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!  

Announcing the 2013 Suzanne Tito Writing Contest

2013 Suzanne Tito Contest in Fiction, Creative Non-fiction & Poetry 

This contest is open to all undergraduate students currently enrolled (Fall 2012) at Prescott College. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners receive cash prizes in each category. First place winners are also published in Alligator Juniper, the national literary magazine.

Submission Guidelines

• Place your submission for each category in a separate 9x12 envelope and indicate the category clearly on the outside of the envelope (F, NF, or P).

• Your name SHOULD NOT appear on the manuscript. Instead, enclose in each envelope an index card with your full name, address, phone, and email address. Then list the titles of the work(s) being submitted.

• Poets may enter up to five poems; fiction and creative non-fiction writers may enter two manuscripts per category, totaling no more than 30 double-spaced pages per category.

• Drop off submissions at the Juniper Building, 308 Grove Ave or

• Send to: Alligator Juniper, Prescott College, 220 Grove Avenue, Prescott, AZ 86301

Postmark/Hand-Delivered Deadline: Friday, December 14^th, 5 pm.

Khan Academy Kudos

Being back in school may mean time to brush up on your algebra or physics. Have no fear, the Web now features KhanAcademy, a not-for-profit website that offers video tutorials in math, computer science, chemistry, and many other sciences. As of this writing Khan Academy presents over 3,000 instructional videos that average about 10 minutes each. These videos have been used over 180 million times, and counting, by learners all over the world. 

The founder of Khan Academy, Salman (Sal) Khan, narrates and illustrates most of the videos, which he began posting as YouTube videos for his younger cousins in the early 2000s. Now with major funding from Google and other donors, Khan Academy has a staff of expert teachers, translators, and engineers who have built up the Academy to make it easy to learn specific math and science concepts, understand how concepts are sequenced and interdependent within specific content areas, and communicate with other learners to learn together material that has often left students of all ages feeling isolated and discouraged. The site is currently in English with plans and funding to translate the videos into many world languages in the near future.

If you haven't been to the site before, get a feeling for its organization and quality by watching the short video "Overview of KhanAcademy". You can also go directly to the "Watch" tab and type in the concept you know you want to study. Check out the Knowledge Map to see where the concept or skill you want to refine fits into the field as a whole. If you create a login account and do the exercises, the interactive Knowledge Map will help you sequence your learning to make sure you have a handle on all the concepts you need in one area before you move on to the next.

Sal writes on the "About Khan Academy" page, 

"I teach the way that I wish I was taught. The lectures are coming from me, an actual human being who is fascinated by the world around him." 

Khan Academy is not just for school children and includes videos covering test preparation help for the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). A lot of people are saying that Khan Academy doesn't represent just the best in online tutoring but an entirely better way to learn key math and science concepts at any age. You can replay the videos and do the exercises as many times as you need to--Khan Academy video teachers never lose their patience or pre-judge you. For each video there is also an online community of fellow learners who ask questions and answer yours to supplement the video with the dialog of real people. You can even track your learning and measure your progress as you complete the lessons.

Because it is free, top-notch tutoring in difficult subject areas, the smart thing to do is to think of Khan Academy for math and science the same way we often use Wikipedia today. Go there first with your questions and stay awhile, for best results.