Free Online Education Courses

Education is a broad field that involves the study and practical application of teaching kindergarten through 12th grade students in both public and private schools. College education programs are categorized into many specialty areas of teaching, typically at the middle and high school levels, which include subjects like mathematics, English, science, history, art education, health, and more. In addition, the area of general education is sufficient to learn didactic theory and methodology for teaching at the primary school level, which consists of kindergarten through 5th grade. Some online courses in education focus on early childhood education, which involves the study of development of three to five year olds, as well as literacy and creative expression for this age group.

Online education courses prepare students with the knowledge and skills necessary to manage and instruct a classroom by focusing on two main areas of concentration: cognitive development (the study of problem solving, decision making, and information processing abilities in children and adolescents) and learning theories (the study of how information is acquired). The general component of all education courses, however, is learning how to transmit information through instruction to students.

Why Take Free Online Education Courses?

An online education course can teach you the theories and principles of education and teaching, participating in hands-on practicum is essential to learn how to apply educational theory and eventually become a teacher.Online education classes are effective for learning about the perspective of educators, educational psychology, motivational techniques, and diversity in the classroom. Taking these courses can prepare you to answer questions like:

  • Classroom instruction techniques and how they differ between different student age groups.
  • The impact of demonstration and observational teaching methods.
  • The difference between classic and behavioral conditions of teaching.
  • Developing lesson plans to suit children of different skill levels.
  • Techniques used to teach children with language barriers.

Find Free Online Education Courses

Below is an organized directory of free education courseware, which includes text files, video lectures, presentations, and more from colleges around the world. This courseware is a great resource to explore the field of education before officially enrolling in an online education class for credit.

Subjects

Education (9)

Teaching Students with Special Needs: Behaviour ManagementUniversity of South Queensland

Open Courseware

Community Education, Youth Development
Taught by: Barry Fields

Course Description:

These community education online course materials are from a 2008 course at the University of Southern Queensland, and will teach you about approaches to behavior management and classroom discipline. It also encourages you to develop and justify a method for behavior management, using the concepts from the course. This course has no prerequisites, though you should already have a background in education, as it is a graduate level course.

Education 173: Cognition & Learning in Educational SettingsUniversity of California, Irvine

Open Courseware

Psychology, Educational Psychology
Taught by: Michael Martinez

Course Description:

This education online course is a good choice if you are interested in learning about how people learn. These undergraduate course materials, originally created for a 2007 course at the University of California, will teach you about topics such as behaviorism, memory, cognitive processes, and how people think about their own thinking. To use some of the materials offered in this open course, you will need a way of viewing PowerPoint slides.

Technology and SocietyUniversity of South Queensland

Open Courseware

Sociology, Counselor Education
Taught by: David Thorpe

Course Description:

You can use the resources from this counselor education online course to become more familiar with how society interacts with science and engineering professions, and how the culture at large views this work. This course requires no additional programs or coursework to understand, and is taught at an undergraduate level. The course package includes lecture notes, study modules, exams, and assignments that you can use to make sure you are learning the content successfully.

Special Topics: Open Educational Resources and the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan

Open Courseware

Technology Education
Taught by: Joseph Hardin

Course Description:

You will learn about the open courseware movement and the methods and methodologies being used to further it in this graduate-level technology education online course. Last updated in 2012, the course will instruct you on online and library-based tools for learning and for course development, as well as unique challenges which arise from matters such as copyright law. Your guide will be the University of Michigan's open courseware project, and no special technology or software is needed to attend the course -- although you will need to be able to access the internet and read PDF files.

PE for MEMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Open Courseware

Physical, Cognitive, Intelligence, PE
Taught by: Noah Riskin, Prof. Alex Slocum, Aline Newton

Course Description:

MIT’s Noah Riskin, Professor Alex Slocum, and Aline Newton originally taught this undergraduate course in 2005. A joint DAPER/ME offering for both PE and academic credit, it uses the MIT gymnastics gym as a laboratory to explore Physical Intelligence as applied to Mechanical Engineering and design. Physical Intelligence is the inherent ability of the sensing, thinking, moving human body to function in accord with its physical environment. Readings, discussions, and experiential learning will introduce you to various dimensions of Physical Intelligence, which you’ll then apply to the design of innovative exercise equipment.

Introduction to Open EducationUtah State University

Open Courseware

Open, Education, Copyright, Licensing, Learning, Thinking, Writing
Taught by: Professor David Wiley, Ph.D.

Course Description:

This introductory online course, originally taught by Professor David Wiley Ph.D., in 2007, will give you a firm understanding of the field of open education, which strives to give all students access to higher learning. You will explore topics like copyright, licensing, and sustainability; learn how to find open education; and begin thinking, writing, and communicating creatively and critically about current and alternative practices in open education.

Research for the Classroom TeacherUtah State University

Open Courseware

Model, Teaching, Classroom
Taught by: Professor Nick Eastmond, Ph.D.

Course Description:

In this online course in education, Professor Nick Eastmond instructs classroom teachers how to design and carry out research using a method called Guided Design, which encourages students to read specific pieces of content, and then apply what they learned from that content to real-world problems. You must have Adobe Flash Player 9 and Adobe Reader 8 to take this course.

Preschool Learning Standards and GuidelinesUniversity of Massachusetts Boston

Open Courseware

Preschool, Early, Childhood, Education
Taught by: Professor Angi Stone - MacDonald, Ph.D.

Course Description:

This online course in early education from Professor Angi Stone-MacDonald, Ph.D., will equip professionals with the knowledge and skills to teach each content area according to the preschool learning guidelines, or state standards. This module will explain each part of the standard and give examples of how to teach it within an integrated curriculum. Through presentations, online resources, readings, and assignments, students will gain knowledge of the components of each area: mathematics, English language arts, science and technology/engineering, the arts, health education, history, and social science.

TennisMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Open Courseware

Tennis, Techniques, Tactics
Taught by: Prof. Carol Matsuzaki

Course Description:

Professor Carol Matsuzaki originally taught this undergraduate course in 2007. The instructional video and images will introduce you to tennis and give you a working knowledge of the popular sport. The course will focus on basic stroke techniques and variations, which will be practiced via on-court drills and games. Both singles and doubles tactics will be covered.