Online courses directory (1728)

In this course, you will learn how to design and configure the core components of an on-premises Enterprise Voice deployment, implement enhanced calling features, and manage IP Phones. You will also learn how to implement emergency dialing and optimize your network for Enterprise Voice. Finally, you will learn how to monitor and maintain voice quality.

This course is the third in a series of three courses designed to help you prepare for the 70-333 “Deploying Enterprise Voice with Skype for Business 2015” exam.

In Skype for Business: Voice Concepts and Planning you will learn about Skype for Business Online and how it can provide meeting and voice functionality. This course is the first in a series of three online courses designed to help you prepare for taking the 70-333 “Deploying Enterprise Voice with Skype for Business 2015” exam.

You will learn how to plan a Cloud PBX deployment, including integration with on-premises PSTN Connectivity. Additionally, you will learn how to deploy PSTN Conferencing, and integrate cloud identity and security with on-premises Active Directory. 

In Skype for Business: Cloud Voice Concepts and Planning you will learn about Skype for Business Online and how it can provide meeting and voice functionality.

You will learn how to plan a Cloud PBX deployment, including the integration with on-premises PSTN connections. You will also learn how to deploy PSTN conferencing, and integrate cloud identity and security with on-premises Active Directory. Finally, you will learn how to successfully plan a voice deployment.

This course is the second in a series of three online courses designed to help you prepare for taking the 70-333 “Deploying Enterprise Voice with Skype for Business 2015” exam.

Cities are first and foremost built for people, and in today’s world, people produce large amounts of valuable data, thus contributing to what we call “smart cities." As almost every building and every city is a prototype, these communities are in the early stage of development and require specific attention and expertise as we advance.

Smart cities, such as Zurich and Boston, consist of human-made structures or environments that are, in some capacity, monitored, metered, networked and controlled. With this functionality, combined with stationary sensors and mobile devices, data and information have become the new building materials of future cities. Using this data, citizens are now beginning to influence the design of future cities and the re-design of existing ones.

In this architecture course, you will learn the basics of information cities and urban science research, as well as how dynamic behavior and citizen-driven learning differentiate the responsive city from the smart city. The cities we present and develop in this course use the stocks and flows of information as the main drivers of change.

To deepen your knowledge of smart cities and give a perspective on the future of these cities, we also introduce the concept of citizen design science, a combination of citizen science, urban design, and cognitive design computing. Participants will furthermore have unique access to a design research platform for citizen design science. The intelligent use of data and information is at the core of this course, and these concepts will be the next generation of participatory design and design computing environments.

This course is part of the “Future Cities” XSeries, and builds on the experiences from our first two urban MOOCs: Future Cities and Livability in Future Cities.

Over the past few years, advancements in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have significantly challenged the traditionally stable landscape of urban infrastructure services. The result is an increasing interest in the transitioning of cities towards so-called “smart cities” – an interest expressed both by technology vendors and public authorities. Although such “smart technologies” can provide immense opportunities for citizens and for service providers alike, the ICTs often act as disruptive innovators of urban infrastructure service provision.

In this MOOC, you will gain a thorough understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with “smart urban infrastructures” as well as how these infrastructures can be managed in order to deliver desirable performance in cities. More precisely, throughout this 5-week MOOC you will learn about the most important principles for the management of smart urban infrastructures as well as about the application of these principles to two specific sectors, namely urban transportation and urban energy systems.

Ever wondered why you hear the term “smart grid” so often these days, and what it’s all about? This engineering course will explain the essential nature of the smart grid, an electricity network based on digital technology, and the importance of grid modernization.

This course will provide high-level insight into a smart grid’s many aspects such as distributed energy, energy storage, transmission and distribution automation, microgrids, demand response, data analytics, and cyber security.

This course builds an understanding of key smart grid technologies both from a utility and customer perspective. It delivers a business perspective through cost-benefit analysis, market adoption, and industry mega trends.

