Online courses directory (1728)

Homer’s account of the Trojan War in the Iliad explores the effects of warfare upon Greeks and Trojans alike. It illustrates not only the challenges that the combatants faced, but also the plight of innocent victims– women, children, and the elderly. Though the Iliad is often regarded as a kind of Greek national epic, Homer is remarkably even-handed in his treatment of the two sides, even seeming to favor the Trojans over the Greeks at times. He repeatedly emphasizes the horrors of war and his varied descriptions of deaths on the battlefield are unparalleled in both intensity and, paradoxically, poetic charm. The primary objective of warfare in the imaginary time period depicted by Homer is to attain personal glory through acts of individual prowess, with the good of the community seen as a secondary goal.
 
This course explores the idea that war is both universal and particular. The Vietnam War was not the same as the Iraq War. In every war, some things are the same, while some are different. Intense suffering and horrific acts are inevitable. However, the mode of fighting, the resources, the arms, the equipment, the treatment of prisoners, the command structure, and the ideology driving men and women to fight all differ.

In public discussions, climate change is a highly controversial topic. However, in the scientific community, there is little controversy with 97% of climate scientists concluding humans are causing global warming.

• Why the gap between the public and scientists?
• What are the psychological and social drivers of the rejection of the scientific consensus?
• How has climate denial influenced public perceptions and attitudes towards climate change?

This course examines the science of climate science denial.

We will look at the most common climate myths from “global warming stopped in 1998” to “global warming is caused by the sun” to “climate impacts are nothing to worry about.”

We’ll find out what lessons are to be learnt from past climate change as well as better understand how climate models predict future climate impacts. You’ll learn both the science of climate change and the techniques used to distort the science.

With every myth we debunk, you’ll learn the critical thinking needed to identify the fallacies associated with the myth. Finally, armed with all this knowledge, you’ll learn the psychology of misinformation. This will equip you to effectively respond to climate misinformation and debunk myths.

This isn’t just a climate MOOC; it’s a MOOC about how people think about climate change.

Este es un curso destinado a profesores de todos los niveles. En él aprenderás a sacar partido de las nuevas tecnologías en tu labor docente para crear una experiencia de aprendizaje nueva y enriquecedora. Si eres profesor y quieres conocer la nueva enseñanza que viene, no puedes perdértelo.
 
Con un proyector de vídeo y un ordenador conectado a Internet se pueden hacer cosas increíbles en el aula. Incluso sin este equipamiento, es posible utilizar los distintos servicios y plataformas disponibles en Internet para crear una nueva y enriquecedora experiencia de aprendizaje.
 
En este curso aprenderás a encontrar información en Internet de gran utilidad para tu labor docente  y a utilizar herramientas para crear presentaciones visuales impactantes y estimulantes. Conocerás multitud de plataformas y herramientas disponibles en Internet que permiten crear nuevas experiencias de enseñanza-aprendizaje, así como crear una comunicación increíblemente eficaz, tanto profesor-alumno como alumno-alumno. El aprendizaje con tecnología es multi-plataforma y multi-dispositivo, y se extiende más allá del aula, incluso de una forma global.

This is an introductory course to learn programming with Java. It is comprised of three parts, of which Part 1 introduces programming on the basis of familiar concepts, like calculators and games. This edition is an improved version of the course released in April 2015.

Powerful concepts such as functional abstraction, the object oriented programming (OOP) paradigm and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are progressively introduced throughout the five weeks. Examples and case studies are provided so that learners can implement simple programs on their own or collaborating with peers.

Part 2 will focus on how to write “good” programs, where “good” is to be understood from several perspectives: correctness, efficiency, software engineering techniques, and ethics.

Part 3 will deal with fundamental data structures, such as sequences, and algorithms on them, such as searching and sorting.

Emphasis is put on immediate feedback and on having a fun experience. Programming knowledge is not only useful to be able to program today’s devices such as computers and smartphones. It also opens the door to computational thinking, i.e. the application of computing techniques to every-day processes.

International law can be considered as the law of the international community, the law that governs relations between States. But it also relates to what international organizations do and, increasingly, it concerns individuals, corporations, NGO’s and other non-state actors.

