University Of Southern Maine
USMs Senior Colleges Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is a very popular and very local continued education option! As a member of the OLLI, you can choose from a wide array of peer-taught science or liberal arts courses. No college background or other entrance requirements are needed, just a love of learning!
You can sign up for both fall and spring term courses, each 8 weeks long, as well as winter and summer courses that are 6 weeks long. These classes are generally offered on the Portland campus of USM, but during these extraordinary times, they are offering a remote learning summer session to allow this valuable intellectual and social stimulation to be accessed from home. OLLI is very popular among our residents some have even been instructors! Cumberland Crossing by OceanView is just 11 miles from Portland, making this an easy trip into the city when in-person classes resume.
To view and sign up for course terms, please visit the website here:
Goodwill Community Foundation Learn Free
Learning how to live and work in the 21st century can be difficult for many worldwide New advances in technology often require an essential skill set to operate. Fortunately, GCFLearnFree.org offers thousands of learning opportunities.
The site includes tutorials for Microsoft Office and others teaching how to operate an email account. Additionally, some courses start from the computer basics.
Goodwill Industries, the nonprofit that brings you the well-known thrift shops, believes income shouldnt hinder a persons ability to learn. They offer free services to help individuals continue their education or start learning.
Top Free Computer Classes For Seniors: Intermediate And Advanced
After mastering the basics of computing, many seniors are interested in moving on to intermediate or advanced classes. These computer courses cover topics like advanced computer applications, program design, data analysis, and even cybersecurity.
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Top Free Computer Classes For Seniors
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The search for the top free computer classes for seniors is quite popular. Compared to two decades ago, nearly double the number of seniors are on the web today!
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More than half of the senior population are Internet users. This population is only growing larger. With grandparents wanting to stay in contact with their children, grandchildren, and relatives learning to adapt to the digital age is becoming more popular.
For younger generations, computer skills come naturally as they grow up in the digital age. For seniors, computers and technology are a matter of adapting. While seniors may take a little longer to adjust, free learning tools can help speed up the process.
Computer classes are available for users of all skill types. Starting at a basic level for beginners, moving to intermediate and advanced levels. Training classes, software programs, and apps offer free services for anyone trying to navigate through the world of technology.
Online Finance & Investing Classes
Understanding your finances and investing options as a senior can help you maximize your existing retirement accounts and make your money work for you.
The Investments course is an in-depth class in quantitative investment knowledge offered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It uses mathematics, optimized financial theories, and comprehensive market expertise to teach expert portfolio decisions and advanced investment finances.
- Class provider: MITs OpenCourseWare.
- Certificate: There are no certificates provided.
- Curriculum level: Advanced .
- Time to complete: This course comprises 23 lectures and five group assignments. Each lesson lasts 1.5 hours, and there are two lectures each week, including exams.
7. Just Money: Banking as if Society Mattered
Just Money: Banking as if Society Mattered is for those interested in understanding how banking and finances affect society. This course places a strong emphasis on the impact of your finances on social and environmental concerns, especially how digital tools and methods can help banks improve society as a whole.
It is never too late to discover how to manage your finances better. Finance Fundamentals: Managing the Household Budget Sheet teaches lessons on borrowing, investments, and debts. It also focuses on strengthening and preparing for your ongoing financial future.
- Class provider: The Open University Business school .
9. Investments and Retirement
10. Principles of Wealth Management
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Astronomy: Exploring Time And Space By The University Of Arizona
Astronomy is one of the most exciting and fascinating subjects you can learn. Humans are still toddlers when it comes to astronomy. We still have a lot more to learn and understand about our universe. This course teaches you all the basics of what we already know. The self-paced format of the course and the engaging and fun modules make this course popular among all age groups. The syllabus covers a wide range of topics from history to astronomy to astronomy and astrobiology. The syllabus is designed so that it covers what we already know while still keeping the student up to date with the latest discoveries.
Why Get An Online Degree After Youve Retired
Retirement can serve as a great time to pursue a passion, and earning an online degree can help achieve fulfillment. These days, colleges across the country offer unique degrees and certificates in subjects like wine tasting and floral arranging. Earning credentials in enjoyable subjects like these can position individuals to turn a hobby into paid employment.
However, students dont need to earn a degree with the goal of earning money. Thanks to free online classes for seniors, retired individuals can learn just for the sake of gaining new knowledge about an interesting subject, like American history or a famous writers works.
