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Top 25 Free Courses starting in February 2016

Carolyn

Founder at MoocLab
Staff member
Group Manager
MoocLab in collaboration with CourseTalk features the top upcoming courses each month based on CourseTalk's user reviews.

5 star rating


Useful Genetics Part 1: How Our Genes Shape Us
Start date: 1st Feb
University of British Columbia via edX
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.


International Human Rights
Start date: 1st Feb
Université catholique de Louvain via edX
Human rights develop through the constant dialogue between international human rights bodies and domestic courts, in a search that crosses geographical, cultural and legal boundaries. The result is a unique human rights grammar, which this course shall discuss and question, examining the sources of human rights, the rights of individuals and the duties of States, and the mechanisms of protection. We shall rely extensively on comparative material from different jurisdictions, to study a wide range of topics including, for instance, religious freedom in multicultural societies, human rights in employment relationships, economic and social rights in development, or human rights in the context of the fight against terrorism.


Astrophysics: The Violent Universe
Start date: 9th Feb
Australian National University via edX
This course is designed for people who would like to get a deeper understanding of astronomy than that offered by popular science articles and television shows.You will need reasonable high-school level Maths and Physics to get the most out of this course.


Making Sense of News
Start date: 16th Feb
University of Hong Kong via edX
This five-week course will help you identify reliable information in news reports and become better informed about the world we live in. We will discuss journalism from the viewpoint of the news audience.



4.5 star rating


Circular Economy: An Introduction
Start date: 1st Feb
Delft University of Technology via edX
Our global society is not sustainable. We all know about the challenges we’re facing: waste, climate change, resource scarcity, loss of biodiversity. At the same time, we want to sustain our economies and offer opportunities for a growing world population. This course is about providing solutions we really believe in: a Circular Economy.
In this course we explore the Circular Economy: how businesses can create value by reusing and recycling products, how designers can come up with amazingly clever solutions, and how you can contribute to make the Circular Economy happen.


Basic Steps in Magnetic Resonance
Start date: 1st Feb
École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne via edX

  • Have you ever wondered how magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) works?
  • Do you know how one can determine three-dimensional structures of proteins without crystallization?
  • How can chemists know for sure if they succeeded in synthesizing the desired molecules?
  • How can you figure out the structure of a freshly discovered natural product extracted from plants or algae?

Behavioral Medicine: A Key to Better Health
Start date: 1st Feb
KIx: Karolinska Institutet via edX
Behavioral medicine is the science of changing our behavior, so we as individuals can stay healthy and happy as long as we can. In this course on Behavioral Medicine, you will learn about basic behavioral medicine concepts and explore how they can be applied to help people who need to change specific lifestyle behaviors to attain better health. Working with virtual patient interactions will give you a chance to test behavioral medicine interventions. You will also learn self¬-help tools based on behavioral medicine, for whatever you need to change in your own life.


Introduction to Probability - The Science of Uncertainty
Start date: 2nd Feb
MIT via edX
The world is full of uncertainty: accidents, storms, unruly financial markets, noisy communications. The world is also full of data. Probabilistic modeling and the related field of statistical inference are the keys to analyzing data and making scientifically sound predictions.
Probabilistic models use the language of mathematics. But instead of relying on the traditional "theorem - proof" format, we develop the material in an intuitive -- but still rigorous and mathematically precise -- manner. Furthermore, while the applications are multiple and evident, we emphasize the basic concepts and methodologies that are universally applicable.


Policy Analysis Using Interrupted Time Series
Start date: 9th Feb

University of British Columbia via edX ($395)
Interrupted time series analysis and regression discontinuity designs are two of the most rigorous ways to evaluate policies with routinely collected data. ITSx comprehensively introduces analysts to interrupted time series analysis (ITS) and regression discontinuity designs (RD) from start to finish, including definition of an appropriate research question, selection and setup of data sources, statistical analysis, interpretation and presentation, and identification of potential pitfalls.


