Back to School for Grown-Ups (And It’s Free!)

If you haven’t already experienced a MOOC — that’s Massive Online Open Course — now is a good time to check them out.

Maybe you want to learn about flight vehicle aerodynamics, the challenges of global poverty or even Scandinavian film and television.

If you haven’t already experienced a MOOC — that’s Massive Online Open Course — now is a good time to check them out.

The courses are offered on line at no cost to tens of thousands of people. They’re organized and taught by faculty from first-rate universities, including University of Toronto.

There are two major sites. Coursera.org is an international consortium including Canadian universities.

Edx.org is an initiative of Harvard and M.I.T., with faculty from several first rate American schools.

You can audit a course with no obligation to complete assignments or interact in any way. Or, you can register with a commitment to participate and complete assignments and be rewarded with a certificate of achievement.

And it’s all free.

I’ve already registered on edX for “Unlocking the Immunity to Change: A New Approach to Personal Improvement.” It’ll be taught by Harvard School of Education professors Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey. Kegan’s is recognized as an international expert in leadership development, executive coaching, and change management. Lahey’s work “helps people close the gap between their good intentions and behaviors,” according to the edX website. Who couldn’t use that kind of help?