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Ask Slashdot. Best Online Science Course?

Posted by samzenpus on from the browsing-teachers dept.

First time accepted submitter blubadger writes "Having slept through chemistry at school, I'm looking to fill in the gaps in my science education by following a short online course or two. I've been searching for 'Chemistry 101,' 'Basics of Physics,' 'Biology Primer,' and so on. There's some high-quality stuff on offer – from Academic Earth, MIT and others – but it tends to take the form of videos of traditional university lectures. I was hoping to cut through the chit-chat and blackboards and get straight into the infographics and animations that will help me understand complex ideas. Flash and HTML5 Canvas seem wasted on videos of lectures. If the quality were high enough I would be willing to pay. Have Slashdotters seen anything that fits the bill?"

7 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. two words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    Khan Academy. JFGI.

  2. Khan Academy by roadkill-maker · · Score: 5, Informative

    Have you looked at Khan Academy? http://www.khanacademy.org/

  3. KhanAcademy by Yogiz · · Score: 4, Informative

    I suggest you take a look at the videos at http://www.khanacademy.org/. The guy that makes these has quite a talent for teaching and the sketches help a lot with more difficult subjects. I'm currently about half way through with the macroeconomy playlist and I find the information very easy to obtain in the format it is provided there.

  4. YouTube series: Crashcourse by Z80xxc! · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's a work in progress, but there's a new YouTube series called Crash Course which presently covers biology and world history. They're planning to encompass other subjects in the future as well, but it just recently started. The history lessons are taught by author/nerd John Green and the biology is taught by his brother Hank Green. I suggest you check it out; it's got lots of neat graphics, simple explanations, and is easy to follow.

    As mentioned in other posts, Khan Academy is also a fantastic online resource. It's not quite as spiffy as Crash Course, but covers far more subjects, and is easy to follow.

  5. Open Learning Initiative by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    You should take a look at Carnegie Mellon University's Open Learning Initiative ( http://oli.cmu.edu ). They have whole courses, which are typically not video-based, and they include lots of interactive exercises to help you grasp the concepts. (Full Disclosure: I'm currently working on a new chemistry course for OLI, which should be available later this year or early next year.)

  6. Re:I personally love Khans accademy. by xclr8r · · Score: 4, Informative

    He knows what it is. He just didn't check for the specific course. Khan covers a lot more than it use to.
    Chem
    http://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry
    and
    Organic Chem
    http://www.khanacademy.org/science/organic-chemistry
    Thinking I just got trolled by two ACs.

    --
    Beware of those who profit off the docile and persecute the unbelievers.
  7. Re:Dear Slashdot, by sneakyimp · · Score: 4, Informative

    The Feynman Lectures on Physics are awesome. Better than any other materials I ever encountered on the subject of Physics. I don't recall how difficult they are -- i.e., whether they require calculus or not.

    http://www.amazon.com/The-Feynman-Lectures-Physics-boxed/dp/0465023827

    If anyone could recommend something comparable for Calculus, I'd love to hear it. I need a Calculus refresher.