Harvard has opened up a number of online courses for free enrollment. Making them a great option to fill up all that quarantined free time with.
One option to fill the extra time brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is to take advantage of the many Harvard University free online courses that are now available. These courses range in topics from teaching new skills, to providing spiritual enlightenment and even some that provide tools to help prepare the world for the next emergency.
Harvard University is a highly respected Ivy League university based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Esteemed alumni include the likes of Barack Obama, Natalie Portman and Bill Gates. Known as a school with an extremely stringent acceptance process, these online courses provide the opportunity to experience the kind of education Harvard has to offer, without having to nervously wait by a mailbox for an acceptance letter.
With a variety of free classes to choose from, the problem then becomes which one to choose? One way might be to take a look at the time commitments and make a decision based on that, considering the courses can vary significantly on this point. For example, some classes last for only two weeks, while there is a Science and Cooking class that lasts for sixteen weeks.
The first category of classes are for those that want to learn a new skill. For example, anyone who has considered learning a new language or how to make the best sourdough bread. Some classes to consider for these folks include CS50’s Introduction to Game Development, CS50’s Web Programming with Python and JavaScript and CS50’s Mobile App Development with React Native. With any luck, these courses could open up new job opportunities, or at least provide a fun new skill to play around with. In the same vein, Harvard also offers courses that are deep dives into artistic works. Classes such as Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and the 19th Century Orchestra or ChinaX Book Club: Five Authors, Five Books, Five Views of China may be an interesting way to go when the Netflix watchlist starts to run dry.
The next set of classes are great for those that need to take action. For many, living through a global emergency that is best helped by staying home can be more than a little frustrating. For those people, Harvard has many courses that will teach about ways to help rebuild society after the pandemic, and how to be prepared the next time something like this happens. One such class is Lessons from Ebola: Preventing the Next Pandemic. Learning ways in which scientists study and react to pandemics might go a long way towards easing a worried mind. Other classes provide insight into how to rebuild the economy, such as Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, or how to tackle other pressing issues, including The Health Effects of Climate Change. These provide the opportunity for action-oriented people to feel like they’re actually doing something.
Finally, for those that are worried these are the end times, Harvard does offer a large variety of classes that tackle different world religions and schools of philosophical thought. There is a Through Its Scripture series that provides insight into most major world religions, including Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism and Christianity. Alternatively, there is also a three-part series called, Fundamentals of Neuroscience, that provides an in-depth look into how the brain works. Regardless of how someone processes the world, there are classes available.
While there still may not be a clear answer as to how much longer everyone is going to be under quarantine, Harvard is providing an interesting way to spend all that extra time. For anyone starting to get tired of all the virtual happy hours and exploring the island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, this does offer a solidly productive alternative. There is a good feeling associated with learning new things, and taking a series of short classes may provide the sense of accomplishment that will help make it through coronavirus, and could even prove useful afterwards.
Source: Harvard University
Terry Bartley is a writer and fan of most things. He has had an array of jobs, including tech support, Christian radio DJ, comic book store owner and community coach. Being a person under the age of 50 living and working in Appalachia, he has regularly served as the IT guy in just about every office he has worked. Terry is currently serves as a trending tech writer for ScreenRant and is working on his debut fantasy novel.
