If you have been following Mademoiselle Scientist you know that I enjoy learning. Whenever I find a resource I have to share it. My two favorite resources for online learning are Coursera.org and Edx.org. These two Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) sites are perfect if you want to learn something new now.
After a few years of using both of these MOOC sites: Coursera.org and Edx.org I have a good feel for what they have to offer. Both sites offer tons of courses in various subjects taught by professors from universities around the world. Whether you want to earn a certificate, learn a new subject area, enhance your knowledge for your career or enroll in a multiple-course specialization unit Coursera.org and Edx.org are perfect for you.
Both MOOC sites have apps available for smartphones and tablets which make learning on-the-go easy. I prefer to use my computer to take my courses and I like to use Microsoft OneNote to take notes. It helps me keep the information organized with a digital notebook feel.
After using both MOOCs I can honestly say you can’t go wrong with Coursera.org or Edx.org. Both will give you a great digital learning experience to help you in your career. Whether you are an undergraduate, graduate, professional or thinking about learning something new I’m sure you will find a course that fits your needs. I recommend creating an account for both to keep track of what courses are available. There are so many courses and you don’t want to miss out.
Every course has helped me gain knowledge that will help me succeed in my career. I highly recommend Virology I and II (Coursera.org) by Dr. Vincent Racaniello, Vaccines (Coursera.org), Epidemics – the Dynamics of Infectious Diseases (Coursera.org), and How to Survive Your Ph.D. by Dr. Inger MewBurn (Edx.org). It is so amazing how resources like this are available on the internet.
This year I am looking forward to the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) Course: Advancing Learning through Evidence-Based STEM Teaching Course on Coursera.org that starts June 1, 2016. *Update: The course was amazing and CIRTL is just a great resource for STEM Education in general. If you are interested in STEM education, STEM Teaching or want to become an academic researcher or faculty member then this is the course for you. CIRTL has many resources if you are interested in how to make the learning experience better.
If you want to learn more about Coursera.org or Edx.org check out these blog posts: Coursera post and Edx post.
How do you feel about MOOCs? Have you tried them? Share below.