Online courses directory (19947)

This free online environmental course explores a number of major global phenomena at play including deforestation, climate change and drought. The course then delves into the socioeconomic consequences of these effects. This free, self-paced online tutorial is an ideal complement to traditional textbook learning. Teachers can treat the course as a resource and assign specific areas to students. The course can also be used as a stand-alone introduction to the various facets of environmental biodiversity and its key political and social corollaries.

Present Value is one of the most widely used concepts in the financial world as its calculation can determine the current worth of a future sum of money or stream of cash flow given a specified rate of return. Determining the appropriate discount rate is the key to properly valuing future cash flows, whether they be earnings coming in or obligations going out. This free online financial economics course reviews what the concept of present value is all about and discusses how to calculate the present value using simple calculations. You will learn why the calculation of present value is extremely important in many financial calculations such as net present value, bond yields, spot rates, and pension obligations. Having completed this free course you will be able to calculate present value to help you decide whether you should accept a cash rebate, 0% financing on the purchase of a car or to pay points on a mortgage. This course will be of interest to professionals in the accounting and financial services sectors, to accounting, finance or economics students, or to the general public who wish to understand the concept of present value and how its calculation can help them with their personal finances.<br />

This course enables students to develop their understanding of research methods, and confidence in designing a research project, choosing and executing appropriate methods, and assessing its intellectual/academic rigour.

Participants will learn the elements of research methods and design that are essential to the translation of knowledge into clinical practice, administration/leadership, and health policy.

Risk and reward are two important elements of investment. An investor expects that the more risk that is taken with an investment the higher the reward should be. In this free online course the learner will be introduced to the role of risk and reward in investment and the different types of risk and reward that are available depending on the type of investment. The course also compares investment with consumption and how investment during property bubbles can actually destroy wealth. This online course will be of great interest to professionals in the areas of finance and investments, and to all learners who would like to learn more about the risks and rewards of investments.<br />

This course will show you how to read and comprehend some of the best poetry from the Romantic Era.

Learn about the intercultural communication process using Russian –Western communication as an example. Look at the interrelations between different contexts (cultural, institutional, professional, social, interpersonal) of communication focusing on cultural history and national psychology of Russians.

Understanding Social Change is the last in a series of four free online courses that will give you an understanding of how society changes through social movements and how these changes are researched. You will learn about the role of social movements in a changing society, and why and how these movements form and evolve over time. You will learn about crowds and collective behaviour along with the emerging norms in a society. You will learn about how sociological research is carried out using scientific methods and the different methods used, such as surveys and field research as well as ethical considerations that need to be considered when doing research. The course also reviews key social areas, such as aging, media, technology and deviance. You will learn how sociology defines deviance or non-conformity and how it differs from crime. For example, Rosa Parks violated social norms when she refused to move to the &quot;black section&quot; of a bus, yet her &quot;deviant behaviour&quot; advanced civil rights for all African Americans. You will also look at how crime is categorized and the different areas of the criminal justice system. The course then reviews how new technologies, particularly in the area of the media, impact societies globally and the divide between those who have early access to new technology and those who don't. You will also study the effect new media, television and advertising have on social homogenization and social fragmentation. As the role of the elderly in society changes, you will learn how this impacts on their lives through the need to work longer, and by being disenfranchised and sometimes abused. The course reviews how society will need to plan for and fund more resources in the future to support a growing elderly population. This course will be of great interest to professionals in areas as diverse as medicine, politics, law, urban organization and marketing, and anybody who would like to know more about how cultures and societies evolve and change.<br />

How to Measure Social Media and Become Influential Online

Learn how to compute and apply basic excel statistical functions using EXCEL 2010.

