There are two common conceptions that people have about IVY league schools. First, they happen to be the best institutions in the world. Second, they aren’t cheap. However, thanks to the power of the internet, now you have access to some of the best institutions for free. Carefully designed online courses are now on offer from acclaimed instructors from IVY league colleges. These courses are flexible. You can reset deadlines according to your convenience, attend lectures at your pace and easily fit the workload in your busy schedule. They can enhance your career paths or help you to start new ones, without a huge commitment or financial burden. Anyone can audit the courses for free and get a certificate for a nominal price. Financial aid is available for some courses. Some argue that one of the best features of such courses is the online communities and the diverse academic exposures they provide. So for the curious ones, here are the top five courses from the IVY league schools at your fingertips.
Statistical Thinking for Data Science and Analytics, Columbia University
Want to learn how to put a statistical approach to data science, then this course is for you. This course provides a solid foundation in statistical thinking for designing data collection in five weeks. Take out 7-10 hours a week, engage yourself in brief assignments and you will be on the way to using data classification techniques, Bayesian modeling, conditional probability and data visualization in no time. Taught by three highly accredited professors from Columbia, including the Vice President and Dean of faculty of arts and sciences, David Madigan, this course provides a great opportunity to learn and update your CV at the same time.
Gamification, University of Pennsylvania
Gamification is a newly developing field that is exciting, offers unchartered waters and great opportunities. The course is designed by the leading scholar Kevin Werbach. Just reserve 2-3 hours of alone time every week and you will be brimming with new ideas in six weeks. You will learn to use game elements and digital game design techniques to create innovative human-centered solutions. A multi-disciplinary field to the core, the course introduces you to the pioneering ways gamification can be used to strengthen organizations, modify human behavior and create huge social impact.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Columbia University
Have you ever wondered why artificial intelligence is gaining traction these days and tried exploring a career path in the rapidly growing field? This course is definitely a good place to start. You will learn the basic techniques of building intelligent computer systems and an understanding of how AI is applied to real-world problems. You will learn how AI emerged and will be armed with fundamental concepts such as intelligent agents, machine learning algorithms, state-space problem representations, uninformed and heuristic search and constraint satisfaction problems. Secure 8-10 hours a week for 12 weeks, and you will have built a basic search agent of your own!
Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies, Princeton University
The emergence of cryptocurrency has shaken the modern financial systems across the world. It is constantly discussed in the media and there is a lot of confusion going about it. This course will answer vital questions such as how does it work, regulation, valuation and the future implication of cryptocurrency. It is taught in four weeks with coursework of four hours every week. Taught by Arvind Narayanan, an associate professor at Princeton, you will learn different ways of storing Bitcoin keys, security measures and various types of services that allow you to trade and transact with bitcoins among other things.
Financial markets are complex and confusing. An important step in managing your personal finances and investments is to learn how financial markets actually work. What are stocks, bonds, shares and market caps? What is the impact of inflation, debt, recessions and bubbles? You will learn all this and more by just taking out 8 hours for the next 4 weeks. Let the Sterling professor of economics Robert Shiller break down complex topics and get you prepared to become confident and comfortable in managing your finances.