It concludes by laying out a typical roadmap for the progression of smart grids, along with an implementation methodology for realizing it.

No previous power systems or utility industry knowledge needed. Simply sit back and enjoy your journey through the world of Smart Grid.

This course, produced with The Great Courses, will look at four key themes in the History of America as presented by Dr. Richard Kurin, Undersecretary for History, Art and Culture at the Smithsonian.

• American Icons – from the Star Spangled Banner to the Statue of Liberty – how have these become iconic symbols for Americans?  What do these icons represent in a global context?
• Rights and Liberties – from the Declaration of Independence to the Greensboro Lunch Counter, how have Americans defined, and continue to define, their rights and governance?
• America the Beautiful – From evidence of the continent’s first inhabitants to the conservation efforts of the Smithsonian’s scientists, how have the American people – both native and settler – envisioned, explored, worked and protected the land and its resources?
• Spirit of Invention – from the Model T to the space program, how have America’s pioneering inventions changed the world?

In this course you will gain a unique perspective on American history and culture by learning the stories behind objects that were, and continue to be, an essential part of U.S. history. Most importantly, you will reflect on what objects have personal meaning to you, and the role that symbolic objects play in your own histories.

This course is adapted from the video lecture series produced by Smithsonian and The Great Courses, Experiencing America: A Smithsonian Tour Through History.

Want to become a biomedical engineer but not sure where to focus or how to get there? This engineering course will give you an overview of this wildly popular and vast field, as you learn about more than two dozen areas of focus and get a peek at some of the cool and exciting advances going on at top institutions. Along the way, you’ll meet more than three dozen biomedical engineers—from top names in the field to those just starting their careers.

Through exercises, you’ll get to think like a BME and experience the various areas to see which fits your interests and talents.

Finally, once you have a better sense of where you’d like to focus, our educational and career advice will help show you how to get there.

While targeted to students exploring a career in biomedical engineering, anyone curious about this fascinating field will find something of interest: from the thinking processes of pilots and baseball batters to an inside view of a beating heart to developments in bionics, exoskeletons, and nanotechnology.

Join us on a journey through the world of biomedical engineering.

Verified students are eligible to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and Professional Development Hours (PDHs), valid toward continuing education requirements for many professional certifications.

Do you want to make a difference by collaborating with other like-minded individuals from around the globe? Maybe you’re already working with a group doing social impact work in an established organization/NGO. Or perhaps you have an idea for a social initiative and want to team up with others, locally or virtually. Or maybe you’re just concerned about the direction the world is heading and want to join a global conversation about creating some positive, sustainable change. If so, this first ever GROOC is for you.

Our GROOC has a distinct pedagogy: we believe profound learning happens when people share their experiences with each other, ask questions and tell stories. It’s called social learning. There are no right or wrong answers and no tests along the way. Instead, you’ll delve into relevant issues that concern all social initiatives, at any stage of development.

Over seven sessions, you will be exposed to concepts and models from our four course designers and will hear from top international scholars and practitioners who combine the best thinking with the most effective doing. Plus, you’ll have access to more than 20 “deep dive” interviews with fascinating individuals who are at the forefront of creating social change, including Muhammad Yunus, Mary Gordon, Marshall Ganz, and many more.

The goal of our GROOC is simple: to inspire the creation of social initiatives that will help rebalance society. Join us to engage in meaningful social learning with a worldwide network of people who want to create a better world together.

Social media technologies are continuously transforming the ways consumers interact with each other and firms. These changes constitute a fundamental shift in the marketplace--consumers have greater opportunities to voice their opinions and connect with their peers as well as increased influence over marketers and brands.

In this course, part of the Digital Product Management MicroMasters program, we examine how organizations capitalize on social media and consumer-to-consumer interactions to support their marketing efforts. We view these issues from a strategic and a practical perspective, rather than a technical or platform perspective. We will give you the knowledge you need to create engaging content for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, as well as how to identify influencers, deliver content to a targeted audience, and measure the success of your efforts.

