Online courses directory (1728)

Organic electronic devices are quickly making their way into the commercial world, with innovative thin mobile devices, high-resolution displays, and photovoltaic cells. The future holds even greater potential for this technology, with an entirely new generation of ultralow-cost, lightweight and even flexible electronic devices, which will perform functions traditionally accomplished with much more expensive components based on conventional semiconductor materials, such as silicon.

Learn more about this highly promising technology, which is based on small molecules and polymers, and how these materials can be implemented successfully in established (e.g., organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs), organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices) and emerging (e.g., thermoelectric (TE) generators) organic electronic modules.

In this course you will gain the ability to tie molecular transport phenomena with macroscopic device response such that you will be well-prepared to analyze, troubleshoot, and design the next generation of organic electronic materials and devices.
 
This course has short lectures with quizzes, homework, and exams.

This course is the latest nanoHUB-U project in a series offered is jointly funded by Purdue University and the NSF with the goal of transcending disciplines though short courses accessible to students in any branch of science or engineering. 

In order to sustain themselves, organizations need to compete for scarce resources both in input and output markets. Because of this organizations need to create some kind of competitive advantage.

In this business and management course, suitable for managers and leaders in midsize to large organizations, you will learn the principles of organizational design and how design elements can be leveraged to gain competitive advantage. We will discuss various organizational structures and how an effective organizational design can help achieve a company’s goals and objectives in a sustainable manner. Since organizations involve collaborative activities, you’ll also learn how to create suitable control systems, decision-making processes and culture and reporting relationships to ensure that the efforts of a diverse set of employees are suitably coordinated to achieve the organizational purpose.

Organizations often spend considerable money on collaborative tools – but those tools are of no use unless there’s widespread adoption across teams. How can an organization ensure that the tools in which they’ve invested reach full adoption?

In this course, you will learn methods for engaging users and building internal support for new tools. You’ll learn how to conduct effective training, as well as ways to develop content that will spur adoption. You will learn how to improve productivity and communicate the process for overall collaborative improvement. 

This course takes a journey through the world of beliefs as they have developed in a great variety of cultures, ranging from Ancient Egypt, the Near East to Central Asia, India, China, and the Far East. We will discuss where these beliefs, theories and practices originated from, how they were passed on over the ages and why some are still so central to large communities of believers across the world today, whether it be amongst Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists or Shintoists.

We'll be dealing with everything from gods and spirits, to angels and demons, to afterlife and the netherworld, as well as the great cycles of the universe and the tremendous power of lunar and solar eclipses. The interpretation of dreams and all sorts of magic and miraculous deeds will also be covered during this course.

Students will have the opportunity to travel extensively in time and space. The comparative, critical and contextualized approach of this course will allow for a valuable and thought-provoking experience.

We are a course team of about twenty-five specialists working at, or in close interaction with, the Department of Greek, Latin and Oriental Studies (GLOR) at the University of Louvain. We are all historians or philologists, all passionate about our respective fields of expertise, and all fully determined to help you as much as we can as we progress through this course. Most of all, we're looking forward to "meeting" you and to having lively discussions with you on the forums.

If you're curious about the cultures of this world, past and present, this course is definitely for you. Put your wings on and get ready to ride on our “GLOR-ious” dragon and to enjoy the whole adventure with us!

The human mind is an evolutionary product, just like the body. However, the mind does not remain in fossil form like bones and teeth. Therefore, to better study and understand our minds their evolutionary origins we need to compare our cognitive features with those of different living primates. This approach is called "Comparative Cognitive Science (CCS)". CCS is a unique combination of Psychology and Primatology. CCS tries to give answers to the fundamental questions such as "what is uniquely human?", "where did it come from?”, "how did we get here?”, and "where do we go?" This intensive course focuses on chimpanzees, the closest relatives of humans.

This course covers selected areas of current research on CCS. We focus on behavioral studies of nonhuman animals, especially chimpanzees. Since the chimpanzee and the human share the latest common ancestor, only about five million years ago, this great ape provides the key to understanding our nature.

Oscar Wilde est l’auteur d’une œuvre abondante qui illustre tous les genres littéraires.

Parfois mal compris, sans doute en raison de la confidence qu’il aurait faite à André Gide (« J’ai mis tout mon génie dans ma vie; je n’ai mis que mon talent dans mon œuvre ») dont tout invite à penser qu’elle n’est pas authentique, Wilde, souvent perçu comme un esthète brillant ancré dans son siècle, était au contraire un écrivain innovant qui a bel et bien mis son génie dans son œuvre.

