Online courses directory (1728)

This course is part of the MITx MicroMasters program in Data, Economics, and Development Policy (DEDP). To audit this course, click “Enroll Now” in the green button at the top of this page.

To enroll in the MicroMasters track or to learn more about this program and how it integrates with MIT’s new blended Master’s degree, go to MITx’s MicroMasters portal. 

In this course, we will study the different facets of human development in topics such as education, health, gender, the family, land relations, risk, informal and formal norms, public policy, and institutions. While studying each of these topics, we will delve into the following questions:

• What determines the decisions of poor households in developing countries?
• What constraints are poor households subject to?
• What is the scope for policy interventions (implemented by the government, international organizations, or NGOs)?
• What policies have been tried out? Have they been successful?

At the same time, you will discover modern empirical methods in economics, in particular Randomized Control Trials (RCTs). Throughout the course, we will expose you to all facets of empirical projects, from experimental design and ethical issues, to data collection and data analysis.You will have the chance to gain experience working with real data using software for statistical analysis during weekly assignments.

This is the second course of “Four Facets of Contemporary Japanese Architecture” series, with the focus on the second facet: technology.

The technology portion will focus on works by architects who explored the use of technology—from techniques used for traditional crafts to computational processes—as a vehicle for their investigations into the conceptualization and production of architecture. Tadao Ando, Shigeru Ban, Manabu Chiba, Kengo Kuma, Kazuhiko Namba, and Yusuke Obuchi will visit their buildings to discuss the ideas behind their respective works.

Production Team

Music by Jun Miyake

Organized by (T_ADS) Kengo Kuma, Yusuke Obuchi, Toshihiko Kiuchi

Filmed by Hiromoto Oka

In this course, you’ll enter the mind of a professional game designer. You’ll learn how to design different types of games, understand the commonalities between them and learn what is at the core of every game design, including game balance and why it is key to game design.

Game designers work with a wide range of asset creators, programmers, producers, and others to bring a video game from concept to product.

In this course, you will learn about the different types of teams a game designer is a member of, both large and small.

You will also learn about the different roles of a development team and how game designers collaborate with others to successfully create and market a final product.

Some video game designers are programmers in their own right, and may have even come from that background to a designer’s role. Others have a less formal background. All video game designers should have a solid understanding of what programmers can and cannot do, how assets interact with code, what algorithmic thinking is and how to take advantage of the capabilities of different engines and tools.

Across organizations, managers are expected to have sound knowledge of finance and accounting. As part of their job, managers use large volumes of information produced by accounting systems to make business decisions every day.

This business and management course will show you how accounting information is relevant to managers, and how it can be processed and analyzed for effective managerial decision-making. By examining accounting information that is extensively used across three key managerial functions of planning, decision-making and controlling, the course equips non-finance managers with basic accounting and finance skills. This course also discusses activity based costing, which provides insight on the cost structure of products and services.

What sets this course apart is the practicing manager-centric approach that is a part of each week of the course. Whether you are a student or a practicing manager, this course will allow you to easily follow all topics and directly apply concepts in practice.

The "sense-and-correct" nature of feedback controllers make them an appealing choice for systems whose actuators, or environments, are highly variable. If the system also requires high performance (e.g. an industrial robot, a car, or an aircraft), the usual approach is to use a state-space feedback controller derived from a physics-based model. And when performance is less critical (e.g. for toys and appliances), the traditional choice has been to tune a low-cost proportional-derivative-integral (PID) controller.

Over the last few years, much has changed. The dramatic decline in the cost of accurate sensors and fast microcontrollers have made state-space controllers practical even for inexpensive toys. In addition, modeling approaches have become far more reliant on measurement and computation rather than physics and analysis. In this course, we examine the theory and application of this arc of alternatives to control, starting with PID, then moving to physical-modeling and state-space, and ending with state-space using measurement-based modeling. In each case, you will design and test controllers with your own copter-levitated arm, to solidify your understanding and to gain insight in to the practical issues.