As the world becomes more interdependent and more complex, and as new institutions are put in place to make international law more effective, international law has become an exciting, expanding field. Never before has it been so relied upon, used and developed. Despite their differences in size, power, culture, religion and ideologies, states rely on international law to cooperate and to coexist; they speak the language of international law and international law serves them as an important common language.

This law course will extensively rely on judgments and advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN).

Having acquired a basic knowledge of international law, you’ll find it easier to comprehend this subject in future international law sub-fields, like international human rights, international humanitarian law or international investment law.

This course will teach you what international law is, the role it plays in the world today, how it can be used. You will also gain knowledge to help you better discern legal arguments within the flow of international news and reports.

This course is part of the International Law MicroMasters Program that is designed to give learners a critical understanding of how international relations between States and individuals are dealt with, regarding the law.

This mini-course is a general introduction to both to medieval medicine and to the value of using manuscripts. Professor Y. Tzvi Langermann presents a case study that builds from a unique 15th-century volume in which three important medical manuscripts in Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic (Arabic in Hebrew characters) are sewn together. He will not only walk the student through the basics of medical knowledge training and practice in the Jewish Middle Ages and beyond, but he will also show how clues gleaned from the particular elements of a manuscript (such as marginal notes, mistakes, and handwriting) allow us to learn a great deal that we could not have gleaned from a pristine printed version. The course is made up of eight short video lectures (5-7 minutes each) that explore the fascinating highlights of an extraordinary manuscript.

While no previous knowledge is required, this course will be of most interest to advanced students of Jewish and medieval medicine studies in that it introduces a rare and fascinating medical text from the University of Pennsylvania’s manuscript collections.

Learn how to create your own artistic images and animations and display them in our online gallery, which has now been enhanced to suit self-paced learners.

Our world is becoming increasingly digitized. For many of us, barely a day goes past without recording a video, taking and editing photos, and sharing digital content across multiple applications. But how well do we understand the technology we're using, and how is digital information created and manipulated?

With many careers today involving some form of computation, there is a growing urgency for individuals to move beyond digital literacy, to understand how digital technologies work, and to develop literacy in code. This course will help you acquire it.

In this course, you will not only learn the inner workings of your digital world, but also create and manipulate images with code, creating new artworks and interactive animations. Your images and animations will be displayed in an online Art Gallery, forming part of a vibrant learning community.

You will also develop effective computational thinking skills and concepts transferable to other coding environments and programming languages.

Phenomena as diverse as the motion of the planets, the spread of a disease, and the oscillations of a suspension bridge are governed by differential equations. This course is an introduction to the mathematical theory of ordinary differential equations and follows a modern dynamical systems approach. In particular, equations are analyzed using qualitative, numerical, and if possible, symbolic techniques.

MATH226 is essentially the edX equivalent of MA226; a one-semester course in ordinary differential equations taken by more than 500 students per year at Boston University. It is divided into three parts. MATH226.2x is the second part.

For additional information on obtaining credit through the ACE Alternative Credit Project, please visit here.

This literature course will explore in depth Mark Twain’s 1884  novel, Huckleberry Finn, which has an important place in American literature and history. This novel is among the first in major American literature to be written in dialect, characterized by regional Southern English. While this makes the writing difficult to understand at first, it also gives us a window into the language of the time.

The story is noted for its colorful descriptions of people and places along the Mississippi River. Set in the American South after the Civil War, this book features a society that has ceased to exist about twenty years prior. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is often described as a satire on deep-rooted attitudes, particularly racism, in the South.
 
Participants in this course will read, discuss, and write about the text and its influence. As in most book clubs, the focus will be on lively discussion. Course materials will include background information for understanding the text, as well as vocabulary and language support. Assessment will include quizzes and short writing assignments.
 
This is the second part of the BerkeleyX Book Club offerings.

This course will provide you with a basic knowledge of plasma physics and of its applications, which will enable you to understand some of the most important phenomena in space and astrophysics, how plasmas can be used in industry, and how we can achieve fusion on earth to contribute solving the problem of energy in sustainable development. In the first part, we will introduce the plasma state and describe the models, from single particles to fluid, which can be applied to study its dynamics. In the second part, we will illustrate and discuss examples of plasmas in space and in astrophysics, and discuss plasma applications in industry and medicine. The third part will be dedicated to fusion energy, from the design and technology of a fusion reactor, to plasma confinement configurations for fusion, and, finally, to confining, heating, controlling and extracting energy from a burning plasma.