Si sa culture était immense, il a su l’utiliser pour créer une œuvre profondément originale qui s’interroge en permanence sur le pouvoir, ou sur l’impuissance, du langage.

Wilde avait également une pensée politique qui remettait en cause les présupposés de son temps, et son théâtre, notamment, rend compte de sa capacité à déstabiliser les catégories établies, par exemple celles du « masculin » et du « féminin », avec les implications idéologiques que cela suppose.

Ce MOOC s’intéresse aussi, par conséquent, à sa postérité qui montre bien que son œuvre fait sens pour les lecteurs contemporains.

We live on the surface of a dynamic and yet paradoxically stable planet that experiences a remarkable range of energetic phenomena, from waves and currents in the ocean to wind and thunderstorms in the atmosphere. This course traces how the remarkable concept called energy is the natural way of describing, understanding and unifying these diverse phenomena. The course traces the cascade of energy from sunlight to its final destination in a thermal form, considering differential surface heating, the role of convection and buoyancy and the formation of the Earth’s circulation system, and the links to the ocean circulation system. We consider the curvature and rotation of the Earth as key constraints on a system driven by sunlight and energy transformations.

Before your course starts, try the new edX Demo where you can explore the fun, interactive learning environment and virtual labs. Learn more.

How much time will the course take?

Obviously the answer will depend on your background and motivation to master the course material. Each week will consist of 5 or 6 segments that will each take 5 to 10 minutes to watch or listen to once. There will be some exploratory questions for each lesson and a confirmation quiz for each week. There will be one exploratory activity for each week. The average commitment will be 2-3 hours per week with perhaps 20 hours required for the whole course.

What background does the course assume?

We’ll ask you to pull out a calculator from time to time (but not all the time!) simply as this will help you really master the key ideas. The key thing is to have a curiosity and interest in what makes our planet tick!

What kind of learning activities will the course involve?

The activities are designed to use basic household objects, and our own senses, to engage with observations of the world, and to think about what these mean and lead to. We’ll get you to sense how cold or warm different objects get when left in the sun, and to observe how energy explains things we see and hear.

What difference will the course make to my life?

The course has the conviction that it is hard to care for or value things that we don’t appreciate or have never considered. Although harsh in certain places and times, the Earth’s surface is remarkably habitable. Many forms of life can make their way in many kinds of terrain and climate. What produces these conditions? How are they maintained? We will seek to answer those questions in rudimentary form at least.

What conversations will the course help to perform?

Courses often imagine a context in which the course material is discussed, and this one is no different. It imagines a setting with family or friends where you might have just learned of a news event involving a storm like a hurricane or thunderstorm, or where a community might have experienced a flood or a drought, or merely unusual weather. You might have heard of El Nino or climate change in the news. This course will give you a background to better engage in a conversation about these great matters, and offer a better sense of the complexity, challenge and wonder connected to living on the surface of such an energetic planet.

This course is designed to show faculty, instructors and organizational leadership how to create a course on edX. The course will cover the strategy behind getting the word out about a course, creating course content that is interactive, engaging, and accessible, and delivering a finished course.
 

Louv1.2x and its predecessor Louv1.1x together give an introduction to all major programming concepts, techniques, and paradigms in a unified framework. We cover the three main programming paradigms: functional, object-oriented, and declarative dataflow.

The two courses are targeted toward people with a basic knowledge of programming. It will be most useful to beginning programming students, but the unconventional approach should be insightful even to seasoned professionals.

Louv1.1x (Fundamentals) covers functional programming, its techniques and its data structures. You’ll use simple formal semantics for all concepts, and see those concepts illustrated with practical code that runs on the accompanying open-source platform, the Mozart Programming System.

Louv1.2x (Abstraction and Concurrency) covers data abstraction, state, and concurrency. You’ll learn the four ways to do data abstraction and discuss the trade-offs between objects and abstract data types. You’ll be exposed to deterministic dataflow, the most useful paradigm for concurrent programming, and learn how it avoids race conditions.

To learn more about the practical organization of the two courses, watch the introductory video. 

Louv1.1x and Louv1.2x together give an introduction to all major programming concepts, techniques, and paradigms in a unified framework. We cover the three main programming paradigms: functional, object-oriented, and declarative dataflow.

The two courses are targeted toward people with a basic knowledge of programming. It will be most useful to beginning programming students, but the unconventional approach should be insightful even to seasoned professionals.