PLEASE NOTE: This is intended to be an advanced course and students should have a background in linear algebra and differential equations, as well as some experience with control systems. IN ADDITION: THIS IS A BETA COURSE, THINGS WILL GO WRONG. We are testing a new type of on-line class, one where students use advanced concepts to design and then examine performance results on their own hardware. There will be difficulties, and we will be updating content and focus in response to student input.

Discover the big ideas and thinking practices in computer science plus learn how to code using one of the friendliest programming languages, Snap! (based on Scratch).

Computing has profoundly changed the world, opening up wonderful new ways for people to connect, design, research, play, create, and express themselves. However, just using a computer is only a small part of the picture. The real transformative and empowering experience comes when one learns how to program the computer, to translate ideas into code.

This course teaches students how to do exactly that, using Snap! (based on Scratch), one of the friendliest programming languages ever invented. It's purely graphical, which means programming involves simply dragging blocks around, and building bigger blocks out of smaller blocks. But this course is far more than just learning to program. We focus on seven big ideas (creativity, abstraction, data and information, algorithms, programming, the Internet, and global impact), and six computational thinking practices (connecting computing, creating computational artifacts, abstracting, analyzing problems and artifacts, communicating, and collaborating). Throughout the course, relevance is emphasized: relevance to the student and to society.

Topics include:

• Abstraction
• Programming Paradigms Algorithms
• Global Implications of Computing
• Lab-Based Topics: Snap! Programming, Conditionals and Abstraction, Lists and the Internet

This fun, introductory course is not just for computer science majors, it’s for everyone… join us!

Probability and inference are used everywhere. For example, they help us figure out which of your emails are spam, what results to show you when you search on Google, how a self-driving car should navigate its environment, or even how a computer can beat the best Jeopardy and Go players! What do all of these examples have in common? They are all situations in which a computer program can carry out inferences in the face of uncertainty at a speed and accuracy that far exceed what we could do in our heads or on a piece of paper.

In this data analysis and computer programming course, you will learn the principles of probability and inference. We will put these mathematical concepts to work in code that solves problems people care about. You will learn about different data structures for storing probability distributions, such as probabilistic graphical models, and build efficient algorithms for reasoning with these data structures.

By the end of this course, you will know how to model real-world problems with probability, and how to use the resulting models for inference.

You don’t need to have prior experience in either probability or inference, but you should be comfortable with basic Python programming and calculus.

“I love that you can do so much with the material, from programming a robot to move in an unfamiliar environment, to segmenting foreground/background of an image, to classifying tweets on Twitter—all homework examples taken from the class!” – Previous Student in the residential version of this new online course.

Technology has greatly altered how we write, listen to and enjoy music. This music course will show you how to apply new technologies to your own creative practice. Music Technology Foundations draws on Adelaide’s world-class pioneering expertise in making electronic music, to provide a great foundation to a career in music and to enable any learner to use technology in creative ways.

In Music Technology Foundations, you’ll learn about the core principles of music technology, including sound, audio, MIDI, effects and sequencing. Each week, you’ll complete creative practical tasks in freeware and browser based apps, and you’ll share the music you make with the course instructors and fellow learners. This practical work is underpinned with historical context and essential theory, so that you can gain even greater insight into your music.

Discover the big ideas and thinking practices in computer science plus learn how to code using one of the friendliest programming languages, Snap! (based on Scratch).

Computing has profoundly changed the world, opening up wonderful new ways for people to connect, design, research, play, create, and express themselves. However, just using a computer is only a small part of the picture. The real transformative and empowering experience comes when one learns how to program the computer, to translate ideas into code.

This course teaches students how to do exactly that, using Snap! (based on Scratch), one of the friendliest programming languages ever invented. It's purely graphical, which means programming involves simply dragging blocks around, and building bigger blocks out of smaller blocks. But this course is far more than just learning to program. We focus on seven big ideas (creativity, abstraction, data and information, algorithms, programming, the Internet, and global impact), and six computational thinking practices (connecting computing, creating computational artifacts, abstracting, analyzing problems and artifacts, communicating, and collaborating). Throughout the course, relevance is emphasized: relevance to the student and to society.

Topics include:

• Data and Information
• Complexity Theory
• Recursion, Lambda and Higher Order Functions
• Artificial Intelligence
• Human Computer Interaction
• Lab-based Topics: Algorithms and Data, Trees and Fractals, Recursion and Higher Order Functions

This fun, introductory course is not just for computer science majors, it’s for everyone… join us!

