Online courses directory (801)

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 />

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 />

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 />

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 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 />

The computer gaming industry has grown exponentially over the last 20 years and with this growth has come business and technical innovation on a scale never before imagined. EA Games is one of the largest game development companies in the world and is responsible for some of the major games such as James Bond and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. In this free online course we get an insight into the workings of EA Games as a company, how they manage their creative processes as well as their marketing strategies. The course also reviews their organisational structure, intellectual property, potential growth sectors and the future of online games. This course will be of interest to business, marketing and gaming entrepreneurs looking for inspiration to get them on the road to game development, as well as serious gamers seeking to understand the business processes needed to produce world-class computer games and companies.<br />

An outbreak of the Ebola virus has occurred in West African countries, and infected individuals have died in Spain and America. The mortality rate from the Ebola virus is extremely high and an outbreak of the virus can have serious consequences for the health of individuals who are infected by it, and on the health resources of communities and countries where the outbreak occurs. This free online health literacy course from ALISON will explain in clear and simple terms what the Ebola virus is, where the outbreak has occurred, what the signs and symptoms of an infection are, how an infection is treated, and how to avoid becoming infected. It also explains some common misunderstandings about the virus that can occur in communities where outbreaks happen. This course will be of great interest to any learner who lives in or near regions where an outbreak of the Ebola virus has occurred and who would like to learn more about the virus and how to avoid becoming infected. It will also be of great interest to all health workers would like a free resource to help individuals and communities better understand the Ebola virus and how an outbreak of it can be controlled.<br />

Since the late 1990s public spending in Greece was on the rise but revenue generated by the Greek economy did not keep pace. This resulted in a growing government deficit that was not made known to the European Central Bank. When the global economic downturn started in 2007 it added further to the Greek debt crisis and today Greece finds itself having been bailed out by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. This free online economics course looks at the key causes of how the economy of a modern European country can collapse. Different aspects of the Greek financial debt crisis are discussed, from rising debt-to-GDP ratios, to the fall in real growth resulting in recession. With falling investor confidence, Greece could no longer afford to borrow on the open market. They were bailed out by the EU and IMF with the proviso that the Greek government implement severe austerity measures. The Greek government and their EU partners are still negotiating about how to progress. You will learn about the options that are available including bailout and further austerity measures, debt default, or an exit from the Euro. The issues associated with each of these options are also discussed from both the Greek and EU perspectives. This free online economics course will be of great interest to finance and economics professionals who would like to learn more about the Greek financial crisis and to students interested in world or European economics and politics.<br />

Silicon Valley is an area located near San Francisco in California that is the headquarters for many world leading high-tech companies such as Apple, Google, Adobe Systems, eBay and Cisco to name just a few. Why has Silicon Valley this concentration of world-class companies? In this free online course John Roos of Wilson and Sonsini discusses what Silicon Valley stands for and why today it attracts so many leading entrepreneurs in technology, life sciences and high-potential start-up companies. The course reviews the core values upon which the success of Silicon Valley is based and which companies located there still value so highly today. John Roos talks about the key skills in finance, business, IT and law found in Silicon Valley that can turn a company from a start-up into a billion dollar company within a matter of years. He talks about the importance of taking a risk in business, and why not being willing to do so is a failure to begin with. This course will be of interest to all entrepreneurs and professionals in business, finance and IT who would like to know what factors are found in Silicon Valley that allow it produce so many world-class companies and perhaps how similar successful locations can be established elsewhere.<br />

Thermodynamics is a very important branch of science and engineering that studies the role of heat and its relation to energy and work. Having a good knowledge and understanding of thermodynamics is essential for working in many scientific and engineering disciplines such as physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, petroleum engineering and materials science. This free online course introduces you to the core concepts of thermodynamics such as the relationship between pressure, volume and temperature and how changes in one can affect the others. Examples are also given and worked out step by step. This course will be of great interest to professionals working in science and engineering disciplines who would like to learn more about the concepts behind thermodynamics, and to students who are studying physics, chemistry or engineering and who would like a greater knowledge and understanding of thermodynamics.

Knowing your market accurately and completely is a prerequisite for successful marketing. In this free online course three important concepts related to the topic of markets are presented: Defining the nature of markets, identifying the types of markets, and a discussion of product differentiation and market segmentation. This course will be of great interest to marketing and business professionals who wish to refresh the basics of marketing and to learners who are interested in business and wish to have a greater knowledge and understanding of the role marketing plays in the modern business world.<br />

Tien Tzuo is Chief Strategy Officer with Salesforce.com, and in this free online course he discusses why businesses must move their marketing strategy away from direct-marketing campaigns to online marketing. For online marketing to work he explains why businesses must understand how the 21st century customer learns about new products or services online through online buzz, online PR, and online dialogues. He explains that when designing a complex product, a business should create a layered product that allow customers choose how complex the functionality of the product should be, and that in the modern marketplace businesses must serve the customer by providing a free trial of the product. Businesses must also provide a post-sales service to customers. This course will be of interest to business professionals who would like to learn what practices a business should implement so that it can better understand its customers to drive sales of its products or services. It is also a useful course for any entrepreneur seeking to develop an online business.<br />

Eyejot is a Web application that can be used by teachers and trainers as an online learning tool where they get their students to record a video using a webcam. This video can then be posted on Eyejot for the teacher and other students to review. Eyejot has great potential for use in the classroom as an online learning tool. For example, a teacher can give their students a topic to practise talking about and the students can then record themselves practising alone or with another person and post the video on Eyejot. This online learning tool is particularly useful in language teaching, where students can record themselves speaking about different topics in a particular language. In this free online course about Eyejot you will learn how to create an account in Eyejot, record and send a video message, how to embed the video recording in a blog, how to save the video to your computer and how to import a list of contacts from your email address book. This course will be of great interest to teachers and trainers who want to integrate Web technologies into the teaching environment and who want to learn about using new Web applications that will greatly enhance the learning experience of their students.<br />

This free online course uses the Web-based e-mail service from Google™ called Gmail™, (Google Mail in the UK and Germany), to introduce you to the basics of e-mail in general, and how to use Gmail, specifically. Gmail is Web-based e-mail service, and is not dependent on your using email software loaded on your own personal computer, like for Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird. When using Gmail and other Web-based e-mail platforms, you can access your e-mail from any Internet-connected computer in the world. This free e-learning course shows you how to create Gmail accounts, get an e-mail address, and organize your Gmail account. <br />

Lyrics Training is a Web application that allows you to read and listen to the lyrics from music videos and can be used as a fun and interactive way for language teachers and trainers to introduce new vocabulary and grammar to their students in a classroom setting. This free online language learning course will introduce you to the features and functionality of Lyrics Training, you will learn how to choose a song in the language you are learning and listen to the lyrics of the song word by word. Lyrics Training allows students to fill in the lyrics as they go along, and the difficulty level they choose decides how many words in a sentence are missing and they must fill in. This online language learning tool is particularly useful for students of foreign languages who want a fun and entertaining way to learn the correct pronunciation of words and it will improve their listening skills as students must identify words from a song. This free language learning course will be of great interest to all language teachers and trainers who would like to learn more about Web 2.0 applications that can greatly improve the learning experience of their students, and to all learners who would like to learn about using Lyrics Training for a fun way of learning a new language.<br />

Skype has revolutionized online communications. This free online course shows you in a step-by-step manner how to download the Skype application, create a Skype account, add contacts to your list, and communicate using instant messaging, voice calls using a microphone and speakers, and video calls using a Webcam. Learn how to use Skype and you can communicate with family and friends around the world.<br />