Top Online College Student Resources

Online education is revolutionary in its convenience and accessibility, but it still requires a great deal of concentration, time, and the right set of tools for your learning style. There are both paid and free forms of online education, and often they complement each other well. A series of free videos or podcasts on a topic can provide additional context that is outside the scope of a course syllabus. Accessing these materials via laptop, tablet, or smartphone makes it easy to fill all your spare time with educational pursuits, but having a good study space at home is also important for longer periods of dedicated study that let you really absorb material. The sites listed here offer great tools to help anyone get the most out of any online education option they choose to pursue. From OpenCourseWare suites to video lecture series and even a few shops that sell learning supplies and dorm furniture, this list has everything you need to set yourself up for success in online learning.

General Online Learning

One of the biggest benefits of online learning is that anyone can take advantage of it and create their own course catalog that fits their interests and schedule by using the wide range of free and paid courses that are offered. These sites mostly include free supplementary material and even advice on how to find and take advantage of great online educational materials.

1. Khan Academy

   Khan Academy provides free video libraries, interactive challenges and assessments for students. Parents, coaches and teachers can also keep track of what their student is learning.

   Where to Begin: Khan Academy “Tutorials”

2. Coursera

   Coursera offers online courses for free from top universities all over the world. A wide range or courses are offered, including biology, mathematics, business, computer science, humanities and more. Those looking to expand their knowledge, sharpen their resume, or advance their career will find the courses here to fulfill that need.

   Where to Begin: 29 New Schools, 92 New Courses, 5 Languages, 4 Continents and 2.7 Million Courserians

3. UDACITY

   Udacity was born at Stanford University when they opened a free class titled “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence.” This sparked so much interest that Udacity was born and more open courseware has been introduced.

   Where to Begin: Course Catalog

4. KnowledgeNet

   KnowledgeNet is a resource for a variety of courses centered around the field of IT and provides tools for certifications.

   Where to Begin: Courses

5. odijoo

   Odijoo is an online tool for educators to create and sell their own online courses.

   Where to Begin: Odijoo Overview

6. TutorPro

   TutorPro makes e-learning solutions for companies and provides a platform for developing teaching tools. Additionally, they provide consulting and development advice.

   Where to Begin: Development Tools

7. Compass Learning

   Compass Learning handles a variety of products; things like Odessey and Impact Teacher Academy are used to enhance the entire educational experience, bettering students and teachers alike.

   Where to Begin: Solutions

8. Getting Smart

   Getting Smart presents different avenues in education for increasing the effectiveness of methods and providing unique solutions.

   Where to Begin: edReformer

9. Curriculumbits.com

   Curriculmbits.com is a resource that sees the evolution of education focused on open-source entities that are readily accessible for the masses. They provide an extensive variety of resources accessible online or for download.

   Where to Begin: Online Resources

10. Study Guide Zone

    Study Guide Zone is a resource with guides for a variety of subjects with various goals in mind. They have study exams for GED, ACT, and SAT guides, among others.

    Where to Begin: Practice Questions

11. TED.com

    TED is one of the most acclaimed educational resources, constantly releasing new ideas via TED talks, a series that brings in some of the foremost experts in a given field and lets them elaborate on whatever subject they perfer.

    Where to Begin: TED Talks

12. Saylor

    Saylor believes in “harnessing technology to make education free.” It is a great resource for learning via the free classes in a variety of subjects on their website.

    Where to Begin: The Saylor Foundation Status

13. ACAS

    ACAS is geared towards providing new information and refreshing on topics relevant to employment.

    Where to Begin: Training

14. Atrixware ELearning Solutions

    Atrixware designs software tools for creating e-learning software and selling it to customers. The blog provides useful websites with good and free e-learning tools.

    Where to Begin: Weblearning

15. Articulate Network Rapid E-Learning

    Articulate’s blog on rapid e-learning has up-to-date information on many different topics and discussions to supplement the posts.

    Where to Begin: Convert Your Bullet Points to Interactive E-Learning with Video

16. Livemocha

    Livemocha is conscious of the rapid globalization taking place today. Through e-learning, they are hoping to expand on the amount of languages each person is fluent in.