Plasma, the fourth state of matter, is by far the most abundant form of known matter in the universe. Its behavior is very different from the other states of matter we are usually familiar with. To understand it, a rigorous formalism is required. This is essential not only to explain important astrophysical phenomena, but also to optimize many industrial and medical applications and for achieving fusion energy on Earth.

This physics course, taught by world-renowned experts of the field, gives you the opportunity to acquire a basic knowledge of plasma physics. A rigorous introduction to the plasma state will be followed by a description of the models, from single particle, to kinetic and fluid, which can be applied to study its dynamics. You will learn about the waves that can exist in a plasma and how to mathematically describe them, how a plasma can be controlled by magnetic fields, and how its complex and fascinating behavior is simulated using today’s most powerful supercomputers.

This course is the first of two courses introducing plasma physics and its applications. After completing this course, you will have the prerequisites to enjoy Plasma Physics: Applications, which deals with plasma applications in astrophysics, industry, and nuclear fusion.

Have you ever wondered why you can play at a high level when you're practicing alone at home, but as soon as you play in front of other people, your hands start shaking, your heart starts racing, and everything begins to fall apart?

If you have ever felt crippled by anxiety, this four-module course is your first step to developing the psychological skills that will help you perform at your best under pressure.

Created by Juilliard’s Dr. Noa Kageyama, whose performance psychology classes are a favorite among Juilliard music students, the course combines applied exercises, insights gleaned from interviews with renowned performers, and research in performance psychology and motor learning.

You will learn how to overcome your fears around performing in front of an audience and discover how universal the experience of performance anxiety is amongst musicians at all levels – from beginner to professional.

The three psychological skills covered in this course are:

• Practice that Sticks;
• Beating Anxiety;
• Getting (and Staying) in the Zone.

Word of mouth is 10x as effective as advertising, and companies are shifting more of their marketing dollars to social media and word of mouth marketing as a result. Small businesses and entrepreneurs want to help their businesses grow but don’t have the money for big marketing campaigns. Word of mouth can help them grow for less money. But for all these efforts to be successful, managers have to understand how to get people to talk and share.

This course provides a step-by-step guide to getting anything to catch on.

• How does a product’s name, price, or other attributes change how people perceive it?
• What makes ideas memorable and message stick?
• How can we increase our influence and shape others’ behavior?
• Why is word of mouth ten times as effective as traditional advertising and how can we get people to talk about and share our product or idea?
• How can we leverage the power of social media and what are the right metrics to pay attention to?

You’ll learn the answer to these, and numerous other questions, while learning how all sorts of different businesses, from B2C to B2B, for-profits to non-profits, and large to small, have applied these insights to drive their success.

By the end of this course you’ll be able to craft contagious content, build stickier messages, leverage social media, and make any product or idea catch on. Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur, an employee in a big business, or leading a non-profit, this course will provide a roadmap to help you make your stuff more successful.

This course is especially useful for:

• Marketing managers
• Small business owners
• Product managers
• Entrepreneurs or start-up founders 
• Leading a non-profit
• Social media managers
• Advertising executives

This course is part of Wharton's Digital Marketing Professional Certificate. For more information, see here.

Maintaining a competitive advantage takes more than great timing or a single solution. Sustainable advantage requires a well-designed and well-executed strategy. This course was created to give you the tools and frameworks you need to develop and execute a successful strategy.

You’ll learn how to evaluate your own strategy, as well as how to locate sources of potential competitive advantage from a perspective that encompasses the internal, external, and dynamic fit of your strategy. You’ll also learn how to enhance your ability to assess the strategic impact of the moves of your competitors and how to maintain competitive advantage, understand the general drivers that create and sustain competitive advantage, and how to identify organizational barriers to change.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to assess and redesign your current strategy and develop plans for effective implementation to give your firm a competitive advantage.

Limited time only: master strategy for $199. Enroll now!

This physics course, taught by world-renowned experts in the field, will provide you with an overview of applications in plasma physics. From the study of far distant astrophysical objects over diverse applications in industry, to the ultimate goal of sustainable electricity generation from nuclear fusion.

