Online courses directory (4179)
With each American Presidential election there is always great interest in both the U.S. and around the world in how the American political system actually nominates candidates who run for the positions of President and Vice President, and how a President is elected. In this free online American civics course you will be introduced to the process of primary elections and/or caucuses that are held in each U.S state and territory, and are an integral part of the nominating process for the Presidential election. You will also learn about the Electoral College sytem which is an institution that officially elects the President and Vice President every four years. Once a President is elected he must then form a Cabinet whose members are the heads of the fifteen federal executive departments. You will learn how the executive branch of the U.S. government runs its affairs by examining case studies in areas such as funding social security, introducing taxes, and controlling government deficits and expenditure. This free online course will be of great interest to all learners who would like to learn more about the American political system. This course will also complement the free online course titled 'U.S. Citizenship Test Preparation' which is available on ALISON and is the ideal course to study for anyone who is preparing for the U.S. Citizenship Test.<br />
Fundamentals of Biology focuses on the basic principles of biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and recombinant DNA. These principles are necessary to understanding the basic mechanisms of life and anchor the biological knowledge that is required to understand many of the challenges in everyday life, from human health and disease to loss of biodiversity and environmental quality.
Course Format
This course has been designed for independent study. It consists of four units, one for each topic. The units can be used individually or in combination. The materials for each unit include:
- Lecture Videos by MIT faculty.
- Learning activities, including Interactive Concept Quizzes, designed to reinforce main concepts from lectures.
- Problem Sets you do on your own and check your answers against the Solutions when you're done.
- Problem Solving Video help sessions taught by experienced MIT Teaching Assistants.
- Lists of important Terms and Definitions.
- Suggested Topics and Links for further study.
- Exams with Solution Keys.
Content Development
Eric Lander
Robert Weinberg
Tyler Jacks
Hazel Sive
Graham Walker
Sallie Chisholm
Dr. Michelle Mischke
Other Versions
Other OCW Versions
OCW has published multiple versions of this subject. ![]()