SC1x Supply Chain Fundamentals: MITx MicroMaster's Credential in Supply Chain Management

Start date: 10th Feb
MIT via edX
Earn an MITx MicroMaster's Credential showing you've mastered the critical skills required to be successful in the rapidly expanding field of supply chain management. Companies need supply chain experts to create and maintain a strategic competitive advantage. This course is the first course offered as part of MIT's MicroMaster's Credential in Supply Chain Management.


The Body Matters: Why Exercise Makes You Healthy and How to Stay Uninjured
Start date: 10th Feb
McGill via edX
This health course will show you why exercise is a fundamental component of a healthy lifestyle.
Whether you are a competitive athlete, an aspiring musician or dancer, whether you play for fun or just want to lead an active lifestyle, this course will entertain and challenge you. You will learn the basic and advanced principles of body movement and biological, psychological and social issues related to activity, sport, injury and rehabilitation. The course will include content from leading global experts in multiple fields related to the science of exercise.


Framing: How Politicians Debate
Start date: 15th Feb
Delft University of Technology via edX

Is a good, solid argument enough to make an impact? How would you disprove the stance that man-made global warming is just an “opinion”? How would you explain your opinion on school tests, budget cuts, crime, immigration, safety and security issues? No doubt that your persuasiveness relies on your arguments. But your ability to influence and convince critically depends on the way you frame your message.

English for Doing Business in Asia – Speaking
Start date: 16th Feb
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology via edX
The use of English for doing business in multinational settings is a fact of life for many business people. As Asian economies expand and become more involved in the global economy, a lingua franca – a language used to communicate among groups of people who do not share a mother tongue – is needed to exchange information. This course has two goals. The first is to introduce non-native speakers of English to methods for developing spoken English language and communication skills for doing business in Asia. The second is to examine the impact of interculturality and globalization on English communications. By exploring and participating in a business simulation set in Asia, you will develop the principal skills for effective communication in English when conducting business in China and other Asian countries.


Quality of Life: Livability in Future Cities
Start date: 22nd Feb
ETH Zurich via edX
This urban planning course will focus on four areas that directly affect livability in a city: Urban energy, urban climate, urban ecology and urban mobility. The course begins by presenting measurable criteria for the assessment of livability, and how to positively influence the design of cities towards greater livability. We will focus on this basic topic of the human habitat in a holistic way, and introduce possibilities of participatory urban design by citizens, leading towards the development of a citizen design science.


Global Health Case Studies from a Biosocial Perspective
Start date: 23rd Feb
School: Harvard University via edX
This introductory global health course aims to frame global health's collection of problems and actions within a particular biosocial perspective. It develops a toolkit of interdisciplinary analytical approaches and uses them to examine historical and contemporary global health initiatives with careful attention to a critical sociology of knowledge. Four physician-anthropologists - Paul Farmer, Arthur Kleinman, Anne Becker, and Salmaan Keshavjee - draw on experience working in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Americas to investigate what the field of global health comprises, how global health problems are defined and constructed, and how global health interventions play out in both expected and unexpected ways.


Water and Wastewater Treatment Engineering: Physicochemical Technology
Start date: 29th Feb
Tsinghua University via edX
This introductory environmental science, environmental engineering and municipal engineering course will explore how physicochemical technology and techniques are applied to water and wastewater treatment. We will explore the basic calculation method, composition of structures and operation characteristics, and the latest advancements in water and wastewater treatment technology. Main physicochemical units, including coagulation and flocculation, sedimentation, flotation, filtration, disinfection, oxidation and reduction, membrane separation and ionic exchange, will be covered.


4 star rating


The Conscious Mind - A Philosophical Road Trip
Start date: 2nd Feb
Trinity College via edX
In ordinary life we barely notice the operations of our own minds. In The Conscious Mind - A Philosophical Road Trip, we will illuminate what we take for granted in perception, action, and interaction with others. We’ll explore this mindful awareness through demonstrations, illusions, brainteasers, thought experiments, riddles and jokes, all designed to shake you loose from your ordinary assumptions about the way consciousness works.