    Where to Begin: Livemocha Blog

17. NEHA e-Learning

    The National Environmental Health Association implemented this website to increase the amount of tools health professionals have to succeed and does so through e-learning.

    Where to Begin: Free Viewing Courses

18. Paul’s E-Learning Resources

    Paul’s E-learning Resources is a blog that attempts to connect educators with tools and enhanced learning opportunities for students.

    Where to Begin: Resources

19. TeachAde

    TeachAde is a resource for K-12 teachers to expand on educational tools they have previously used.

    Where to Begin: Resources

20. Alison

    Alison has a goal of enabling anyone to educate themselves for free. The website provides tools for learning yourself, but also looks at working with educators.

    Where to Begin: Diploma Courses

21. E-Learning Center

    E-Learning Center is a comprehensive site for learning subjects relevant to IT and Web Development. Some content is free, though some do require a paid subscription to access it.

    Where to Begin: Free Courses

22. gcflearnfree.org

    GCF Learn Free centers their curriculum around technology, literacy, and math skills in an attempt to provide for those who may not have certain means.

    Where to Begin: Classes

23. iBerry

    The goal of iBerry is to connect those interested in high education with the information and resources desired. The website is centered around “Open Education”, a belief that education should be easily and readily accessible.

    Where to Begin: Open Education Directory

24. Distance Learning

    The Annenburg Learner is committed to upholding the values of The Annenburg Foundation, a group with a belief in the advancement and development of effective means for the professional development of teachers.

    Where to Begin: Graduate Credit

25. Findtutorials.com

    Findtutorials.com compiles tutorials from across the Internet in a wide variety of subjects and then the quality is voted on, which shifts the tutorial up or down the list based on quality and relevance.

    Where to Begin: Index

26. the eLearning Coach

    the eLearning Coach provides tips for online learning. The site includes practical content, strategies, product reviews and resources to help the viewer understand online learning.

    Where to Begin: 13 Ways to Learn in 2013

27. Trello

    Trello helps get you organized. Whether it’s remodeling a house or getting your office on the same page for a project, their card system will help you get organized, gather opinions, assign tasks and collaborate in real time.

    Where to Begin: How to use Trello like a pro

28. WIZIQ

    WIZIQ is a great online resource for learning. With access to professors, tutors and more, the site allows teachers and students to meet online in real time for virtual classes.

    Where to Begin: Learning to Teach & Teaching to Learn

29. iHomework

    iHomework helps students stay organized on their mobile device. Students can enter assignments, class information, tasks and more to help manage their academic career.

    Where to Begin: iHomework for iOS

30. Creative Commons

    Creative Commons helps you share your creativity and knowledge on the Internet with their tools and licenses.

    Where to Begin: Before Licensing

31. The eLearning Guild

    The eLearning Guild is a place for e-learning professionals to come together to share their knowledge and experience with each other. With online forums, learning solutions magazine, certificate programs, webinars and more, e-learning professionals can make it much more successful.

    Where to Begin: Why Games Don’t Teach

32. eLearn Magazine

    eLearning professionals can come to eLearn Magazine to produce more original and effective online courses. With a place to express opinions, read reviews, blog posts, research and case studies, and best practice tips, eLearning teachers can find tons of useful information to help them build their portfolio.

    Where to Begin: Assuming You Have A Training Problem

33. ReadyGo

    ReadyGo is a place to create e-Learning and m-Learning courses. Geared towards organizations, ReadyGo can help employers create courses for their employees to take, handle strategic consulting, project management and much more.

    Where to Begin: e-Learning and m-Learning Consulting Services
    

34. Course Buffet

    Course Buffet is a search engine for finding open courseware from a variety of sites. This saves the user from jumping around from various open courseware sites that usually are university-specific.

    Where to Begin: About

35. Faculty Focus

    Faculty Focus is designed for university professors. It provides a forum for discussing issues in higher education and includes an informative blog.

    Where to Begin: Improving Teaching One Class at a Time

36. Center for Online Learning, Research and Service

    The Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service is a service of the University of Illinois-Springfield and provides support for scholarly research.

    Where to Begin: Learning

37. 2U

    2U provides technical and logistical support and infrastructure to universities that want to develop an online program to supplement their other educational offerings.

