MIT Online: A Massive Resource for Mentored Studies

"Students may elect to create their own courses in self-designed degree programs." It may have been that sentence or one like it that prompted you to enroll at Prescott College in the first place, particularly if you are an experienced learner with an independent streak. As each new set of study contract deadlines rushes towards you, though, creating amazing courses tailored to your degree plan is hard work. You seek advice from the faculty or a mentor, but what if there were a bank of free, first-rate syllabi somewhere that would not only spark your imagination with intriguing course titles but lay out readings, discussion questions, assignments, video and audio lectures, and, in the sciences, "simulations, applets, and visualizations" so you can fully engage with the course? And just in case you want to do the course in a language other than English, say in Spanish or Portuguese, there were dozens of courses that have been translated into these and ten other languages?

That world-class resource exists and it is called MIT Open Courseware, OCW for short. Before you design your next mentored course or independent study, go to the OCW site and search for courses by topic. Or simply browse the list of 2150 courses. The site is easy to navigate and you do not need to create an account or pay any fees (although donations are accepted) to browse or download materials. All courses are authored by MIT faculty in disciplines ranging from Aeronautics to Autism Theory to Japanese Politics to Urban Studies...you'll need to see for yourself how far-ranging their course list is. 

You can use OCW for inspiration only, but once you see the course descriptions and syllabi available in this permanent and ever-expanding resource, it's likely you'll have a hard time deciding which free course to take first. You will still need to find a community-based mentor for each course in order to earn PC credit. However, your mentor can take the role of discussant rather than course-leader, which may make the mentor role more attractive to the busy professionals you want to study with. 

As with any other mentored course, discuss with your advisor how an OCW-based course might fit into your degree plan to make sure you are getting the most value for your time and dedication. Then let us know at the Learning Commons how you are putting OCW to work for you!