This course will equip learners with the skills they need to promote their company’s products or services, or their own personal brand using social media. Additionally, learners will gain an understanding of how they can use social media to achieve specific organizational objectives and measure the effectiveness of those efforts.

Explore current social welfare issues in the context of their history and the underlying rationale and values that support different approaches. Emphasis is placed on major fields of social work service such as:

• income maintenance
• health care
• mental health
• child welfare
• corrections
• elderly services

You will learn about analytic frameworks with regard to social welfare policies and services. These frameworks identify strengths and weaknesses in the current social welfare system with respect to:

• multiculturalism and diversity
• social justice and social change
• behavioral and social science theory and research
• relevant social work promotion, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation programs

There are four main content areas for the course.

1. The philosophic and practical basis for social welfare provisions.
2. The history of the social work profession and the emergence of specific policies and programs within their historical, social and political contexts.
3. A critical analysis of current social welfare policies in the U.S. and cross-nationally, and programs, nationally and cross-nationally with attention to the evolving policies.
4. An understanding of theory/research, debates, and trends in social welfare provision and patterns of service delivery.

This course is part of the Social Work: Practice, Policy and Research MicroMasters Program offered by MichiganX.

In this social science course we will discuss various methods, strategies and skills within macro social work practice, used to help identify and address needs on a larger scale. You will gain knowledge and skills in the areas of community organizing, management, and policy advocacy, and learn about the various roles social workers play within these areas. This course will provide an appreciation of the historical and contemporary importance of these social work methods and the relevance of these methods for diverse populations and identities.

We will focus on:

• understanding the context of macro practice;
• identifying community and organizational interventions to address social needs and problems;
• organizing and building relationships within communities and organizations;
• organization-based and community-based policy making, planning, and program development.

You will also learn concepts and practice skills involving assessment, problem solving and intervention planning at the macro level, and strategies to work effectively with communities and organizations. Content includes reflective practice and utilizing interpersonal skills in macro practice.

This course is part of the Social Work: Practice, Policy and Research MicroMasters Program offered by MichiganX.

This course focuses on the transactional relationships between people and their social environments.

You will learn social work practice methods to restore, maintain and promote social functioning as it relates to individuals, families, and small groups.

This course integrates content on multiculturalism, diversity, and social justice issues. You will examine social work values and ethics as well as issues of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, religion, and ability as these relate to social work practice.

This course builds off of behavioral and social science theories to inform the practice concepts and skills presented. You will learn how to perform various social work roles (i.e. counselor/clinical social worker, group facilitator, mediator, and advocate), recognizing that these roles must adhere to social work values and ethics. You will learn the importance of developing relationships with clients, colleagues, supervisors, other professionals, and other constituencies. You will learn how to apply skills such as active listening, empathic responding, contracting, and critical and creative thinking in practice.

All phases of the social work practice intervention process (i.e. engagement, assessment, intervention and evaluation) are presented and applied with individuals, families, and small groups.

You will learn how to assess vulnerabilities and strengths in clients' lives that relate to attributes (e.g. ability, age, class, color, culture, ethnicity, family structure, gender {including gender identity and gender expression}, marital status, national origin, race, religion or spirituality, sex, and sexual orientation) as well as situational and environmental factors relevant to the client's social functioning.

You will also learn how to assess risks, barriers, and plan, implement and monitor change strategies and evaluate techniques in order to demonstrate effectiveness.

This course is part of the Social Work: Practice, Policy and Research MicroMasters Program offered by MichiganX.

In this social science course, you will learn how social workers in the United States engage in creating change and supporting the resilience of individuals, families and communities in this new era.

Learners will have an opportunity to explore the social worker profession, the different roles of social workers in a range of settings, the cross cutting themes that guide social work practice, the history of social work, and current challenges.

Using a social justice lens, learners will reflect on current challenges facing the lives of individuals, families and communities and examine ways to advocate for needed changes.