Louv1.1x covers fundamental concepts. You’ll learn functional programming, its techniques and its data structures. You’ll use simple formal semantics for all concepts, and see those concepts illustrated with practical code that runs on the accompanying open-source platform, the Mozart Programming System.

Louv1.2x covers data abstraction, state, and concurrency. You’ll learn the four ways to do data abstraction and discuss the trade-offs between objects and abstract data types. You’ll be exposed to deterministic dataflow, the most useful paradigm for concurrent programming, and learn how it avoids race conditions.

To learn more about the practical organization of the two courses, watch the introductory video.

In Paradox and Infinity we will study a cluster of puzzles, paradoxes and intellectual wonders, and discuss their philosophical implications.

The class is divided into three modules:

• Time Travel and Free Will: Learn about whether time travel is logically possible, and whether it is compatible with free will.
• Infinity: Learn about how some infinities are bigger than others, and explore the mind-boggling hierarchy of bigger and bigger infinities.
• Computability and Gödel’s Theorem: Learn about how some mathematical functions are so complex, that no computer could possibly compute them. Use this result to prove Gödel’s famous Incompleteness Theorem.

Bonus: If you sign up to pursue a Verified Certificate for this class, you will be assigned problems that are graded by teaching assistants, and given professional written feedback. This will bring your learning experience one level closer to that of residential students at MIT. If you pass the class, you will receive an MITx certificate, in addition to edX's Verified Certificate of Achievement.

As Parcerias Público-Privadas (PPPs) tornaram-se um instrumento essencial para o crescimento produtivo, econômico e social dos países da América Latina e Caribe. Ao desenvolver e programar as PPPs observam-se restrições nas capacidades técnicas dos responsáveis, em especial no setor público.

Para preencher esta lacuna, IDBx desenvolveu este curso, o primeiro MOOC disponível em Português para aprender a planejar, projetar e implementar PPPs para projetos de desenvolvimento no Brasil e na América Latina e no Caribe.

Este curso busca dividir experiências de instituições internacionais líderes com a finalidade de ajudar a diminuir lacunas de conhecimento na utilização efetiva das PPPs, oferecendo ideias, soluções e lições aprendidas para lidar com os desafios ou restrições às capacidades técnicas e administrativas do setor público da região. As lições contidas no MOOC se aplicam a diferentes setores como infraestrutura, saúde, educação, banda larga e setor fiscal, levando em conta contextos nacionais de vários países da região, incluindo Brasil, Peru, México e Colômbia.

Para este efeito, o curso coloca à disposição dos participantes leituras selecionadas, vídeos, tutoriais de análises e outros recursos de aprendizagem.

O curso é baseado nos conteúdos do Guia de Referência sobre Parcerias Público-Privadas (PPPs) versão 2.0, desenvolvido e publicado em 2014 pelo BID, Banco Mundial (BM) e Banco Asiático de Desenvolvimento (ADB).

A elaboração deste curso foi financiada pelo Programa Especial para o Desenvolvimento Institucional (SPID). Mais informações em SPID.

This MOOC presents the new trends and formats of 21st century audio-visual documentary including a brief historical overview. | Este MOOC presenta las nuevas tendencias y formatos del documental audiovisual en el siglo XXI. Incluye una breve introducción histórica al género.

Analizar el contexto próximo del Papa Francisco y proponer alternativas de acción. Este curso teórico práctico, pretende hacer una aproximación reflexiva y crítica al pensamiento social del Papa Francisco desde la teología, teniendo como marco doctrinal de referencia, la doctrina social de la Iglesia, la realidad latinoamericana y mundial.

En las próximas décadas, las pensiones se convertirán en uno de los ejes centrales de las políticas económicas y sociales en América Latina y el Caribe (ALC).

¿La razón? En 2050 habrá en la región el triple de adultos mayores que ahora, con una mayor esperanza de vida y, por lo tanto mayores necesidades de atención.

Esos adultos mayores del futuro están hoy en un mercado de trabajo donde sólo 4 de cada 10 trabajadores contribuyen a un sistema de pensiones. Esto significa que en la actualidad 130 millones de personas están trabajando sin ahorrar para su pensión en ALC.

En ausencia de reformas, incluso con un crecimiento sostenido en la región, 1 de cada 2 jubilados no tendrá una pensión o esta no será adecuada, dejando entre 66 y 83 millones de adultos mayores dependiendo de las familias o del Estado para su manutención, lo que será económica, fiscal y socialmente insostenible.

