Online courses directory (119)

Gamification is the integration of game elements into a non-game setting

Geography is the study of the physical features of the Earth and its atmosphere including landscape development, weather and climate, and geologic concepts as well as the influence of human activity including cultural, economic, and political activity on those physical features.  Geography students, as they study the many aspects of our physically and culturally diverse world, tend to become more adept at tasks that require both spatial and critical thinking skills. World Regional Geography covers the basic elements noted above but within a regional context.  Ultimately, World Regional Geography is concerned with the physical and human characteristics that make the regions of our world distinctive.  As you progress through the course, the units will discuss each major world region in detail, placing particular emphasis on cultural and societal structures.  Regions will be discussed within a global framework in the hope that you will gain a better comprehension of how the world map is being defined a…

For parents and teachers. Learn about the many ways you can coach children to make/save money and become entrepreneurs.

Students want to know their instructor. This challenges online faculty to integrate technologies, such as avatars, video, and social media, to introduce their digital personalities and enhance learners’ experiences. This is called “humanizing,” which, according to DuCharme-Hansen, Dupin-Bryant, 2005 “reduces the psychological distance between the students and the instructor.” As online learning initiatives continue to expand, so does the need to leverage new learning technology to ensure students feel connected and engaged with the instructor and the course material. Course Objectives: Learn how to integrate educational technology tools into an online course with an emphasis on technology that can create an instructor presence or increase personal interaction. Share insights and suggestions about how to “humanize” online courses by maximizing the use of flexible educational technology tools. Demonstrate how technology-facilitated interactions can make instructors and learners more "real" online and how this correlates with student learning and retention. DuCharme-Hanson, R. and Dupin-Bryant, P. (2005). Course Planning for Online Adult Learners. Tech Trends March/April 49 (2), 31-39.

Are you an educator? Double your impact by taking advantage of both the classroom and online environments. Explore methods to effectively combine the two formats and build a class community that engages students and supports active learning in any subject area. For educators both new and experienced. To receive a certificate of completion from the instructor the students must complete one of two options for the final project.

Voxopop is a Web application program that can be used by teachers and trainers as an online learning tool to create forums where questions are asked using voice recordings instead of text. It can be used to help students develop their oral speaking skills by having students reply to questions using voice recorded answers and by hearing the recorded answers from other students. This online language learning tool is particularly useful in language teaching, where a teacher can post a question in the language they are teaching and have students respond orally to the question in the same language. In this free online language learning course about Voxopop you will learn how to join and use Voxopop, create talk-groups and initiate discussion forums to get people discussing a topic, and how to be notified when someone responds. This free language learning course will be of great interest to teachers and trainers who would like to see how this Web application program can help them improve the oral skills of their students especially in relation to language teaching.<br />

French is spoken by 110 million native speakers, is an official language in 29 countries and has 190 million non-native speakers around the world. This free online course is ideal for learners who have had some exposure to the French language and want to continue improving their knowledge and understanding of both grammar and vocabulary of this wonderful language. You will start this free course by improving your pronunciation skills. This is followed by learning more useful vocabulary and further expanding your ability to count numbers in French. You will also improve your understanding and knowledge of grammar rules, in particular, the use of adjectives, adverbs and pronouns. This course will be of interest to business professionals doing business in French speaking countries and who would like to communicate more effectively with their French speaking colleagues, and to individual students learning French who would like to continue improving their understanding of this language.<br />

Instructional Systems Design is the process of designing and developing instructional courses or materials that bring greater efficiency and effectiveness to acquiring knowledge or skills for learners. This free online course in Instructional Systems Design reviews important aspects such as learning theories and learning objectives and how they influence the design process. It also reviews the role of memory, needs analysis, and design models such as ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation). Robert Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction are also discussed with examples of their application and use. Finally, learning technologies and how they are used to deliver training are reviewed, as well as techniques for measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of the instructional materials. This course will be of great interest to all human resources, teaching and training professionals who are involved in training, instructional design and e-learning, and who would like to learn more about important aspects of instructional systems design and their use and application in designing and developing highly effective instructional materials or courses.<br />

Introduction to Openness in Education provides a broad overview of the ways in which openness impacts many areas of education

For teachers and trainers to fulfil their instructional role most effectively, their teaching methods must be grounded in educational learning theory. Understanding the learning process is a key element of educational learning theory and provides a framework for teachers and trainers to plan, create and deliver effective lessons, and assess each student's learning. In this free online education course, you will be introduced to the learning process. The course begins by differentiating between teaching and learning, and by describing teachers’ and trainers’ perspectives on learning. The course provides details about two major learning theories: behaviourism and constructivism. Within the section on Behaviourism, operant conditioning and its implications for teaching are examined in detail. The section on Constructivism compares and contrasts two subtypes of constructivism: psychological constructivism and social constructivism. Finally, the implications of constructivism for teaching are discussed using two practical strategies. This free online education course will be of great interest to professionals in the education sector who would like a greater knowledge and understanding of the learning process that will enhance their teaching and training, and to all students who are interested in the process of how we learn.<br />

Sixth-grade Language Arts marks a turning point for you in your academic career. After developing and practicing the skills necessary to develop a strong foundation for your success at the elementary level, you are now ready to embark on the next step in your journey as a reader and writer. Based on the Common Core State Standards, this course will help you grow as a reader and writer of both literary and informational text. You will read a number of complex, thematically related narratives, short stories, extended informational texts, and nonfiction articles. You will learn to analyze these varied texts, to identify key ideas and details, to compare and contrast major text elements, and to distinguish between those claims supported by evidence and those that are not. You will then try your hand at writing your own arguments and supporting them with research-based evidence, and you will work to improve your writing by taking it through the steps of the writing process. In your own life, these reading and wr…