    Where to Begin: About

38. Individualized Learning Solutions

    Individualized Learning Solutions looks at various education theories and attempts to make sense of issues in contemporary education. The website works with children at the root of the problem: how children learn.

    Where to Begin: Technology

39. Latitude Learning

    Latitude Learning is a Learning Management System, or LMS, that helps businesses manage the educational offerings they and their employees use. This can be used by companies who offer training for employees, or companies that manage a whole suite of online educational products for other clients.

    Where to Begin: Standard LMS

40. Open Culture

    Open Culture offers blog posts, videos, and other media with educational content on many topics, from world history to writing tips and links to other educational tools and resources across the web.

    Where to Begin: 7 Tips from F. Scott Fitzgerald on How to Write Fiction

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Continuing Education

Learning doesn’t stop at any age. Especially now as industries develop rapidly and rely more and more on new technologies to make efficiency gains, being able to learn a new skill mid-career is no longer an option, but a requirement for doing business, and online courses are a great way to learn additional skills without turning your schedule inside out.

1. findCE.com

   Unlike many other continuing education sites that charge, Find CE touts being fee-less and provides information on conferences and seminars relevant to continuing education.

   Where to Begin: Index of Resources

2. Merlot Educational Resource

   Merlot is a comprehensive website with a plethora of resources to guide the viewer to various courses and information.

   Where to Begin: Communities

3. Focus Continuing Education

   Imaging professionals can get their continuing education needs met at the Focus Continuing Education website. Online and print versions of the tests are available.

   Where to Begin: Tests

4. Free-ED.Net

   Free-Ed.Net is a great site with free online courses and educational resources. Almost all trade and academic subjects are found at the site that a traditional university or college would have.

   Where to Begin: First-Time Visitor’s FAQ

5. Brooklyn Letters

   Our language and reading specialists provide remediation and intervention services for all ages. In addition, we collaborate with a team of professionals specializing in child and adolescent neuropsychology, psychology, psychotherapy, occupational therapy, nutrition, & hearing.

   Where to Begin: Brooklyn Letters

6. Scitable Education by Nature Education

   Scitable Education by Nature Education is a science library with information on genetics and cell biology. The site is free and has e-books, topic rooms, knowledge projects and blogs.
   .

   Where to Begin: Is Global Warming Chiefly Manmade?

7. Open Yale course

   Open Yale course website provides free introductory courses taught by Yale University professors. A variety of courses are available such as English, Chemistry, Physics, Political Science and more.

   Where to Begin: Courses

8. E-Learning Resources

   E-Learning Resources does just what it’s title says – provided resources for E-learning. The site provides information on free online courses, E-books, adult, blended and online learning, and much more.

   Where to Begin: Learning portals for on-demand learning

9. AECDaily

   AECDaily provides online continuing education courses for those in the fields of architecture, engineering, construction, interior design, landscape architect and maintenance. Participants download the course, take the test and receive their results from the site.

   Where to Begin: Continuing Education

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OpenCourseWare

Traditional brick-and-mortar universities aren’t being left out of the online education revolution. Major institutions like MIT and Stanford have released OpenCourseWare suites of free courses that anyone can access online.

1. MITOpencourseware

   MIT Open CourseWare is an online resource with a wide array of free courses from MIT to view online.

   Where to Begin: Get Started with OCW

2. TUFTSOPENCourseware

   Tufts Open CourseWare provides a catalog of courses from Tufts University for free to enhance learning outside of the classroom.

   Where to Begin: Course List

3. OCW Consortium

   OCW Consortium offers free, online courses from universities all over the world. With nearly 7,000 courses, from 65 sources and 19 languages, there is certainly something for everyone.

   Where to Begin: Feb 26 CCCOER Webinar: The Critical Role of Librarians in OER Adoption

4. NYU Open Education

   New York University is now offering Open Education, which brings NYU courses available free online. The pilot program is beginning with a variety of courses, such as calculus, sociology, a social history of New York City and more.

   Where to Begin: Frequently Asked Questions

5. UC Berkeley

   UC Berkeley is the place to go for audio and video courses for students all over the world. Downloadable via You Tube or iTunes, students can choose from a variety of classes including biology, African American studies, economics, computer science, physics, mathematics and many more.