Por otra parte, aquellos sistemas que prometen beneficios más generosos tienen baja cobertura y eventuales problemas de equidad y sustentabilidad. Lo que genera un importante desafío, ya que el aumentar la cobertura bajo el mismo diseño puede mejorar la situación financiera en el corto plazo, pero acrecentar los problemas de sustentabilidad en el largo plazo.

En este curso comprenderemos las complejidades que afronta el mercado de trabajo en ALC y, por ende, su sistema de pensiones. Vamos a esclarecer las políticas que se pueden formular en los diferentes contextos de la Región que podrían llevar a un funcionamiento de sistemas de pensiones más eficientes, financieramente sostenibles y equitativos y así ofrecer “mejores pensiones” a todos los adultos mayores, no solo a unos pocos.

La preparación de este curso fue financiada por el Programa Especial para el Desarrollo Institucional (SPID) del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. Mayor información en la página web del SPID.

Do you aspire to be an ideal people manager? The journey from being an individual contributor to a people manager requires significant personal development and growth. If you are a first time manager, you may have asked yourself:

• Where did I go wrong in managing this particular employee?
• How should I give feedback to my subordinates?
• How do I handle potential assessments?
• How should I motivate people who report to me?

The objective of this business and management course is to smoothen the transition for newly appointed people managers, motivate and guide people who are aspiring to become one and to think back and reflect for seasoned managers.

The course will provide learners with an enhanced understanding of the role of people management in organizational context. 

All entrepreneurs, by definition, are people managers. As founders and owners, they hire people, groom them, motivate them, and harness their talent towards effective management of enterprise. Yet most entrepreneurs believe that effective people management is common sense and is acquired through life experience.

While there is some truth to this belief, people management is also a science. It also comprises of principles, procedures and systems that need to be in place as the enterprise begins to grow. Many owners agree that in today’s economy people are the key differentiators in small and medium businesses.

The objective of the course is to:

• Create awareness on the key principles of people management as it relates to entrepreneurs.
• Critically analyze how HR practices contribute to the enterprise sustainability in the long run.
• Understand the role that owner/founders play in creating high performing organization.

The best ideas and strategies are of no consequence without the right people to translate them to action and we would aim at throwing some light on these aspects.

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.

Have you ever watched the evening news and wondered what the anchor meant when she said: “…and the Dow closed 50 points in choppy trading today.”

Have you ever watched Mad Money on CNBC as the host screamed BUY BUY BUY or SELL SELL SELL and clapped your hands with his energy while having no clue what was happening?

Have you watched a movie where successful Wall Street characters dropped cool sounding financial jargon and you smiled and nodded without knowing what they were saying?

Have you ever had someone talk about Roth IRAs and 401Ks, and as you nodded, your heart was racing?

Have you ever received multiple credit card solicitations in the mail and wondered which ones to sign up for or even if to sign up for any at all?

If you answered yes to any (and maybe all) of the above then this class is for you.

Want to better understand investments? How credit works? How and why insurance products like life insurance, health insurance, and property insurance might be relevant for you? How to maximize your retirement savings? This course aims to make finding the answers to these questions, and many other similar questions, interesting and fun.

This personal finance course is divided into four modules: investments, credit, insurance and retirement. Each module is independent and may be studied on its own, although studying them together provides a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness across modules and the various tradeoffs across them.

Throughout the course, we will explore interesting and relevant real world examples so that you can better understand the underlying concepts. We will also relate relevant academic research to the topic on hand and show how the research findings are relevant to your daily financial decisions.

This course provides practical, ready-to-use solutions to use in your daily life. All solutions may not be equally important for you given your age and priorities, but they will certainly be relevant to you at some point in your life.

Ready to take control of your finances? Whether you are saving for a house or retirement, struggling with your taxes, or wondering if you should invest in education/training, stocks or bonds, there are many questions when it comes to personal finances. There are many benefits, both long and short term, to learning the keys of financial planning and becoming a financially savvy consumer.

This course will teach you to think financially about investing in yourself and your future. We will discuss investments in education and training and show you how to use important economic tools to evaluate whether the investments you make are worth it financially. We will also show you how to make the most of your skills and abilities whether you work for yourself or someone else. This includes such things as evaluating salary and benefit packages and figuring out how to get health insurance coverage and save for retirement.

This portion of Personal Finance covers:

• Human Capital Investment
• Net Present Value (NPV)
• Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
• Parameterized Spreadsheet Analysis
• Employment Contracts & Making the Most of Work Benefits
• Developing a Business Plan
• Paying for Health Insurance and Saving for Retirement When You Are Self-Employed

Join us today and take control of your personal finances!