Do you ever wonder why the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) might be more memorable than other technological schools? To become memorable, a school must reach out to people in ways that seem beneficial. Alumni organizations can help spread the word about their alma mater. Great sports teams and debate teams also can help boost a school’s standing. But, another fork to take in the marketing path is through the Internet, as MIT and other schools have done in sharing courses online and without charge.

MIT and other schools are up front about these open source offerings – no one can earn credits from taking the courses, nor can they use the courses to claim a degree. But, when MIT and other colleges opened their virtual gates to allow the average person to get a glimpse behind their ivory towers, these colleges became well known for their altruism and transparency. Open Courseware has become a marketing tool, as it helps schools that use this option to become mroe well known in a local and global community.

That said, the following list represents a handful of hundreds of open courseware initiatives that now exist. The following fifty collections are from English-speaking universities and colleges, located across the U.S. to England, Canada and Australia. Additionally, the list points to open courseware projects such as directories and primary source projects offered by various universities and colleges.

The list is divided into categories and each link is listed in alphabetical order within those categories. This method shows our readers that we do not favor one collection over another.

American University and College Collections

UK, Canadian and Australian Initiatives

Athabasca University: Canada’s Athabasca University offers online courses arranged by undergraduate and graduate level. The range of courses is too large to list here. Capilano University: This Canadian project features courses in subjects that range from anthropology to philosophy and studio art. Gresham College: Based in London, this site offers lectures, events, audio and video that enhances their offerings in various subjects. Open University: This popular open courseware site provides lectures, learning modules and more on a wide range of subjects. Oxford University Mathematics OpenCourseWare: This project focuses on topics that range from introductions to pure mathematics and complex numbers to algebra, geometry and logic. Peoples Open Access Education Initiative (Peoples-uni): This project is focused on building public health learning through an e-based model for those who work in low- to middle-income countries. The education is equivalent to master’s degree level. University of Nottingham: the University of Nottingham provides lectures on a variety of topics as well as learning resources. University of Southern Queensland: Available courses at this site include an introduction to tourism, technology and society, general science and creation of interactive multimedia.

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