Eighth-grade English Language Arts will provide you with a strong foundation for high school. Grounded in Common Core State Standards, the content of this course emphasizes critical reading, writing, and thinking. You will read and analyze high-quality literary and informational texts. You will write original texts in multiple genres. Language and its conventions will be emphasized throughout, and opportunities to examine the spoken word will be provided as well. Whether you choose to pursue higher education or the world of work, or both, you will be expected to have certain basic skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. While you probably won’t be expected to write a poem on command, you will have to be able to express yourself clearly when you write and speak. This course includes challenging material which will help you build the skills you need to begin high school. As you progress through your remaining years as a student, you will continue to add and build upon the skills and knowledge yo…

English II is the second in a sequence of English courses for high school students. These courses seek to give you the necessary reading, writing, thinking, and research skills to find success in college or the workplace. As the second course, English II challenges you to look deeper within a text for its meaning and provide thoughtful, analytical, and persuasive responses. You will be expected to build literary analysis from the texts as well as outside sources of knowledge. You will first learn to dissect a text for varied levels of meaning, how to interpret this meaning with a critical eye, and how to look beyond the text for its relevance. You will then be expected to read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts of different lengths, complexities, and genres, and respond to them through questions, annotations, independent research, and essay writing. Texts and assignments will gradually increase in rigor, challenging you to improve the efficacy and complexity of your analysis and writing skills. Bec…

English III, American Literature, explores the literature of America from the narratives of the early colonists to the foundational documents of our forefathers, and the literature of our modern times. In English III, you will gain a firm grasp of the various literary periods throughout American history as well as the ability to analyze different genres and styles of notable American authors. As you progress through the course, you will gain an appreciation for American literature and an understanding of how the literature of the day acted as a reflection of the historical period from which it evolved. This course will also give you the opportunity to hone your own writing skills as you identify the characteristics of effective writing for a variety of different purposes and audiences.

Eighth-grade English Language Arts will provide you with a strong foundation for high school. Grounded in Common Core State Standards, the content of this course emphasizes critical reading, writing, and thinking. You will read and analyze high-quality literary and informational texts. You will write original texts in multiple genres. Language and its conventions will be emphasized throughout, and opportunities to examine the spoken word will be provided as well. Whether you choose to pursue higher education or the world of work, or both, you will be expected to have certain basic skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. While you probably won

English II is the second in a sequence of English courses for high school students. These courses seek to give you the necessary reading, writing, thinking, and research skills to find success in college or the workplace. As the second course, English II challenges you to look deeper within a text for its meaning and provide thoughtful, analytical, and persuasive responses. You will be expected to build literary analysis from the texts as well as outside sources of knowledge. You will first learn to dissect a text for varied levels of meaning, how to interpret this meaning with a critical eye, and how to look beyond the text for its relevance. You will then be expected to read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts of different lengths, complexities, and genres, and respond to them through questions, annotations, independent research, and essay writing. Texts and assignments will gradually increase in rigor, challenging you to improve the efficacy and complexity of your analysis and writing skills. Bec…

English III, American Literature, explores the literature of America from the narratives of the early colonists to the foundational documents of our forefathers, and the literature of our modern times. In English III, you will gain a firm grasp of the various literary periods throughout American history as well as the ability to analyze different genres and styles of notable American authors. As you progress through the course, you will gain an appreciation for American literature and an understanding of how the literature of the day acted as a reflection of the historical period from which it evolved. This course will also give you the opportunity to hone your own writing skills as you identify the characteristics of effective writing for a variety of different purposes and audiences.

Eighth-grade English Language Arts will provide you with a strong foundation for high school. Grounded in Common Core State Standards, the content of this course emphasizes critical reading, writing, and thinking. You will read and analyze high-quality literary and informational texts. You will write original texts in multiple genres. Language and its conventions will be emphasized throughout, and opportunities to examine the spoken word will be provided as well. Whether you choose to pursue higher education or the world of work, or both, you will be expected to have certain basic skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. While you probably won

People sometimes think that math is just about number crunching. However, that’s not always the case. Patterns and letters (called variables) are used in math to help represent real-life situations. In addition to learning about variables, parts of this course will help you see a side of math you might not have even realized is out there. This course includes six units. Topics covered include multiplication and division of fractions, ratio reasoning, unit rates, expressions, equations, area, surface area, volume, and statistics. As you work through the six units, you will notice that some of the material builds on your prior knowledge, while some of the concepts will be new ideas that will serve as building blocks for your future math career. In unit 1, you will build on your current understanding of fractions, multiplication, and division to understand why the procedures for multiplying and dividing fractions make sense. The number system in its basic sense is probably already familiar to you. During…

Numbers are everywhere. When we are shopping we are faced with decimals. In our cooking, we work with fractions. When it comes to the stock market, we can see positives and negatives. In this course, we will we focus on these rational numbers and understanding the operations when working with them. This course includes five units with rational numbers used throughout. In Unit 1, we will build on our skills with integers, decimals, and fractions, with a focus on the properties that are at the heart of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. These skills are used to help build an understanding of proportional relationships through ratios, rates, and scale drawings, and similar figures in Unit 2. Variables will join the rational numbers in Unit 3 so that real-life mathematical problems can be expressed and solved. Mathematical reasoning will continue to grow in this unit as simple equations and inequalities are used to model different real-life scenarios. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes…