Online courses directory (1728)

In this computer science course, you will learn to build reports with SQL Server Reporting Services, which includes new visualization features and mobile capabilities. You will learn to create reporting solutions, mobile reports and dashboards.

Whether you're new to reporting services, or experienced with earlier versions, we'll show you how to build tables, matrices, advanced visualizations, and dashboards with key performance indicators. You'll design and deploy compelling, interactive reports for smartphones, tablets, and browsers.

By the end of the course, you'll have developed a complete reporting solution and be ready to analyze and visualize your own business data with SQL Server Reporting Services.

Note: To complete the hands-on elements in this course, you will require an Azure subscription. You can sign up for a free Azure trial subscription (a valid credit card is required for verification, but you will not be charged for Azure services). Note that the free trial is not available in all regions. It is possible to complete the course and earn a certificate without completing the hands-on practices.

*This course will be run primarily in English, but will have assessments, video transcripts, and limited course content (documents, instructions) in Simplified Chinese.

This Digital Programs course will survey state-of-the-art topics in Big Data, looking at data collection (smartphones, sensors, the Web), data storage and processing (scalable relational databases, Hadoop, Spark, etc...), extracting structured data from unstructured data, systems issues (exploiting multicore, security), analytics (machine learning, data compression, efficient algorithms), visualization, and a range of applications.

Each module will introduce broad concepts as well as provide the most recent developments in research.

Tackling the Challenges of Big Data is designed to be valuable to both individuals and companies because it provides a platform for discussion from numerous technical perspectives. The concepts delivered through this course can spark idea generation among team members, and the knowledge gained can be applied to their company’s approach to Big Data problems and shape the way business operate today.

The application of the course is broad and can apply to both early career professionals as well as senior technical managers.

Participants will benefit the most from the concepts taught in this course if they have at least three years of work experience.

Participants may include:

• Engineers who need to understand the new Big Data technologies and concepts to apply in their work

• Technical managers who want to familiarize themselves with these emerging technologies

• Entrepreneurs who would like to gain perspective on trends and future capabilities of Big Data technology

The course is taught by a team of world-renowned experts in each of these areas from MIT and the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL).

CSAIL is the largest research laboratory at MIT and one of the world’s most important centers of information technology research. CSAIL and its members have played a key role in the computer revolution. The lab’s researchers have been key movers in developments like time-sharing, massively parallel computers, public key encryption, the mass commercialization of robots, and much of the technology underlying the ARPANet, Internet, and the World Wide Web.

CSAIL members (former and current) have launched more than 100 companies, including RSA Data Security, Akamai, iRobot, Meraki, ITA Software, and Vertica. The Lab is home to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

With backgrounds in data, programming, finance, multicore technology, database systems, robotics, transportation, hardware, and operating systems, each MIT Tackling the Challenges of Big Data professor brings their own unique experience and expertise to the course.

FAQ

How do I register a group of participants?
There are two ways to register multiple individuals at once.

• Once the course is added to your cart, you can select the number of enrollments you would like to purchase. You can then pay using a valid credit card.

• For a group of 10 or more individuals, you can pay via invoice. Please note that our payment terms are net zero, and all invoices must be paid prior to the course start date. Failure to remit payment before the course begins will result in removal from the course. No extensions or exceptions will be granted.

How should I pay?

Individual registrants must complete registrations and pay online with a valid credit card at the time of registration. MIT Professional Education accepts globally recognized major credit or debit cards that have a Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express or Diner's Club.

Invoices will not be generated for individuals, or for groups of less than 10 people. Payment must be received in full; payment plans are not available.

How long is the course?
The course is held over six weeks, and is entirely asynchronous. Lectures are pre-taped and you can follow along when you find it convenient, as long as you finish all required assignments. You may complete all assignments before the due date, however, you may find it more beneficial to adhere to a weekly schedule so you can stay up-to-date with the discussion forums.

How long will the course material be available online?
The materials will be available to registered and paid participants for 90 days after the course end date. No extensions will be granted.

When will I get access to the course site?
Instructions for accessing the course site will be sent to all paid registrants via email by the course launch date.

Participants are required to provide some personal information via a short mandatory course entrance survey. You will be able to access the survey on the course start date. Please be advised that a failure to provide said information will mean that participants will be unable to access course material.

How many hours per week will I have class or homework?
There are approximately three hours of video every week. You will spend additional time on multiple choice assessments, readings, and discussion forums. Most participants will spend about five hours a week on course-related activities.

Please note that the edX platform uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). To convert times to your local time zone, please use the following tool:http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

How do I know if this course is right for me?
Carefully review the course description page, which includes a description of course content, objectives, and target audience, and any required prerequisites.

Are there prerequisites or advance reading materials?
MIT Professional Education strongly recommends a bachelor’s degree in computer science and three years’ minimum work experience, but the course is open to any interested participant. No advance reading is required.

Who will be participating in this course?
Professionals with diverse personal, business, and academic backgrounds from the U.S. and around the world will participate. They include scientists, engineers, technicians, managers, consultants, and others, and they come from industry, government, military, non-profit, and academia.

I have never taken a course on the edX platform before. What can I do to prepare?
Prior to the first day of class, participants can take a demonstration course on edx.org that was built specifically to help students become more familiar with taking a course on the edX platform.

What reference materials will be available at the end of the course?
Participants will have 90-day access to the archived course (includes videos, discussion boards and content).

Will I receive an MIT Professional Education Certificate?
Participants who successfully complete the course and all assessments will receive a Certificate of Completion. This course does not carry MIT credits or grades, however, an 80% pass rate is required in order to receive a Certificate.

Will I receive MIT credits?
This course does not carry MIT credits. MIT Professional Education offers non-credit/non-degree professional programs for a global audience. Participants may not imply or state in any manner, written or oral, that MIT or MIT Professional Education is granting academic credit for enrollment in this professional course. None of our Digital courses or programs award academic credit or degrees.

After I complete this course, will I be an MIT alum?
MIT alumni status is not granted, but instead, MIT Professional Education alumni status is amongst the benefits MIT Professional Education offers. 

Are video captions available?
Each video for this course has been transcribed and the text can be found on the right side of the video when the captions function is turned on. Synchronized transcripts allow students to follow along with the video and navigate to a specific section of the video by clicking the transcript text. Students can use transcripts of media-based learning materials for study and review.

I need to cancel my registration. Are there any fees?
Cancellation requests received after the course start date will not be eligible for a refund.

To submit your request for a refund prior to the start of a course, please email support@edx.org. Please include your full name and order number in your email request. 

Can I transfer/defer my registration for another session or course?
Admission and fees paid cannot be deferred to a subsequent session. 

Can someone else attend in my place?
We cannot accommodate any substitution requests at this time. Please review the time commitment section and course schedule above to ensure you are able to participate in the course before you register.

关于这门课程

*本课程以英文授课为主，但有些评估测试，视频字幕，和部分的课程内容（文件，说明）会有简体中文翻译。

这门数字化课程将概述大数据领域最先进的课题，着眼于数据收集(智能手机，传感器，网络), 数据存储和处理 (可扩展的关系型数据库，Hadoop，Spark等), 从非结构化数据中提取结构化数据、系统问题(多核开发，安全性)，数据分析（机器学习，数据压缩，高效算法), 可视化，以及一系列应用。

每个课程模块将介绍初步概念，并提供最新的研究进展。

应对大数据挑战这门课是为个人以及公司设计的，因为它提供了一个从不同技术角度进行讨论的平台。 本课程提供的概念可以激发团队成员的创意，所获得的知识也可以应用于解决公司的大数据问题，并且引导当今企业的运营方式。

该课程应用广泛，既适合事业刚刚起步的专业人员，也适合高级技术管理人员。

如果学员有三年以上的工作经验，他们将从这门课程所讲授的概念中受益更多。

学员可能包括：

• 需要了解当今大数据技术和概念以便在工作中应用的工程师
• 想要熟悉这些新兴技术的技术经理
• 想展望大数据的发展趋势和未来能力的企业家

本课程的教学团队由该领域的世界级专家组成，他们来自麻省理工学院（MIT）以及麻省理工学院的计算机科学和人工智能实验室 (CSAIL).

CSAIL是MIT最大的研究实验室，也是世界上最重要的信息技术研究中心之一。 CSAIL及其成员在计算机革命中起到了关键作用。 该实验室的研究人员一直是诸如分时、大规模平行计算机、公钥加密、机器人的大规模商业化，以及很多建立在阿帕网、互联网和万维网基础上的技术的关键推动者。

CSAIL成员（前任和现任）已经成立了超过100家公司，其中包括 RSA Data Security、Akamai、iRobot、Meraki、ITA Software 和 Vertica。 该实验室是万维网联盟（W3C）的发源地。

这些MIT应对大数据挑战的教授分别拥有数据、编程、金融、多核技术、数据库系统、机器人技术、运输系统、硬件和操作系统的背景。他们每一个人都将为本课程带来自己独到的经验和专业知识。

常见问题

如何注册多位学员？
有两种方法可以一次注册多人。

• 一旦该课程被添加到你的购物车，你便可以选择你想要注册的人数。 然后，你可以使用有效的信用卡支付订单。
• 对于10人及10人以上的团体注册，你可以通过账单支付。请注意，我们的付款条件是即付，所有账单必须在课程开始日期前支付完毕。 未能在课程开始前支付款项将导致失去学习资格。不允许任何例外或延期。

如何支付？
个人注册者必须完成注册，并在注册时使用有效的信用卡在线支付。 MIT 专业提升教育接受国际公认的主要信用卡/借记卡，包括 Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express 或 Diner's Club。

个人和少于10人的团体不能用账单支付。付款必须是全额付款；无分期付款计划。

课程为期多久？
本课程时长六个多星期，授课修课并非同时进行。讲座是提前录制的，你可以根据自己的时间安排完成课程，只要在东部夏令时间2015年8月17日晚上7:30（世界标准时间晚上11时30分）之前完成所有要求的作业即可。你可以在到期日之前完成所有的作业，但是你可能会发现，遵循每周的日程安排更有助于你掌握论坛的最新信息。

在线课程资料可用多久？
在课程结束后的90天内，已注册和付费的学员可以获取课程资料。不允许任何延期。

何时可以进入课程网站？
访问课程网站的操作指南将在课程发布日之前通过电子邮件发送给所有付费的注册学员。

学员必须填写一份简短的入学调查以提供一些个人信息。您将能在课程开始之日进入该调查网页。请注意，未能提供上述信息的学员将不能获得课程资料。

一周有多长时间的课程或家庭作业？
每周大约有三小时的视频。 你需要花一些额外的时间完成选择题作业、材料阅读和论坛讨论。 大多数学员每周在课程有关的活动上花五个小时左右的时间。

请注意，edX平台使用世界标准时间 (UTC). 请使用以下的时区换算表将世界标准时间转换成当地时间： http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

我怎么知道这个课程是否适合我？
仔细查看课程说明页，其中包括课程内容、学习目标和目标受众，以及任何需要的先修课程。

是否有先修课程要求或提前阅读材料？
MIT 专业提升教育强烈建议入学者具备计算机科学学士学位和三年以上的工作经验，但课程向任何有兴趣的学员开放。 无需提前阅读。

进修这门课程的学员来自哪些地区和领域？
来自美国和世界各地，具备不同的个人、企业、和学术背景的专业人员将进修这门课程。 他们之中有科学家、工程师、技术人员、管理人员、顾问等，来自工业界、政府、军队、非营利性机构和学术界。

我以前从来没有在edX平台修过课。 我能做些什么准备呢？
在第一天上课之前，学员可以观看edX上的一门示范课程, 这门课程专为帮助学生熟悉在edX平台上学习课程而设立。

课程结束时，有什么参考资料可供使用？
学员将有90天时间访问已归档课程（包括视频，讨论版和学习材料）。

我会收到MIT专业提升教育的证书吗？
圆满完成课程和所有作业的学员将获得一份结业证书。 本课程不记录MIT的学分或成绩，但是为了获得证书，必须达到80％的及格率。

我会获得MIT的学分吗？
本课程不授予MIT的学分。 MIT专业提升教育面向全球，提供无学分/非学位专业课程。 学员不得以任何方式，书面或口头，暗示或声明MIT或MIT专业提升教育会授予专业课程的报名者课程学分。 我们的数字课程或项目均不授予学分或学位。

当我完成这门课程后，我会成为MIT的校友吗？
你不能获得MIT的校友身份，但MIT专业提升教育校友身份则是我们提供的优惠之一。 

视频配有字幕吗？
这门课程的每个视频都已被转录，当字幕功能打开以后，字幕文本会在视频右侧出现。 同步字幕让学员可以跟上视频，并通过点击字幕文本导航到视频的指定部分。学员可以使用媒体为基础的学习资料学习和复习。

我需要取消注册。有费用吗?（允许退款吗?）
在课程开始后收到的取消申请将失去退款资格。

开课之前提交退款申请时，请发送电子邮件到 support@edx.org。请在电子邮件中提供您的全名和订单号。

我可以把我的注册推迟到另一学期或转到另一课程吗？
录取资格和已支付的费用不能推迟到下个学期。 

别人可以代替我修课吗？
我们目前不接受任何替代人选的要求。在注册前，请查看上述时间安排和课程表，以确保您能够进修这门课程。

For over two millennia, Jews throughout the entire world have been committed to reading, interpreting, and living their scriptures. But what are the Jewish scriptures? When were they written? And why are they relevant in the 21st century?

This religion course introduces students to the diversity of the ever-expanding Jewish canon and the equally diverse ways of reading it. It will examine how Jews, ancient and modern, drew inspiration and guidance from the traditional texts while simultaneously reinterpreting their contents in light of new circumstances. The religion we call “Judaism” emerges at the nexus of text, interpretation, and lived tradition.

Whether you are a long-time student of the Jewish scriptures or a complete newcomer, this course will give you a new understanding of the fascinating roles that sacred texts have played in the rich history of Judaism.

This course is part of the World Religions Through Their Scriptures XSeries Program.

Data structures provide a means to manage large amounts of data for use in databases and internet indexing services. Efficient data structures are key for designing efficient algorithms and obtaining maintainable software design.

In this Computer Science course, you will start by learning basic data types, such as numbers, and gradually build a conceptual framework for organizing and managing efficient structures.

Topics covered:

• Basic Data Types, Notion of an Abstract Data Type
• Mathematical Properties of Sequences
• Special Types of Sequences: Stacks, Queues, Strings
• Implementation of Sequence Type: Arrays and Linked Lists
• Trees
• Sets and Maps
• Graphs

Preliminary understanding of implementing sequence structures such as stacks, queues, and linked lists, will also be covered.

This course is part of the Fundamentals of Computer Science XSeries Program: 

• Programming Basics
• Object-Oriented Programming
• Implementation of Data Structures
• Algorithms

Language, and the ability to communicate effectively are critical skills in the global economy. Writing and composition are vital to communicating your ideas clearly.

This introductory writing course will help you develop and express ideas effectively for a variety of purposes, audiences and occasions.

During the course, you will complete several major written projects, along with a reflection for each project. For each project, you can decide what level of technology you wish to use.

If you wish to earn university credit for the course we will ask you to complete a portfolio in which you demonstrate what you have learned. Specifically, you will address what you have learned in the course and provide evidence that you have acquired the skills and knowledge taught during the course. Credit earned will count as ASU’s First-Year Composition course however, it is strongly encouraged that you consult with your institution of choice to determine how these credits will be applied to their degree requirements prior to transferring the credit.

MOOCs are opening new opportunities for faculty members to flip their classroom. Can we apply this educational innovation to scientific conferences by flipping the conference room?

ConfX is a MOOC for a conference on MOOCs. It gives voice to several researchers who build sense from MOOCs. Each of them will explore a particular question from their own perspective: faculty members, instructors, instructional designers, researchers, and others. They will share their experience and research results based papers they will present at the EMOOCs 2015 Conference.

Whether or not you intend to attend the EMOOCs Conference in Mons (Belgium)—May 18-20, 2015—you are invited to join ConfX and participate in establishing innovative ways to think about scientific conferences!

Are you curious about MOOCs but are not planning to attend the live conference in May? ConfX will give you the opportunity to:

• Get a sense of the ongoing research on MOOCs.
• Engage with the community of practice in the MOOC field.
• Have a voice in the conversation by contributing to current debates on online education.

ConfX will give you access to high quality papers before they are discussed by experts and eventually published by scientific editors.

Are you planning to attend the EMOOCs conference in Belgium? ConfX will allow you to do the following:

• Before the conference: discover the papers through video presentations and quizzes made by their authors; then start online preliminary discussions.
• During the conference: discuss further with the authors, share your opinions and own experiences.

We hope this “flipped-conference” model will enrich your presence in sessions at the conference, and enable high-value scientific debates and knowledge co-construction to take place amongst attendees.  

When we think of liturgy today, we imagine short, formal, congregational events happening periodically within the confines of churches. Medieval liturgy, however, took up many hours of every day, filled the city's largest meeting halls, and even spilled onto the streets. At the center of the medieval liturgy were the books we will study in this course.

In this module of The Book: Histories Across Time and Space, we’ll explore and explain the beautiful service books of the medieval church. No prior knowledge of liturgy or Latin is required, but there will be a lot of both, along with music.

The medieval services consisted of a complex system of cycles, and the liturgical books correspond to the various functions of the people who used them: Laypersons, nuns and monks, readers, singers, priests, and bishops.

We will explore and examine these precious objects using materials from Harvard’s collections. Close examination of various types of books will help to explain the complex and collaborative nature of medieval worship. Ultimately, we will learn how these beautifully adorned books  represent the importance of liturgy as an essential function of society in the Middle Ages.

HarvardX requires individuals who enroll in its courses on edX to abide by the terms of the edX honor code. 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 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.

This module of The Book: Histories Across Time and Space focuses on the physical qualities of books, the role of books in 17th and 18th century France, and the emergence of literature as a modern form of culture.

We will focus on the importance of books as physical objects and the raw material of literature--namely, paper.  By considering the nature of paper and how it was made during the early modern period--from Gutenberg's time to the early nineteenth century--we can begin to understand the character of books and the way they worked.

This module also examines how books fit into the legal and political system of France under the Old Regime during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when the French set standards imitated throughout Europe.  Before modern copyright, legal books had privileges, granted by the king, which provided a guarantee of quality as well as certification of   orthodoxy.  To qualify for a privilege, books had to be approved by censors.  Uncensored books, including most of the works of the Enlightenment, were usually produced outside France and circulated in the kingdom through a vast underground distribution system. 

In addition, this module addresses the emergence of literature as a modern form of culture, which can be studied best in eighteenth-century England.  The first copyright law (1710), a high rate of literacy, a booming consumer market, a precocious periodical industry, and entrepreneurial publishing concentrated in London led to the development of a new kind of author--the independent writer. Samuel Johnson epitomized this new phenomenon. This module will allow you to get a close look at him and everything he represented by providing access to the Hyde Collection of Johnson's books and papers in Houghton Library at Harvard.

HarvardX requires individuals who enroll in its courses on edX to abide by the terms of the edX honor code. 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 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.

Thousands upon thousands of manuscripts written in Latin and other languages remain from the 12th century, when Western Europe saw an unprecedented increase in manuscript production. Of these manuscripts from the middle ages, only a small percentage have been identified, much less edited and published. To explore these fascinating texts, you need to learn the art and science of reading medieval handwriting.

This module of The Book: Histories Across Space and Time introduces students to medieval paleography, the science of reading old handwriting, with a focus on the era of the 12th century. By studying a representative hand in depth, you will learn to read 12th century Transitional Gothic script and decipher the abbreviations that set the pattern of writing for the following centuries before print. We will work with selected manuscripts from Harvard’s Houghton library and enter into the cultural world of the 12th century monasteries and schools. Assessments and quizzes will allow you to track your progress as you move through letter forms and abbreviations to read whole blocks of text.

Some knowledge of Latin will be very helpful for understanding the texts you will read, but students without the necessary language skills will still enjoy this chance to explore 12th century hands.

HarvardX requires individuals who enroll in its courses on edX to abide by the terms of the edX honor code. 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 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.

Printing, or the capacity to reproduce text and image mechanically, has rightly been hailed as a technology with far-reaching impact. But the technology takes more than one form and originated in more than one historical context.

In this module of The Book: Histories Across Space and Time, you will learn how early printed books in mid-fifteenth century Europe were first modeled on medieval manuscripts, but soon developed new conventions that remain familiar to us today. This module also explores printing in East Asia, by wood block and movable type, and the late dominance of manuscript production in the Islamic world. 

In the first units of this module we compare and contrast manuscripts and printed books produced mainly in Europe from 1470-1700, looking at continuities and differences in layout, format, and the methods, materials, and economics of production. We also discuss examples of illustrated books and of handwritten annotations in books, including marginal annotations by readers and the marks of censors.

Two shorter units in this module focus on printing in East Asia, especially China, to highlight the features of woodblock printing which was common there, and on the Middle East, especially the Ottoman context, where a vibrant manuscript culture remained dominant until 1800. Taken together, this module gives an overview of three different contexts and technologies of book production before 1800.

Each unit features rare manuscripts and printed books in the Harvard Libraries, which viewers can investigate in more depth within the courseware and on their own.

HarvardX requires individuals who enroll in its courses on edX to abide by the terms of the edX honor code. 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 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.

Genetics permeates every aspect of the 21^st century, from our doctors' offices to our judicial systems. By the end of this course, you’ll be well prepared to deal with both today’s genetic issues and new questions that are sure to arise in the future.

This challenging but very rewarding course focuses on the genetics issues that impact our health and well-being, while providing the same rigorous examination of genetics principles as a college genetics course.

The course is taught in two parts. Part 1 consists of 6 modules followed by a final exam. You’ll learn how genes work and how the different versions we inherit affect our daily lives and our society.  You’ll learn to evaluate predictions about health risk, why DNA fingerprinting is so powerful, and what analysis of your DNA does and doesn’t reveal.

World War 1 was the original catastrophe of the 20th-century. This course investigates the complex ways in which the First World War mobilized philosophical reflection during the war and the varied ways in which philosophical thought responded to the war.

Students in this course will be introduced to different philosophical reactions to the First World War through discussion and analysis of texts, documents, images, artworks, film, and music. The relation between philosophy and poetry will also be explored. In this course, students will gain historical knowledge, conceptual understanding, and literacy for a clearer grasp of the complex ways in which philosophy and the Great War intersected.

The course is divided into four thematic sections:

• An Absolute War
• The Clash of Civilizations
• Memento Mori
• The Hope of Peace

Across each of these thematic sections, we will explore different philosophical traditions and movements in England, France, and Germany during the war.

Discussions will be held in English, Dutch and French.

Actuary is rated the best job of 2015 by CareerCast.com because it pays well and offers abundant opportunities for advancement. 

You may have heard of actuarial science, or you might even know an actuary, but do you know what an actuary does? During the course you’ll hear from a wide variety of actuaries about their careers.

And don’t be scared that the course will be “just a whole lot of mathematics”. Together, we will go beyond the math to learn how actuaries approach problems relating to risk, using examples from:

• Finance
• Investments
• Banking
• Insurance

You will learn how actuarial science applies mathematical and statistical methods to assess risk in these industries and other professions.

You’ll experience “hands-on” learning using Excel (or an equivalent spreadsheet tool) to project and investigate the financial condition of a company choosing appropriate strategies for the company through the use of simulations.

The course has been carefully designed for students from a wide variety of backgrounds, with secondary/high school level being the only assumption of mathematical background. Even if you don’t have any background in, for example, calculus, the course has been designed so you can skip over these sections without affecting your understanding of the rest of the course. You also do not need to have any Excel or other spreadsheet background to take the course.

For those with stronger mathematical backgrounds, extension questions are provided to test you further. You’ll learn a huge amount about actuarial science no matter what your background is!

Join us today. To connect with the course community before and during the course, join our Facebook group, and tweet us with #actuarialedX.

"Great introduction to this specialized field; every day there are new challenges where as a student you are put in a situation to learn and apply the lessons with practical exercises. Great structure of the course, with main concepts to review at the end of a lesson. I would recommend to anyone who would like to learn more about actuarial science." - Previous student

Do you love printed paper and wonder how much longer it will survive in the age of ebooks? Are you curious about how the mass-produced modern book emerged in the first place?  Come behind the scenes in Harvard’s libraries to explore the look, feel and even smell of nineteenth-century British and American books in this module of The Book: Histories Across Time and Space.

In 19th-century Britain and America, schooling expanded, paper cheapened, and new technologies allowed print to reach wider audiences than ever before.  After the rare and beautiful manuscripts and books showcased by earlier modules, the mass-produced, disposable objects that survive from the nineteenth century bear witness to the rise of the reading public.

This module investigates what scholars know about nineteenth-century reading, as well as how they know it.

This module’s six sections guide you through underlined, inscribed, defaced and repaired books in Harvard’s collections:

1. Name That Book
Find out what you can tell about a book when you’re blindfolded.

2. Handheld Books and Mobile Readers
What book did one soldier carry to Civil War battlefields in his pocket? (Hint: it’s not what you think.)

3. The Pen and the Needle
Did 19^th-century girls have to choose between sewing and reading?  The holes pricked in one book suggest they did both at once.

4. Leaving your Mark
Luckily for future historians, these children didn’t listen when people told them not to write in their books.

5. Detective Work
Try out some tools that build on what you’ve learned about books at Harvard to discover the stories hidden in your local library.

6. Over to You
Your chance to share what you have found in the books around you.

Join us, and discover how people in the first information age read, underlined, and repaired the pages that they treasured. 

HarvardX requires individuals who enroll in its courses on edX to abide by the terms of the edX honor code. 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 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.

Medieval Europe has preserved enormous quantities of books and documents—many millions of pages, in fact—written in Latin and other languages. However, only a tiny percentage of these texts have been edited and published. To gain access to the rest, you need to learn the art and science of reading medieval handwriting,

This module of The Book: Histories Across Time and Space introduces students to the world of medieval paleography, the science of reading old handwriting. This particular module focuses on notarial handwriting from the city of Marseille in the 14th and 15th centuries. The module features household inventories, which identify some of the fascinating objects found in people’s houses. Assessments and quizzes will allow you to track your progress as you move from letter-group to letter-group. In addition to learning the handwriting, we will take special care to explore some of the many abbreviations and other elements of the secular registers of the later Middle Ages.

Some knowledge of Latin or another Romance Language will be very helpful for understanding the texts you will read, but students without these language skills will still enjoy this chance to explore medieval handiwork.

HarvardX requires individuals who enroll in its courses on edX to abide by the terms of the edX honor code. 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 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.

More and more organizations are taking on the challenge of analyzing big data. This course teaches you how to use the Hadoop technologies in Microsoft Azure HDInsight to build batch processing solutions that cleanse and reshape data for analysis. In this five-week course, you’ll learn how to use technologies like Hive, Pig, Oozie, and Sqoop with Hadoop in HDInsight; and how to work with HDInsight clusters from Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX client computers.

NOTE: To complete the hands-on elements in this course, you will require an Azure subscription and a Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X client computer. You can sign up for a free Azure trial subscription (a valid credit card is required for verification, but you will not be charged for Azure services). Note that the free trial is not available in all regions. It is possible to complete the course and earn a certificate without completing the hands-on practices.

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. MATH226x is an introduction to the mathematical theory of ordinary differential equations. This course follows a modern dynamical systems approach to the subject. 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. MATH226.3x is the last part.

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

La seguridad de los alimentos que ingerimos es uno de los principales objetivos de las políticas de la Unión Europea. Pero la realidad es que en las últimas décadas hemos sufrido crisis alimentarias muy importantes, tanto desde una perspectiva económica, con grandes pérdidas para productores y distribuidores, como sobre todo desde una perspectiva social, con un elevado número de fallecidos a lo largo de toda Europa. A través de este curso podrás conocer las respuestas adoptadas por la Unión Europea: la primacía del conocimiento científico sobre los criterios económicos; la colaboración de la industria alimentaria en la garantía de la seguridad; la adopción de procedimientos autorizatorios y de alerta ante situaciones de crisis; y la reparación de los daños generados por tales crisis.

Este curso se imparte en español, si bien alguno de los documentos de referencia pueden aparecer en ingles (aunque se incluirá una breve explicación en español). No se requiere conocimiento jurídico previo alguno.

In this physics course, you will learn about the quantum description of light with applications to squeezed states of light and teleportation as well as the non-classical states of light and single photons. You will learn how to do metrology with light. You will also learn about correlations with photons as well as atom correlation functions.

This course is a part of a series of courses to introduce fundamental concepts and current frontiers of atomic physics, and to prepare you for cutting-edge research:

• 8.422.1x: Quantum States and Dynamics of Photons
• 8.422.2x: Atom-photon Interactions
• 8.422.3x: Optical Bloch Equations and Open System Dynamics
• 8.422.4x: Light Forces and Laser Cooling
• 8.422.5x: Ultracold Atoms and Ions for Many-body Physics and Quantum Information Science

At MIT, the content of these five courses makes up the second of a two-semester sequence (8.421 and 8.422) for graduate students interested in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics. This sequence is required for Ph.D. students doing research in this field.

In these five courses you will learn about the following topics: quantum states and dynamics of photons, photon-atom interactions: basics and semiclassical approximations, open system dynamics, optical Bloch equations, applications and limits of the optical Bloch equations, dressed atoms, light force, laser cooling, cold atoms, evaporative cooling, Bose-Einstein condensation, quantum algorithms and protocols, ion traps and magnetic traps.

Completing this series allows you to pursue advanced study and research in cold atoms, as well as specialized topics in condensed matter physics.

Oímos en tres dimensiones porque la evolución nos ha dotado de esta capacidad fundamental para desenvolvernos en nuestro entorno. El oído sustituye a la vista cuando las fuentes sonoras quedan fuera del alcance de esta o bien sirve para complementarla cuando están visibles. Desde los principios de la electrónica la ingeniería ha trabajado para simular estos estímulos sonoros a través de múltiples sistemas de sonido espacial, empezando desde el más simple, el estéreo. En este curso el alumno empezará familiarizándose con los mecanismos de la audición espacial humana, para pasar a estudiar los principales sistemas de reproducción de sonido espacial, siguiendo una clasificación ordenada atendiendo a criterios de ingeniería. Se estudiarán desde los sistemas más comunes como el 5.1 hasta los sistemas más modernos como la Wave-Field Synthesis o los sistemas binaurales con personalización de la HRTF.