   Where to Begin: Spring 2013

6. University of Oxford

   The University of Oxford Mathematical Institute is participating the Open Courseware Consortium, which allows students from all over the world to take online courses through the Internet. Many math subjects are available for students.

   Where to Begin: Oxford University Mathematics OpenCourseWare

7. Open High School of Utah

   Open High School of Utah is an online school, offering individualized instruction for each Utah high school student. Courses such as language arts, mathematics, social studies, fine arts, physical education & health and other electives are available for student to take.

   Where to Begin: Open High School of Utah OpenCourseWare

8. UC Irvine Opencourseware

   UC Irvine Opencourseware was the first West Coast University to join the OpenCourseWare Consortium. Adding nearly 10 new courses each month, their courses are directed towards adults seeking continuing education classes, with the option to take the instructor-led, for-credit courses.

   Where to Begin: UCI OpenCourseWare

9. Utah State University Courseware

   Utah State University Courseware is a collection of courses that are used on their actual campus that is available online for students around the world. With nearly 20 departments participating, Utah State is able to offer over 80 courses from which students to choose from.

   Where to Begin: Courses

10. UMass Boston Courseware

    UMass Boston Courseware offers free online courses for students looking to expand their knowledge. With nearly 20 departments participating in the curriculum, the University is able to offer nearly 50 courses from special education to science to chemisty and writing.

    Where to Begin: Courses

11. UNU OpenCourseWare

    United Nations University OpenCourseWare provides free online courses from the NU Research and Training Centres and Programmes for students around the world. Courses include those under the Institute for Water, Environment and Health, International Institute for Software Technology and Maastricht Economic and social Research and training centre on Innovation and Technology.

    Where to Begin: Courses Listing

12. Capilano University

    Through open content licensing, Capilano University provides open courseware for free to the masses with classes in anthropology, art history, business, philosophy, and even studio art. The university wants to see open courseware move to being more mainstream and use it to drive the cost of education down.

    Where to Begin: About Cap College

13. edX

    edX was created with founding partners that include Harvard and MIT and has a goal of studying how students learn. By using this data, the goal is to provide material that is more easily accessible and will have longer retention.

    Where to Begin: FAQ

14. John Hopkins University

    John Hopkins provides its own version of open courseware centered largely around medical courses.

    Where to Begin Courses

15. Notre Dame CourseWare

    Notre Dame Courseware provides access to coursework from the University of Notre Dame. No degrees are given and there is no access to faculty, which is how the courses are made free.

    Where to Begin: Course List

16. OCW Consortium Europe

    OCW Consortium Europe is a collaborative effort between a number of universities, such as Klagenfurt University and Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. The universities all provide free courseware and the website acknowledges other European universities in the finalizing process of bringing content online as well.

    Where to Begin: Project

17. Open.Michigan

    Open.Michigan is a resource that allows those who do not attend the University of Michigan to have access to the wealth of material and courses they have to offer.

    Where to Begin: Share Your Content

18. UC CollegePrep SCOUT

    UC CollegePrep SCOUT is going beyond simply providing college courses online, they’re adding content for high school students to begin taking college classes via open courseware in hopes of better preparing students.

    Where to Begin: SCOUT

19. USQ OpenCourseWare

    The University of Southern Queensland provides access to material from a well-established university in Australia. The materials range in content, but they specialize in technology and computer-related fields.

    Where to Begin: About University of Southern Queensland

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Tools & Supplies

From mobile note-taking software to a graphing calculator that lives in a smartphone, consumer gadgets have never been more useful for educational purposes.

1. Evernote

   Evernote is an application that allows the user to sync schedules, to-do lists, clip articles from the Internet, and even hold on to scanned documents for travelling. It is meant to streamline the 21st century notion of multitasking between many different electronic devices and apps by consolidating many products into one.

   Where to Begin: Video

2. easygenerator

   EasyGenerator is an eLearning authoring software that helps the creators of online courses and other educational tools build attractive and informative content that can be accessed via computer.

   Where to Begin: Free Authoring

3. AppCylon

   Appcylon is an app for mobile devides that emulates a graphing calculator. It was created to drive down the cost of physical graphing calculators, which can easily run to over $150.