Studies show that exercising the mind can improve memory in seniors as well. For example, a study published in Psychol Sci reveals that seniors who learned a new skill, like digital photography or quilting, experienced more memory improvement than seniors who engaged in less cognitively demanding activities, like socializing.
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History Of Western Art And Civilization: Prehistory Through The Middle Ages
SmartHistory has put together contributions from over 200 professionals and scholars to create their amazing course.
Its a simple syllabus in document form that links out to videos and articles for each of the subjects.
All you have to do is read and click on the links to follow the course.
The course was so popular that the creators added two additional syllabi in the same style to cover more historic periods.
If you have ever wanted to see great works of art, but havent had the opportunity to travel, the internet is your passport.
Although this isnt exactly a structured course, the Hermitage offers virtual tours of everything that falls under their purview.
This includes their main museum complex and the Winter Palace of Peter I .
You will need decent internet speed and a good mouse to click on all of the offerings, but navigation is very simple.
Once you have picked your tour and the floor plan is loaded, you have two choices.
You can click Begin the Tour and it will give you a panorama shot as if you were actually looking around there.
To proceed through the tour, you simply click the arrows at the top.
There is also an information button at the top that gives a description of what you are seeing.
If you just want to view certain works of art or areas, you can click on each identified spot and it will take you to that part of the museum.
As the camera pans, there are information dots that you can click on to get descriptions.
Can Senior Citizens Attend College For Free
Yes, they can!
Some colleges and universities offer free education programs to seniors who can prove their age.
Others have free courses for seniors to take, while others might offer steep discounts to seniors.
Either way, you can get a cheaper education and learn the things youve always wanted to learn.
But there is plenty of free information floating around online, too, for you to take advantage of, and this guide will show you several top websites to find it.
The great thing about learning online is that you can go at your own pace.
You dont have to worry about being at school at a specific time, either, because most free online courses are ones that you can log into whenever you have time to complete them.
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How Can I Apply
First, call the Senior Non-Credit Program office at 514-848-2424 ext. 3893 from 10 a.m.to 2 p.m. and leave your name and contact information.
Then, when the admission period approaches, someone from the program will contact you to begin your application process and arrange a date for you to submit official documents in person at the Senior Non-Credit Program Office.
Address:
2nd floor, FB 218-1 Montreal, Quebec
Georgia Institute Of Technology Atlanta Ga
Provision 4.2.1.9 in the Georgia Constitution includes rules regarding free college for seniors age 62 and over. State residents can take higher education courses at no tuition cost, except at dental, medical, veterinary, and law schools.
Georgia Tech one of the country’s top tech institutes offers a 62 or Older Program that provides a waiver for both in-state graduate-level tuition and applicable student fees.
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Some Courses Of Interest
There are hundreds of courses that would be of great interest to students of all ages. Seniors particularly are well-suited to these free online courses because they are self-paced and can be studied from any location. You can take a month or a year to go through a self-paced course. You can study at home, while on vacation, at the local library or in a coffee shop. You can even gather a group of like-minded friends to study together at a time and place convenient to all of you.
Consider some of the following courses:
Ancient Masterpieces Of World Literature By Harvard University
There is something about ancient literature that is still very much fascinating and charming. Even with the advent of much more complicated modern styles of storytelling and poemwriting, the sheer simplicity and attention to detail of ancient literature make it still relevant today. Classics like the Odyssey and the Mahabharata are still read and analysed by scholars all over the world. This course lets you explore the magical world of Kalidasa, Homer and Plato. The course is taught by two professors from arguably the most prestigious university in the world, Harvard University. The course explains how cultures of ancient civilizations defined themselves through literature and how that literature has helped us understand the workings of society back then. The course is split into two parts for more accessible learning.
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Final Thoughts On Free Online Courses For Senior Citizens
As you have probably been able to tell, this article could go on for pages and pages listing all of the wonderful free online courses that are available for senior citizens.
We did mention some pages that serve as clearinghouses. They have gathered all courses for a topic and put them in one place.
These include, but certainly are not limited to:
Notice as you browse these sites that classes are offered from literally all over the world.
Do not be overwhelmed with the amount of information that you find.
Embrace the fact that we live in a time that we can have all of this information literally at our fingertips.
Go out, explore, and have fun learning new things.