How do you foster a company culture that supports a diverse workforce, including employees with disabilities?

Co-developed with Harvard Extension School, this course gives hiring managers and recruiters the tools they need to attract, interview and onboard a diverse team, including candidates with disabilities.

Why should you take this course?

• It’s quick - The course will take only 2-3 hours total to complete!
• It’s actionable – Each session includes concrete calls to action to implement at your organization
• It’s a networking opportunity – By signing up you’ll join a community of like-minded professionals
• Over 1,700 people from 115 different countries have participated in the course so far

No previous experience required.

This course distills valuable lessons from leaders in inclusion, human resources professionals, and people with disabilities into four quick and engaging sessions.

“Although many of the programs designed to teach kids to code are very simplistic, many of them, like Scratch, are suitable for all ages. It doesn't matter how old you are…Get started with the basics of programming!” -Lifehacker

Want to learn computer programming, but unsure where to begin? This is the course for you! Scratch is the computer programming language that makes it easy and fun to create interactive stories, games and animations and share them online.

This course is an introduction to computer science using the programming language Scratch, developed by MIT. Starting with the basics of using Scratch, the course will stretch your mind and challenge you. You will learn how to create amazing games, animated images and songs in just minutes with a simple “drag and drop” interface.

No previous programming knowledge needed. Join us as you start your computer science journey.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1044106. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Problems with healthcare quality, access, and costs bedevil all countries. This course explores how to create successful global business innovations in health care that can better meet consumer and social needs. Upon conclusion, you will learn to evaluate opportunities and gain an understanding of the elements necessary for viable healthcare business models.
 
Innovating in Health Care (IHC) enables participants to meet and interact with others who are also interested in improving health care. Through case study analysis and application of the “Innovating in Health Care Framework”, this course focuses on evaluating and crafting healthcare startup business models that focus on the six factors that critically shape new healthcare ventures: Financing, Structure, Public Policy, Consumers, Technology, and Accountability. Innovating in Health Care discusses the impact of these factors on business models for three different kinds of innovations: Consumer-focused, technology-driven, and integrations which create scale.
 
Innovating in Health Care is being offered in 2 formats:

• Open format
  • Click the ENROLL button
• Limited enrollment team-based course
  • If you have a pre-formed team of 3 or more, apply here by May 11, 23:00 UTC.

 OR

• Meet potential team members through the discussion board of the open course, and click the ENROLL button. 

​Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by May 12, 23:00 UTC. 

HarvardX requires individuals who enroll in its courses on edX to abide by the terms of the edX honor code : https://www.edx.org/edx-terms-service. HarvardX will take appropriate corrective action in response to violations of the edX honor code, which may include dismissal from the HarvardX course; revocation of any certificates received for the HarvardX course; or other remedies as circumstances warrant. No refunds will be issued in the case of corrective action for such violations. Enrollees who are taking HarvardX courses as part of another program will also be governed by the academic policies of those programs.

HarvardX pursues the science of learning. By registering as an online learner in an HX course, you will also participate in research about learning. Read our research statement : http://harvardx.harvard.edu/research-statement to learn more.

Harvard University and HarvardX are committed to maintaining a safe and healthy educational and work environment in which no member of the community is excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination or harassment in our program. All members of the HarvardX community are expected to abide by Harvard policies on nondiscrimination, including sexual harassment, and the edX Terms of Service. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact harvardx@harvard.edu and/or report your experience through the edX contact form : https://www.edx.org/contact-us.

Space exploration is truly fascinating. From Sputnik to the Apollo, followed by the assembly and exploitation of the International Space Station and the successful operation of the Hubble Space Telescope and other space observatories, we are uncovering many mysteries of our universe. We also made huge progress learning how to work and be productive in outer space!

This course builds on university level physics and mechanics to introduce and illustrate orbital dynamics as they are applied in the design of space missions. You will learn from the experiences of Claude Nicollier, one of the first ESA astronauts, specifically through his role in the maintenance of the Hubble Space Telescope on two occasions.

The course focuses on conceptual understanding of space mechanics, maneuvers, propulsion and control systems used in all spacecraft. You will gain knowledge of the challenges related to the use of the space environment as a scientific and utilitarian platform.