This course is part of the Social Work: Practice, Policy and Research MicroMasters Program offered by MichiganX.

Understand social work practice through the critical examination of methods associated with decision-making, critical thinking, and ethical judgment.

The course integrates the core themes related to multiculturalism and diversity; social justice and social change; promotion, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation; and behavioral and social science research.

You will learn how to formulate appropriate research questions and hypotheses, techniques for testing relationships and patterns among variables, methods of data collection, methods to assess and improve the validity and reliability of data and measures, and the ethics of scientific inquiry.

This course will cover:

• quantitative and qualitative research methods

• commonly used statistical procedures

• approaches to the evaluation of practice

Learn how to understand and appreciate a scientific approach to building practice knowledge and for evaluating practice, and to use research to advocate for clients and inform policy. Special emphasis will be placed on increasing one's ability to formulate research questions, apply research methods, conduct statistical analysis, and interpret research reports. The latest statistical, graphical, and display technologies will be used.

This course is part of the Social Work: Practice, Policy and Research MicroMasters Program offered by MichiganX.

How can you determine if a proposed real estate development project is socially responsible? Or determine whether the developer used the tools of social impact assessment (SIA), environmental impact assessment (EIA), and public consultation effectively?

This course will teach you how to evaluate a development project and practice socially responsible real estate yourself by applying SIA, EIA, and consultation methods. It is also designed to help students build their own personal theory of what constitutes socially responsible real estate development.

Taught by a professor with more than forty-five years of teaching experience at MIT, using an applied case study method, this course will open new opportunities for real estate developers and urban planners to see how SIA, EIA, and stakeholder engagement are the keys to creating socially-responsible real estate development throughout the world. 

This computer science course is the first of a two-course sequence about writing good software using modern software engineering techniques.

In this course, you will learn what software engineers mean by "good" code -- safe from bugs, easy to understand, and ready for change. You will also learn ways to make your code better, including testing, specifications, code review, exceptions, immutability, abstract data types, and interfaces.

This is a challenging and rigorous course that will help you take the next step on your way to becoming a skilled software engineer.

Photo by Wizou on Flickr. (CC BY) 2.0

This is the third course in the Software Development MicroMasters program. You will learn how to build larger and more complex software systems using the Java programming language.

The course begins with the topic of data abstraction - from specification to implementation. Particular attention is given to how to write robust tests using JUnit. Then the course expands on these ideas to explore how type hierarchies and polymorphism can be used to decrease redundancy in your code. The course wraps up with a discussion of how to design robust classes.

By the end of the course, you will have a solid foundation in designing software in Java, and be ready to move onto Software Construction: Object-Oriented Design, where you will learn more complex design patterns and principles designing object-oriented programs.

Learners who enroll in the Verified track will receive staff grading for the course project and increased interaction with the instructors and staff.

This course, part of the Software Development MicroMasters program, will dig deep into the principles of object oriented design, and introduce new abstraction techniques and design patterns. You will use these techniques to build an application that makes use of popular online services and APIs – the most complex software design project so far.

By the end of the course, you will have a solid foundation in Java and Object-Oriented Design, as well as many software development concepts that can be applied to any language.

Learners who enroll in the Verified track will receive staff grading for the course project and increased interaction with the instructors and staff.

In this project course, the final course in the Software Development MicroMasters program, you will learn how to input, manipulate, and return data with a modern web development stack. Using TypeScript and Node, you will manipulate large amounts of information using a domain-specific querying language. Backend, REST, and front-end technologies will be required to successfully complete the project.

In teams, students will work through the project in several sprints. In each sprint, students will produce a deliverable that is evaluated using an automated test suite. The feedback you will receive from this suite will be limited. To succeed at the project you will need to create your own private test suite to further validate each deliverable.

By working through such a large-scale development project, you will learn technical development skills, and gain experience with how teams develop software in the industry.

This is the largest project in the Software Development MicroMasters program. Verified learners will have access to greatly increased staff coaching to help complete the project.