In the first part of this course, you will learn how nuclear fusion powers our Sun and the stars in the Universe. You will explore the cyclic variation of the Sun’s activity, how plasma flows can generate large-scale magnetic fields, and how these fields can reconnect to release large amounts of energy, manifested for instance by violent eruptions on the Sun.

The second part of this course discusses the key role plasma applications play today in industry and medicine. After a brief survey of the field, you will study in detail how plasmas are generated and sustained in strong electric fields and how this knowledge can be used to avoid undesired occurrence of plasmas in the form of electrical arcs. You will then, in detail, study the transition region between plasma and material surface, called the sheath, and you will learn why its properties are indispensable for the manufacturing of today’s integrated circuits.

Finally, in the third and most extensive part of this course, you will familiarize yourself with the different approaches to fusion energy, the current status, and the necessary steps from present-day experimental devices towards a fusion reactor providing electricity to the grid.

After deriving the general conditions for net energy gain from fusion, we will focus on magnetic confinement fusion. You will learn about the key ingredients of a magnetic fusion reactor, how to confine, heat, and control fusion plasmas at temperatures of 100 million degrees Kelvin, explore the relevant transport mechanisms, and explore the challenges of plasma wall interactions and structural materials.

To enjoy this course on plasma applications, it is recommended to first familiarize yourself with the plasma physics basics taught in Plasma Physics: Introduction.

Want to listen to an opera for the first time?  Have you been listening to opera for your entire life? This course is suited for beginners and advanced opera listeners alike!

This course is an introduction to Italian opera, focusing on giving you the tools and experiences to become better students of opera. Act I will give you a toolbox of skills to listen for specific moments and gestures in opera. Act II will focus applying these skills to listening activities with your favorite Italian composers. At the end of the course, we will help you to carry these experiences beyond the course, encouraging you to become lifelong listeners and lovers of opera.

No previous knowledge of music or opera is necessary. Join us as we embark upon this community-focused journey to explore the wonders of Italian opera as it touches upon the human experience!

This course provides a broad foundation of statistical terms and concepts as well as an introduction to the R statistical software package. The topics covered are fundamental components of biostatistical methods used in both omics and population health research.

Working with biomedical big data presents many challenges; familiarity with common statistical terms and definitions, and understanding basic statistical theory will help you overcome those challenges.

Topic-specific information and examples will be followed by self-assessment opportunities for you to gauge your understanding. In addition, practice datasets and exercises will be provided for you to improve your R programming skills.

Hablar del cuidado del medio ambiente y la sostenibilidad parece tarea de todos, pero difícilmente en nuestras acciones cotidianas demostramos estar realmente conscientes de la importancia de conocer nuestra casa común para cuidar de ella.

Este es un curso introductorio para conocer los avances que, desde la ecología como disciplina científica se han logrado para mejorar la forma en la que todos los seres humanos interactuamos con nuestro planeta. El curso motivará pensamientos racionales tendientes al mejoramiento de las condiciones del medio ambiente y permitirá conocer aún más de eso de lo que todos hablan “el cuidado de nuestra casa común”

No es necesario tener conocimientos previos acerca de la ecología.

This literature course explores how great writers refract their world and how their works are transformed when they intervene in our global cultural landscape today.

No national literature has ever grown up in isolation from the cultures around it; from the earliest periods, great works of literature have probed the tensions, conflicts, and connections among neighboring cultures and often more distant regions as well.

Focusing particularly on works of literature that take the experience of the wider world as their theme, this course will explore the varied artistic modes in which great writers have situated themselves in the world, helping us to understand the deep roots of today's intertwined global cultures.

Texts/authors considered in the course:

• Goethe
• The Epic of Gilgamesh
• Homer, The Odyssey
• The 1001 Nights
• Voltaire, Candide
• Orhan Pamuk, My Name is Red
• Wole Soyinka, Death and the King's Horseman
• Lu Xun, Diary of a Madman
• Eileen Chang
• Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji Jorge
• Luis Borges, Ficciones
• Salman Rushdie and Jhumpa Lahiri
• The Lusiads

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