Open Course Ware: What is that?

My favorite website(s) for this week are the OCW websites (OPEN COURSE WARE). Earlier this year I went to my first ever on-line homeschool conference with Heart of the Matter (HOTM). One of the sessions was on OCW. It was an awesome experience, especially as a first-time homeschool mother to do the conference, but also find out about this particular type of education.

What are they? Who are they? What is it? If you Google: Open Course Ware...you'll find MANY sites and information on it. It is basically distance-learning, personal enrichment, free-online classes.

Openculture.com
Online Education Database
Top 100 Open Course Ware Projects

You gain access to the classes, the lectures, syllabi, some on-line reading material, the catch is no certificate or degree (because you have no contact with the professor or pay for tuition). Wanna view how a class would look like?? Here's the answer.

I would assume it looks great on a resume--especially for high school kids, adults who are unemployed at the moment trying to brush up on their education, or like me; a homeschool mother who needs a hobby! Almost complete with a B.S. in Health Care Management (need 3 credits) and looking towards a Master's in Public Health Administration or Health Care Administration...I have found TONS of 'classes' I can take without braking the bank!

I have already started taking a 'class' from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Health Issues for the Aging Population. All classes are related to public health. BINGO!! I have found this not only interesting, but as a self-learner---I love it!

Just staying on John Hopkins Bloomberg OCW...will last me years to complete and also I'd like to mention that there are plenty other OCW colleges/universities who participate with OCW. It's really a neat idea. Information/education given to the people for free. Awesome.

SO, check it out!