If you have any other courses youd like to add to our list of the 22 best free online courses for senior citizens, let us know in the comments below.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Free Online Courses For Senior Citizens
2020 has been an incredibly stressful year for everyone, but especially senior citizens. COVID-19 has deeply affected the way that our senior citizens live, since they are much more at risk than younger people for catching the virus. The pandemic has forced many senior citizens to abandon their everyday activities and spend most of their time in their homes, which can be so difficult if you live alone. Having to leave behind friends and family for the majority of the year could leave you feeling depressed or in need of a new hobby to satisfy your creative urges.
The virus and 2020 in general has probably left you, as a senior citizen, wondering what to do next. You likely have questions about what kind of courses you have access to and what kind of learning material would be best for you. Hopefully, some of these answers will quell your anxieties and help you feel confident about starting a new skill or hobby.
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Your Dashboard: A Guided Walk
Your dashboard is the are where all of the classes you have chosen will appear. In order to start the course, find it in your list under my classes. Click the name of the course and you will be taken directly to the first page.
With the course U.S. Government Foundations, Democracy and Politics chosen, you will see a box on the right side of the page that reads start course. Because this course is archived , you can start the course at any time. You can also watch the video introduction, read the syllabus and study the course outline.
When you are finished with the lesson, or if you simply would like to return to your dashboard, all you have to do is look for your user name in the upper right side of the page. A black arrow point down appears next to your user name, which you can click to bring up a drop down box. Choose dashboard from the drop down menu and you will return to your dashboard. From here, you can peruse other classes or return to the one you had begun. Your progress is saved, therefore instead of clicking start course, you will choose resume course and you will be returned to the spot you last visited.
Your Favorite Course Creators
If youve already scoped out someone online whos creating courses that you want to try but dont necessarily want to pay for, keep digging.
Many course creators give away free mini-courses or training that offers similar information as their course but maybe not quite as in-depth.
Usually, theyll offer the mini-course if you sign up for their email list.
Look around the site to see if you can find an email course signup link.
If your search isnt turning up anything, you can always email the course creator to see what they have available as far as free courses or a discounted course for seniors.
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It Expands Your Horizons
No one wants to be the old, grumpy grandparent who complains about kids these days, and whose knowledge of popular culture is limited to actors who have been dead for a decade. Taking classes may allow you to stay current. It will also give you something to talk about when connecting with your college-aged grandchildren.
Learning How To Learn
Among the MOOCs that have generated the most interest from users on the aggregator Class Central, four of the top five were developed by Coursera. They are headed by Rice University’s “Introduction to Interactive Programming” in the Python computer language, a practical choice that leaped ahead of Coursera’s most popular MOOC of 2016, “Learning How to Learn: Powerful Mental Tools to Help You Master Tough Subjects.”
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Introduction To Classical Music By Yale University
Classical music is as fascinating as nature. The power it has on the human mind is mind-blowing. If you are someone who is musically inclined, then classical music is probably your way to ecstasy! Using a minimalistic but enjoyable teaching approach, this course introduces you to the wonders of classical music. From pop music to jazz to hip hop, music, as we know it now, has been inspired by classical music. How did Beethoven make the most beautiful of symphonies despite being deaf? How can a 12-note music notation system lead to so many different permutations and combinations? All your questions about classical music will be answered through this course.
It Supports Cognitive Function
The brain behaves like a muscle, which means in order to keep it strong and healthy, you need to keep it engaged and challenged on a regular basis. Learning something new or sharpening old skills through an online course are great ways to preserve and even strengthen cognitive function.
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Work Smarter Not Harder
More than 2,700 students have reviewed “Work Smarter, Not Harder: Time Management for Personal & Professional Productivity,” a University of California course offered through Coursera, giving it a 4-star rating. The business school news site Poets and Quants lists this course as an “essential MOOC in business,” with topics including delegation, expectations of superiors, and managing existing resources. For those considering a new career during retirement, these topics may be especially applicable. Reviewers call the course “practical” and “interesting,” and many also say they learned valuable tools for managing time more effectively. This course can be audited for free.
University Of Virginia Charlottesville Va
Virginia’s Higher Education Act, Code 23.1-640, waives tuition for residents age 60 and older taking up to three full- or part-time courses for academic credit. An applicant’s individual taxable income may not exceed $23,850 for the year preceding the award year.
UVA’s Senior Citizen Waiver Program provides for-credit courses with no tuition or fees, except for course materials.
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