top universities and organizations) have designed over one thousand courses. Available to the general public, Coursera offers a wide variety of subjects, each as unique as the professor. Some courses are only offered for limited periods of time, while others are available on a continuous enrollment schedule. Getting started is incredibly easy, just create a profile, search the catalog, and enroll. Best part: it's free!
For those interested in knowing more about music, there are over 30 music-based courses including "Introduction to Classical Music" from Yale University, the "Modern Musician" from Berklee College of Music, and "The Music of the Beatles" from University of Rochester. For musicians already in the field, there are a variety of other tools I'd recommend including courses on Finance, Entrepreneurship, Intro to Public Speaking, and Online Teaching.
You don't need to be a student, parent or teacher in order to join the season of learning! Take a moment and browse the course catalog. I highly recommend it - you never know what unique courses might peak your interest!