   Where to Begin: News

4. Zotero

   Zotero is an Internet application plugin that allows for a bibliography to function in your window. The idea is to streamline citing sources and enable downloading of pages and online journals.

   Where to Begin: Documentation

5. Easy Bib

   Easy Bib simplifies creating bibliographies by allow simple inputting of a few parameters.

   Where to Begin: Citation Guide

6. Flash Card Machine

   Flash Card Machine is a concise way for creating digital flashcards, which holds numerous advantages to the original, yet outdated physical form of flash cards.

   Where to Begin: About

7. DormCo

   DormCo is a one stop shop for everything a college student needs for their dormitory. From bedding, to closets, laundry, cooking supplies and more, you will find it all here, with reasonable prices and inexpensive shipping. College bound students can get everything they need in one place.

   Where to Begin: TOP 20 College Dorm Supplies

8. 9Slides

   9Slides is a communication tool which allows users to virtually be in a presentation room together without anyone downloading an app or program. Ability to access anywhere, with password protection, users can build their custom presentation and make their your own blog, website, blog, or chat room, and invite anyone necessary to participate.

   Where to Begin: 8 sure shot ways to double your presentation viewership

9. PowToon

   PowToon is the do-it-yourself animated presentation tool that helps turn your PowerPoint or Keynote presentations into professional masterpieces. Whether it is a product demo, business presentations or something more, PowToon will give it the look and feel of an animated presentation.

   Where to Begin: Online Animation Software Review and Pricing Comparison

10. BiteSlide

    BiteSlide is an easy-to-use and powerful tool for making beautiful slide decks for use in presentations or even to be published online as part of a school or personal project.

    Where to Begin: BiteSlide Blog

11. Dormify

    Dormify sells furniture and supplies for dorm rooms and home studies. Good space and ergonomic furniture can be a huge asset to someone who is dedicating their time to learning, and even someone taking online courses from home needs a good chair and desk to work at.

    Where to Begin: Dorm and Apartment

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Videos, Podcasts & Webinars

Video and audio lectures allow online education providers to get even closer to replicating the classroom experience over the Internet. By allowing online students to see and hear world renowned experts discuss their research, online educators can provide a great learning experience at virtually no cost.

1. TeacherTube

   TeacherTube is an online community for professors to share instructional videos. Basically a place for teachers to teach teachers, the site can also be a place for teachers to post videos for students to access. Viewers can view, upload and comment on videos making it a virtual resource for all.

   Where to Begin: Collections

2. TechSoup

   TechSoup connects non-profits, charities and libraries with technology products to operate. The site’s resources such as blogs, articles, forums, webinars are free and available to all viewers. Once registered, organizations can take advantage of the donated and discounted products and services, such as high-quality refurbished hardware and software.

   Where to Begin: TechSoup for Libraries has what you need

3. BigThink

   BigThink takes the many thoughts and ideas available in today’s technology world and simplifies it into the biggest, best topics, discussing only the most important topics. Each topic must meet the standards of significance – how will this idea change the world and impact your life, relevance — what groups and individuals does this idea most affect, and application — how can this idea change the way you think or act.

   Where to Begin: Anticipate More and React Less! How To Shift From Crisis Management to Opportunity Management

4. OCLC Web Junction

   Library professionals can visit OCLC Web Junction to get support and access the knowledge and skills needed to run their library. This free site focuses on library management, services, technology and public access for each library, whether it be large or small.

   Where to Begin: How Libraries can meet the Evolving Needs of Patrons in the Digital Age

5. Focus at Will

   Focus at Will is an online music service which uses its music to help anyone who works on a deadline such as journalists, lawyers, students, and coders. It works by playing music in a certain order to extend the concentration length from a normal 20 minutes to 100 minutes.

   Where to Begin: Blog

6. videojug

   videojug wants to help viewers “get good at life.” By providing practical and valuable information about every topic you could imagine, anyone with the desire to learn would find this site useful. Whether it’s beauty, food, money, love, family, education, home sports, technology or cars – every topic under the sun is featured.