The transistor has been called the greatest invention of the 20^th century – it enables the electronics systems that have shaped the world we live in. Today’s nanotransistors are a high volume, high impact success of the nanotechnology revolution. If you are interested in understanding how this scientifically interesting and technologically important nano-device operates, this course is for you!

This nanotechnology course provides a simple, conceptual framework for understanding the essential physics of nanoscale transistors.  It assumes only a basic background in semiconductor physics and provides an opportunity to learn how some of the fascinating new discoveries about the flow of electrons at the nanoscale plays out in the context of a practical device.

The course is divided into four units:

• Transistors fundamentals
• Transistor electrostatics
• Ballistic MOSFETs
• Transmission theory of the MOSFET

The first two units provide an introduction for students with no background in transistors or a quick review for those familiar with transistors.  The third unit treats the ballistic transistor in which electrons move without resistance (in the traditional sense). The last unit uses that Landauer Approach to electron transport, which was developed to understand some striking experiments in nanophysics, to develop an understanding of how electrons flow in modern nanotransistors.  This short course describes a way of understanding MOSFETs that is much more suitable than traditional approaches when the channel lengths are of nanoscale dimensions. Surprisingly, the final result looks much like the traditional, textbook, MOSFET model, but the parameters in the equations have simple, clear interpretations at the nanoscale.

My objective for this course is to provide students with an understanding of the essential physics of nanoscale transistors as well as some of the practical technological considerations and fundamental limits. The goal is to do this in a way that is broadly accessible to students with only a very basic knowledge of semiconductor physics and electronic circuits. The course is designed for anyone seeking a sound, physical, but simple understanding of how nanoscale transistors operate. The course should be useful for advanced undergraduates, beginning graduate students, as well as researchers and practicing engineers and scientists.

This course is the latest in a series offered by the nanoHUB-U project which is jointly funded by Purdue and NSF with the goal of transcending disciplines through short courses accessible to students in any branch of science or engineering. These courses focus on cutting-edge topics distilled into short lectures with quizzes and practice exams.

Todos lo que nos envuelve y los materiales que utilizamos diariamente están formados por mezclas de compuestos químicos, cuyas propiedades, aplicaciones y transformaciones dependen de los elementos que los forman y de su estructura. La Química es la ciencia que nos permite conocer todos estos conceptos, y es una materia básica en muchas titulaciones Universitarias. Este curso va dirigido a los alumnos que acceden a la Universidad que requieren dichos conocimientos básicos.
 
Con este curso conocerás la importancia de la Química en el mundo que te rodea. Te introducirás en el concepto de la reacción química. Entenderás la estructura de la materia, los elementos que la forman y sus propiedades.
 
En el curso trataremos:

1. Química: vida y sociedad
2. El átomo
3. El sistema periódico

La complejidad de los problemas emanados de una rápida globalización de la economía así como  los grandes avances en la tecnología de la información (TI) han acelerado la aparición de sucesivas crisis económicas y sociales en las que tanto gobiernos de muchos países como empresas encuentran dificultades para adaptarse a esta nueva situación  y cambiar con agilidad sus modelos de  gobierno y gestión.

Por otro lado la agresión al medio ambiente y el cambio climático  y  la necesidad de atender los requerimientos  de agentes económicos y sociales reclaman su derecho a desempeñar el rol que les corresponde. Emergen tendencias como la Responsabilidad Social Corporativa, vinculada a procesos de reporte estandarizado, como el que marca Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) y a mejoras en los esquemas de Gobernanza Corporativa, necesarias para armonizar los distintos ecosistemas tanto sociales como empresariales y ambientales garantizando la legítima participación de todas las partes interesadas y equiparando la información generada a la financiera a la hora de tomar decisiones.

En este escenario, los activos utilizados tanto por gobiernos como empresas para desarrollar deben ser administrados de manera eficaz y eficiente para incrementar el valor de las organizaciones de manera incremental y continua garantizando principalmente  la sostenibilidad económico financiera de esas organizaciones. Dentro de esos activos, la información y la TI adquieren valor importantísimo para facilitar  las necesidades de transformación de las organizaciones y, especialmente gobernar y gestionar el uso adecuado de la TI tal como señala la norma ISO/IECE 38500.

En cualquier caso, la implantación de éstas  tecnologías requiere un cambio profundo en la cultura de las organizaciones, públicas y privadas y la adopción de principios y políticas internas que impidan posibles perjuicios a todas las partes interesadas en el éxito de dichas organizaciones.