Principles of Electric Circuits 电路原理
Start date: 2nd Feb
Tsinghua University via edX
Principles of Electric Circuits (20220214x) is one of the kernel courses in the broad EECS subjects. Almost all the required courses in EECS are based on the concepts learned in this course, so it’s the gateway to a qualified EECS engineer.
The main content of this course contains linear and nonlinear resistive circuits, time domain analysis of the dynamic circuits, and the steady state analysis of the dynamic circuits with sinusoidal excitations. Important concepts, e.g. filters, resonance, quiescent point, etc., cutting-edge elements, e.g. MOSFETs and Op Amps, etc., systematic analyzing tools, e.g. node method and phasor method, etc., and real-world engineering applications, e.g. square wave generator and pulse power supply for railgun, etc., will be discussed in depth.


Les principes de la finance
Start date: 2nd Feb
Université catholique de Louvain via edX
La finance est omniprésente et les décisions financières nous concernent tous. Tout individu est un jour ou l’autre amené à épargner ou emprunter. La sélection des projets d’investissements et leur financement sont des questions cruciales pour les entrepreneurs ou managers. D’une manière plus large, les décisions prises par le monde politique en matières financières influencent directement ou indirectement le quotidien des citoyens. Les récentes crises financières ont pu nous montrer à quel point il peut être primordial de comprendre les fondamentaux de la finance. Sans un minimum d’éducation financière, il est difficile d’appréhender le fonctionnement du monde dans lequel nous évoluons. Ce cours introductif vous propose un cadre conceptuel et des outils pour vous aider à prendre des décisions financières judicieuses, avec un focus particulier sur les opérations financières courantes.


An Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python (Part 2)
Start date: 20th Feb
Rice University via Coursera
This two-part course is designed to be a fun introduction to the basics of programming in Python. Our main focus will be on building simple interactive games such as Pong, Blackjack and Asteroids.


The Challenges of Global Poverty
Start date: 22nd Feb
MIT via edX
This is a course for those who are interested in the challenge posed by massive and persistent world poverty, and are hopeful that economists might have something useful to say about this challenge. The questions we will take up include: Is extreme poverty a thing of the past? What is economic life like when living under a dollar per day? Are the poor always hungry? How do we make schools work for poor citizens? How do we deal with the disease burden? Is microfinance invaluable or overrated? Without property rights, is life destined to be "nasty, brutish and short"? Should we leave economic development to the market? Should we leave economic development to non-governmental organizations (NGOs)? Does foreign aid help or hinder? Where is the best place to intervene? And many others.


Introduction to Management Information Systems (MIS): A Survival Guide
Start date: 23rd Feb
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid via edX
This MIS course will cover supporting tech infrastructures (Cloud, Databases, Big Data), the MIS development/ procurement process, and the main integrated systems, ERPs, such as SAP®, Oracle® or Microsoft Dynamics Navision®, as well as their relationship with Business Process Redesign.


Engineering: Building with Nature
Start date: 29th Feb
Delft University of Technology via edX
If you’re interested in the concept of building with nature, then this is the engineering course for you. This course explores the use of natural materials and ecological processes in achieving effective and sustainable hydraulic infrastructural designs. You will learn the Building with Nature ecosystem-based design concept and its applications in water and coastal systems. During the course, you will be presented with a range of case studies to deepen your knowledge of ecological and engineering principles.

Implementing Predictive Analytics with Hadoop in Azure HDInsight
Start date: 29th Feb
Microsoft via edX
Learn how to implement predictive analytics solutions using Hadoop machine learning technologies like Mahout and Spark on Microsoft Azure HDInsight. In this four-week course, you will learn the basic concepts of data science and also use R programming on an HDInsight cluster.


Moons
Start date: 29th Feb
The Open University via FutureLearn
There are lots of moons in our Solar System. The Earth is the only planet with just a single moon. Some moons are bigger than ours; many are much smaller. There are even tiny moons orbiting some of the asteroids. Some have ongoing volcanic eruptions; others are dead, heavily cratered lumps. One has rivers and lakes of liquid methane. Our own Moon has resources that could help open the Solar System for future exploration. A small handful of moons have conditions below their surfaces where primitive life might exist.

 
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