   Where to Begin: Mother’s Day Looming…

7. Free Video Lectures

   Free Video Lectures provides free lectures from over 30 universities world-wide. Subjects range from accounting, to astronomy, physics, history, and more. Visitors can view over 1,000 free college course with video tutorials.

   Where to Begin: 25+ Must have apps for online learners

8. LSE Public Lectures and Events

   The London School of Economics and Political Science offers podcasts and videos from their programme of public lectures and events. With over 500 items available to view, visitors to the site will find topics such as history, humor, politics and more.

   Where to Begin: Webfeeds [RSS and Atom]

9. Isaac Newton Institute

   Isaac Newton Institute runs mathematical research programs. With over 50 programs and workshops, mathematical scientists from all over the world frequent the site to conduct research about their scientific and technology topics.

   Where to Begin: Isaac Newton Institute Seminar Room 1 Live

10. Academic Earth

    Academic Earth pulls lectures and talks from some of the most prestigious institutions in the country. Universities such as Yale, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, and MIT contribute material to the site.

    Where to Begin: Subjects

11. Learn Out Loud

    Learn Out Loud focuses on audio and video learning with a number of educational podcasts that extends into biographies as well.

    Where to Begin: Catalog

12. Nonprofit Webinars

    Nonprofit Webinars is a website that looks to decrease the cost of seminars in the nonprofit field by streaming them online instead of the expense of renting a physical location.

    Where to Begin: Upcoming Events

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College Preparation

If you’re getting ready to go into a full-blown college program, whether online, on campus, or a hybrid of both, there are serious preparations that need to be made. Succeeding in higher education takes more than just showing up. You’ve got to be ready to take your learning in unexpected directions and dig deep into course materials to really get the most benefit.

1. CLC College Prep

   CLC College Prep stresses finding the best college for a student based on them as an individual. They believe that for a student to best succeed, they must learn in an environment intuitive to them as an individual. In addition to helping find the best college, they also assist with college visit guides and financial aid.

   Where to Begin: Blog

2. College Advice Blog

   College Advice Blog breaks the college experience into a variety of facets that encompass preparing to leave for college, acquiring internships, and even graduate school.

   Where to Begin: College Freshman

3. College Plus

   College Plus looks at students’ personalities, tries to determine the best learning method for each of them, and takes a look what they hold as important life goals. With this information, they aim to provide a student with a tailored experience for achieving a bachelor’s degree.

   Where to Begin: Program Overview

4. Montgomery Educational Counseling

   Montgomery Educational Counseling provides assistance through the college selection and admissions process.

   Where to Begin: Services

5. StudyBlue

   Designed with the 21st century student in mind, StudyBlue aims to provide high quality digital studying tools.

   Where to Begin: Mobile Flashcards

6. Rae Brown Education Consulting

   The Rae Brown Education Consulting blog is a college prep blog. The blog talks about everything a family with college bound student needs to know to prepare and go to college.

   Where to Begin: Happy New Year! What College Bound Students & Families Need to Know.

7. The Collegiate

   The Collegiate blog is loaded with great information about the college admissions process. Student can find clear details are given about test preparation, financial aid, essays, recommendations, tests and more.

   Where to Begin: When to Take Standardized Exams

8. College Prep Blog

   This College Prep Blog is geared specifically to students who are homeschooled. Topics are more personal and range from preparing for college, to religion, to teaching everyday math and engineering at home.

   Where to Begin: The Importance of Asking “Why”

9. Andover College Prep

   Andover College Prep blog covers everything a college bound student needs to know. Learn about preparing for ACT and SAT tests, what to consider when choosing a college, crime on college campuses, and fraternity life.

   Where to Begin: What to Consider When Choosing a College: Seeing through Brand Names & Bullsh*t

10. Alley Oop

    Alley Oop is a site to help students prepare for life after high school. Whether they are college or career bound, this site will help them plan for their future.

    Where to Begin: Goal Setting 101: How to Set Goals for High School

11. Learn Thai One-on-One

    Learn Thai One-on-One is a great online resource for learning Thai online. Users can work one-on-one with instructors via webcam and get instant feedback. This site is recommended for anyone looking to learn Thai for business, relocation, or personal communication.

    Where to Begin: Blog

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