La aplicación de las distintas normas mencionadas así como  renovación del concepto de Gobernanza Corporativa aplicada a los distintos activos y especialmente a la TI (dirección y control en el uso y gestión de los mismos) es uno de los grandes retos a los que se enfrenta hoy el mundo económico financiero así como la generación de conocimiento e inteligencia para resolver los graves problemas de nuestros días y en el futuro. Esta nueva forma de trabajar hará que las empresas sean más responsables, comprometidas, humanas,  productivas, y más eficaces y eficientes en el liderazgo, formación y aptitud personal así como un uso adecuado de la TI por parte de la organización.

Are you preparing for a health-related career, or planning to study in the health sciences? Perhaps you're just keen to learn more about the wonders of the human body? Our bodies are amazing but complex biological machines. This course will provide you with an outstanding foundation of knowledge in human anatomy and physiology.
 
You will gain a broad understanding of the relationships between normal structure and function in human cells and tissues, both in health and disease. The properties of the four main types of tissue in the body - epithelial, connective, muscular and nervous - will also be clearly explained.
 
The course employs a variety of engaging learning methods, including short videos, animations, interactive activities and integrated quizzes to guide you through key concepts, and make learning relevant. 

Turn back if you would see your shores again.
Do not set forth upon the deep,
for, losing sight of me, you would be lost.
-Paradiso, Canto II, lines 4-6

Joy is the business of Paradiso, that much is clear; but could there be a more mysterious word in the whole realm of human imagination than “Joy?” “Joy” boggles the human imagination because it asks us to follow the vector of hope to its maximal extension and intention, until it arrives at that point which Dante locates “nel mezzo,” at the very center of everything, at that point where every centripetal and centrifugal force of both the physical universe of energy and the symbolic universe of creative imagination and meaning first arise and finally return.

From beginning to end, the Pilgrim’s progress through Paradiso is enabled and guided by his enactment of the role to which he consented in the climactic episode of the Purgatorio in the garden of the Earthly Paradise. Now leaving Earth behind and beneath, the Pilgrim is transformed into the disciple; specifically, the disciple of Beatrice. She now becomes his true path, la diritta via, along which he gradually discovers the Joy that Christianity identifies as the hope of Resurrection.

Dante’s Paradiso maps the physics of freedom, tracing a universal history of meaning. Just as there is a physics of matter and energy, there is a physics of freedom governing the evolutionary history of hope which directs the human search for meaning in every person’s life and in all human culture. In this universe, meaning functions as does light in the physical universe, acting as its absolute measure and enforcing its most basic law—the law of relational identity, where “all are responsible to all for all.” Like the principle of relativity in the physics of energy, relational identity means that each personal existence has historical reality only in relation to all other personal identities.

Almost everyone agrees that the poetry of the Paradiso is sublime. Sublimity, however, is a highly rarefied and strenuously acquired taste. This is why Dante himself warns us in the second canto of the Paradiso that unless we have become used to eat the “bread of Angels,” we should turn back and not attempt to follow him on this final leg of his journey, and we as modern-day readers might well be tempted here to turn back as the Pilgrim himself was tempted in the second canto of the Inferno. But to paraphrase Virgil’s response then, which both encouraged and challenged, “Why be so afraid to reach for what your heart most hopes for; where else do you have to turn?”

In this course, you will be asked to participate in learning activities on both edX and on MyDante, an innovative platform for deep reading that emphasizes mindfulness and contemplative reading habits as key to deriving lasting meaning from poetic texts. The pedagogical approach of the course goes beyond mere academic commentary on the poem as literature; it introduces the reader to a way of thinking about the meaning of the poem at a personal level. This module is the third of three modules that compose the full course. Part 1 (Vita Nuova and Inferno) and Part 2 (Purgatorio) of the course are available as archived versions on edX and MyDante. This course features Robert and Jean Hollander's contemporary translations of Dante Alighieri's Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, permission courtesy of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC. The print editions contain valuable notes and commentary which are highly recommended as companions to the course materials.

This overview course is designed to show new students how to take a course on edx.org. You will learn how to navigate the edX platform and complete your first course! From there, we will help you get started choosing the course that best fits your interests, needs, and dreams.