Student development and student diversity need to be studied and understood simultaneously. While there are general similarities between students, ultimately every student develops in a different way depending on a variety of social, cognitive, cultural and gender-related factors. This course aims to further your understanding of student development and diversity. The course discusses physical, cognitive, social and moral development of students in detail. Key development theories are examined and practical classroom examples are supplied to engage the learner. Vital information about student diversity is also presented. It zones in on two core elements of student diversity: gender and culture. 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 student development and diversity, and to all students who are interested in development and diversity in education.<br />

Understanding Supply Chain Ecosystems is a free online course that describes how a system of organizations, people, activities, information, and resources are involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. The course describes how modern supply chains have evolved into complex international networks, which can no longer be adequately described using the linear concept of a ‘chain’. You will learn how modern supply chain ecosystems now comprise of a network of companies, countries and their governments, social and political organisations, natural, industrial (clusters), financial and human resources, delivery infrastructure including logistics and IT, and knowledge of the industrial environment. You will see how within these ecosystems, each configuration is unique to the particular enterprise that owns that supply chain. This free online course will be of great interest to all professionals who work in the areas of operations management, logistics, procurement and information technology, and to all learners who are interested in developing a career in the area of supply chain management. <br />

The course Understanding Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) introduces the learner to the multitude of risks that threaten the operation of supply chains at national and global levels. In the previous course we looked at Supply Chain Ecosystems and supply risk involves adverse and unexpected changes to any elements of a supply chain ecosystem. The aim of SCRM is to reduce supply chain vulnerability by identifying and managing risks within the supply chain and external to it. The course gives examples of resource uncertainties, characteristics of Wicked problems, and describes the elements of a cyber attack. It also lists the six strategies to reduce overall risk exposure. This free online course will be of great interest to all professionals who work in the areas of operations management, logistics, procurement and information technology, and to all learners who are interested in developing a career in the area of supply chain management.<br />

Systems analysis is the methodical investigation of a problem and the identification and ranking of alternative solutions to the problem. Systems analysis is often called structured systems analysis when certain “structured” tools and techniques, such as Data Flow Diagrams, are used in conducting the analysis. This free online course in Understanding Systems Analysis enables the learner to study systems development and analysis and the types of management that are needed when a business is planning on process re-engineering. The course will be of interest to business professionals who would like to gain a basic knowledge and understanding of systems analysis.<br /><br />

The subtitle of this course for the spring 2003 term is "American Television: A Cultural History." The class takes a cultural approach to television's evolution as a technology and system of representation, considering television as a system of storytelling and myth-making, and as a cultural practice, studied from anthropological, literary, and cinematic perspectives. The course focuses on prime-time commercial broadcasting, the medium's technological and economic history, and theoretical perspectives. There is much required viewing as well as readings in media theory and cultural interpretation.

This course will explore questions relating to the who, what and how of terrorism studies, by introducing students to cutting-edge research and the experts investigating these topics.

The recent financial credit crisis in America has profoundly affected not just the American economy but the global economy as a whole. The American economy is showing some signs of recovery recently but the standard of living for many Americans has decreased and will take several years to recover. This free online course reviews how the credit crisis started in America. The course will discuss how credit loans in America became easier to obtain, and how many people funded their lifestyle changes through these cheap credit loans. This in turn led to a housing bubble and when this housing bubble burst it adversely affected the wealth of many American citizens. The free course also reviews how the American government responded to the credit crisis by examining the bailout schemes for the American banking system implemented first by Hank Paulson and later by Timothy Geithner. This course will be of interest to all professionals in the housing, banking, finance and political sectors who would like to learn more about how the American financial credit crisis started and what its repercussions are, and to all learners who would like to understand the key factors which brought about the credit crisis and why it has adversely affected so many lives.<br />

This course will enable you to understand the workings of the Australian health care system. By following in the footsteps of patient journeys, you will gain an experiential understanding of how this multi-layered system operates in the context of the geographic, social and cultural landscapes of Australia and how to successfully navigate within this system.

This course will enable you to answer questions such as:

• Why are there multiple layers within this health care system?
• What are these layers and how are they funded?
• What is the role of insurance in this system?
• How are medicines regulated and made available in Australia?
• What services and roles are available in the Australian health care system?
• How can I facilitate patient journeys through the Australian health care system?

You will engage in many activities throughout this course to explore these and other questions.

Easy-to-understand teaching of photography, how to shoot in any mode of a digital camera & how to meter & measure light

Learn how the nervous system produces behavior, how we use our brain every day, and how neuroscience can explain the common problems afflicting people today.