Yale offers courses on finance, history and even psychology for free

Upskilling has become the single most important thing you can do to improve your career prospects and now, you can have access to multiple courses via massive open online courses (MOOCs) by simply logging onto the internet. Yale University is responding to this growing demand and is now offering a selection of its online courses to the public for free, or at a minimal fee.

These free courses, known as Open Yale Courses will be hosted on online learning platform, Coursera, that will emulate classroom settings.

Open Yale Courses provides free and open access to a selection of introductory courses taught by distinguished teachers and scholars at Yale University.

The aim of the project is to expand access to educational materials to the public.

The role MOOCs play in rapid upskilling makes it easier for prestigious universities such as Yale online to offer its learning content to the general public for free.

MOOCs, by design, support the removal or traditional education barriers such as cost and work to counter the legacy of exclusivity that is generally associated with Ivy League schools.

The online learning platform features several Yale courses that range from topics including economics and history.

The online courses available are actual lectures were recorded in the Yale College classroom and are available in video and audio formats.

The lectures are also available as downloadable videos with an option for audio-only. In addition, searchable transcripts of each lecture are provided alongside other course materials as syllabi, suggested readings, exams, and problem sets.

These programmes are therefore ideal for online learners that are looking for a classroom-like educational experience with more structure, feedback, and peers.

Through this platform, students can access recorded in-person courses that are highly in demand including, African American History: From Emancipation to the Present delivered by Jonathan Holloway, Professor of History, African American Studies, and American Studies.

Individuals who are interested in learning more about finance can opt for this Financial Markets course.

This course gives you an overview of the ideas, methods, and institutions that foster human society’s ability to manage risks and foster enterprise.

This course places an emphasis on financially-savvy leadership skills and will help students understand behavioural finance principles to understand the real-world functioning of securities, insurance, and banking industries.

The Global Financial Crisis is another course available on Open Yale Courses. This course explores the causes, events, policy responses, and aftermath of the recent global financial crisis as surveyed by Former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy F. Geithner and Professor Andrew Metrick.

This highly-rated course has received many positive reviews. One learner said, “The course gives us a comprehensive perspective on what happened during the GFC 2008-2009 both in the US and the Eurozone, the lessons learned will be very fundamental for Central Bankers.”

Founding Director and Principal Investigator of Yale College, Diana E. E. Kleiner said that Open Yale Courses will allow you to discover a wide range of timely and timeless topics taught by Yale professors, each with a unique perspective and an individual interpretation of a particular field of study.