Where to Get the Best Free Education Online

Going out to college is cool but it can also make you flat busted. Rent, books, meal - the college expenses list can go endless.

But if you're not that degree freak, check out some of the best MOOCs (Massively Open Online Course) found for free. Keep in mind that they offer free courses online in the form of video podcasts, audio lectures, and written transcripts, but NOT college credits or degrees.

The Harvard Extension School's Open Learning Initiative made available the eight free Harvard courses on video format. You do not need to register just to watch the lecture videos. Sets, Counting and Probability, Abstract Algebra, Intensive Introduction to Computer Science are some of noncredit courses which are open to the public for free and are taught by eminent Harvard faculty. Browse their more than 600 evening and online courses, many offered for credit and at a reasonable tuition rate, if you are interested in exploring what else Harvard Extension School has to offer.

MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) web-based free open publication of MIT course content and materials that mirror almost all undergraduate and graduate courses taught at MIT. Because OCW is not a credit-bearing or degree-granting initiative, there is no registration or enrollment process. You may work through the materials at your own pace, and in whatever way you want.

Supported by a grant from William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (yeah, the ones behind HP computers), Open Yale Courses (OYC) offer their notable lectures and other instructional materials from some of their collegiate Yale courses free through internet. OYC covers the wide range of liberal arts disciplines, such as social sciences, humanities, and biological and physical sciences.

Each course has a set of class lectures produced in top-quality video along with other course materials like syllabi, problem sets, and suggested readings. The lectures are available in downloadable videos, audio-only version, and written transcripts. Prominent Yale scientists and scholars who teach excellent courses at the undergraduate introductory level take part in Open Yale Courses.

Taught by regular Stanford faculty, Stanford Free Online Courses are particularly interactive and envisioned to continue Stanford's leadership in providing excellent education to its students and to the world. Like other MOOC, you don't get credit for your work, but with Stanford, you will receive a statement of accomplishment if you successfully completed a course. The classes are offered on many different delivery platforms like Coursera, Class2Go, and Venture Lab.

Free online courses solve a number of other needs which cannot be handled by regular schools and are not intended to replace formal degrees at a reputable degree-granting school.

Why Counseling Is Important Before Committing To Distance Learning Education Courses?

Importance of Counseling

Counseling for students before starting with distance learning education courses is important to ensure that the chosen course is appropriate for students. Generally, this process is organized and governed by authorized professionals. This helps students to understand their goals and set their priorities right for the academic future. Here are a few topics that are discussed in the counseling process.

· Theory of Education

· Psychology of intellectual development

· Career Counseling

· Planning for educational career

· Cross-Cultural Counseling

Counseling is a part of educational development that ensures a bright future for students.

Objectives of This Therapy

Counseling has multiple objectives that work in favor of students. Building a strong academic foundation for future is the main objective of this process. Let us talk about a few other objectives of counseling.

· It helps students to learn about their social responsibilities and reduces communication gap between teachers and learners.

· It is not about providing a set of rules to students, but to encourage them to follow a certain process that includes information exchange, advising, and counseling.

· As this process is organized prior to the start of education program, therefore, students get better confidence about their choice of the course that they are about to pursue.

· Throughout the session, counselor's knowledge of courses helps the students. This helps them to make the right decision.

· Counseling is not about lecturing; it is all about finding the most suitable way to gain success in education through debate and discussion.

· Some of the students often feel troubled making decisions when it comes to distance education. However, with the help of counseling, students overcome their fear and make bold decisions for life.

What these Sessions are based on?

Counseling therapy depends on the acceptance, genuineness, and empathy of the counselor. However, there are different types of subjects that make this therapy a success. This therapy teaches a few basic skills to the students that help them in completing the assignments. The manner of counseling changes according to the course that an individual student wishes to pursue. It offers a clinical experience to the students and helps them to be more clear-minded regarding the long career ahead of them. Here are a few parts of counseling that changes in respect to the distance learning education course.

· Theory of Counseling

· Counseling philosophies to make ethical decision

· Management of information

· Counseling of vocational or writing issues

So, counseling is one of the most important parts of distance learning education courses.