OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a

“free and open digital publication of high-quality university level educational materials, including syllabi, lecture notes, assignments and exams”  

according to the University of California at Irving website.  

In other words, OCW is educational material available to learners, students and teachers across the globe… for free. 

At MIT, http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm
on the MITOpenCoureseware site, free lecture notes, videos and exams are offered for free with no registration required. They currently have 1900 courses available on the web. 

Check out the Utah State University list of courses and you’ll find a wide range of academic courses as well as extension courses such as landscaping, turf management, irrigation and vegetable gardening.  

What’s the catch? 

You can learn for free. You can educate yourself on your time schedule. You can enjoy the process of learning. You can enrich your mind.  You will not receive a degree; however, you will receive an amazing education. 

To find a course from any OCW institution, go to www.ocwconsortium.org/use/use-dynamic.html and enter your selection.

It’s like eating from a buffet table; you get to pick and choose, taste a bit of this and a taste of that.  And once you find the item (or course) that you totally consume and seek out again and again, you’ll be years ahead of the other paying students who are struggling to find out what they want to do once they graduate (besides pay back a huge loan)!

Getting an education before you head off to college may be the best thing you can do. Check out a few courses from several institutions.  Are you engaged? Do you want to learn more?  You decide. At your own pace …

What fun!