Free Online Courses From 2014: The MOOC List and Where to Learn Now

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Free Online Courses From Early 2014: An Archived Guide to MOOCs
UC Davis

This is an archived list of free online courses (MOOCs) that opened in January 2014, grouped by subject, with notes on what each covered and, where known, what became of it. Most of the original course pages have since moved or closed, but many of the same classes, or their successors, are still offered. If you are looking for free courses today, skip to the final section for where to look now.

MOOC stands for "massive open online course". The term was coined in 2008 by Dave Cormier to describe an open course on connectivism run by George Siemens and Stephen Downes, which drew more than 2,200 free online participants. The idea exploded in 2011 and 2012, when a Stanford artificial intelligence class attracted around 160,000 students and led to the founding of Udacity, Coursera (by Stanford professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng) and edX (by MIT and Harvard).

By early 2014 the field was crowded with offerings from elite universities and new platforms. Courses usually ran on a fixed timetable with weekly videos, quizzes and assignments, needing about three to five hours a week, or ten or more for technical subjects. The list below was originally compiled by DIY Genius; the course names and institutions are kept as a record, while the notes are new.

Computer science and data

Computer science

1. Introduction to Computer Science, CS50x (Harvard University). Taught by David J. Malan, CS50 opened on edX in 2012 and grew into one of the most popular MOOCs in the world, with around 700,000 enrolled by 2016. It is still free to take, with a paid certificate optional.

2. Cryptography (Stanford University). This Coursera course explained how encryption, hashing and digital signatures work under the hood and how they are used in real systems. It suited learners comfortable with some mathematics.

3. Computer Networks (University of Washington). The class used the internet as its case study, walking through how data finds its way from one machine to another. It focused on the design choices behind protocols rather than memorising them.

4. MongoDB for Java Developers (MongoDB University). The company behind the MongoDB database, known as 10gen until 2013, ran free courses for developers. This one showed Java programmers how to build an application on a document database and assumed prior Java experience.

5. MongoDB for Node.js Developers (MongoDB University). A companion course for JavaScript developers, built around creating a simple blog backed by MongoDB. The company still runs free training through its learning portal.

6. DB: Introduction to Databases (Stanford University). Jennifer Widom's database course was one of Stanford's early open classes. It covered relational design, SQL and how database systems serve real applications.

7. Artificial Intelligence Planning (University of Edinburgh). A foundation in how AI systems plan sequences of actions to reach goals. It surveyed the main problem types, the theory behind them and practical uses.

8. Programming Mobile Applications for Android (University of Maryland). An introduction to building apps for Android phones and tablets. Smartphone development was one of the most requested MOOC topics of that period.

9. Introduction to Computer Networking (Stanford University). A second networking option, offered on Stanford's own platform, aimed at beginners who wanted to understand how the internet works from the ground up.

10. Introduction to Cybersecurity (Excelsior College). Offered on Canvas Network, this course gave an overview of a fast-growing field, including the standards and laws that shape it.

11. Algorithms, Part I (Princeton University). Robert Sedgewick and Kevin Wayne's course on core algorithms and data structures, taught in Java. It remains a well-known Coursera course for serious programmers.

Data science and analytics

12. Computing for Data Analysis (Johns Hopkins University, on Coursera). An early course in the R programming language for analysing data. Its material fed into the university's later data science series.

13. Big Data for Better Performance (Open2Study). An introduction to using everyday business data to anticipate what customers want. Open2Study, an Australian platform tied to Open Universities Australia, ran short four-week courses and closed around January 2019.

14. Digital Analytics Fundamentals (Google Analytics Academy). Google's free course on measuring website and marketing performance. The version of Google Analytics it taught has since been retired, so look for current Google training instead.

Design and digital marketing

Design

15. Concepts in Game Development (Open2Study). A broad tour of how video games are made, from design and programming to game engines, player experience and game AI.

16. User Experience for the Web (Open2Study). Practical techniques for making websites easy and pleasant to use. It was open for self-paced study rather than tied to a start date.

17. Web Engineering II: Developing Mobile HTML5 Apps (iversity). A Berlin-based platform's course on designing and building a mobile web app, with an ambitious real-time multiplayer game as its example project.

18. Gamification (University of Pennsylvania). Kevin Werbach's Wharton course on applying game design to business, education and social causes. The original list credited Penn State and reused another course's description; the course was in fact Penn's.

19. Information Visualization MOOC (Indiana University). Katy Börner's course on turning data into clear charts and maps, with attention to what the people using a visualisation actually need.

Digital marketing

20. Online Advertising (Open2Study). An overview of digital advertising, which in 2014 was the fastest-growing part of the advertising business.

21. Content Strategy for Professionals: Engaging Audiences for Your Organization (Northwestern University). A Coursera course for professionals who wanted to create credible, engaging content for their organisations.

22. Writing for the Web (Open2Study). How style, structure and page design affect whether online readers stay with a piece of writing.

23. Storytelling for Change (NovoEd). A course on using personal stories to persuade and inspire. NovoEd later shifted toward corporate and university training.

Sustainability, energy, science and robotics

The sustainable economy

24. Global Sustainable Energy: Past, Present and Future (University of Florida). A look at how individuals, nations and the world use energy, and how those patterns are changing.

25. Energy, the Environment, and Our Future (Penn State). A lively introduction to the history and possible futures of human energy use, pitched to show that saving the planet and prosperity need not be opposites.

26. Climate Change in Four Dimensions (University of California San Diego). An interdisciplinary course that combined climate science with technology, politics, history and ethics.

27. Subsistence Marketplaces (University of Illinois). Madhu Viswanathan's course on how markets work among people living in poverty, aimed at those who want to design products and businesses that genuinely serve them.

28. Climate Change: Challenges and Solutions (University of Exeter, on FutureLearn). The science of a warming climate, the risks it brings and the options for reducing them, from the UK's FutureLearn platform.

29. Energy 101 (Georgia Institute of Technology). A big-picture course linking energy technology, infrastructure, environmental impact and future choices.

30. How to Change the World (Wesleyan University). Michael Roth's course on tackling global problems such as poverty, violence and environmental damage by drawing on shared values.

31. What's Your Big Idea? (University of North Carolina). A practical course for testing and refining ideas, whether for a business, a social project or a community problem.

32. The Age of Sustainable Development (Columbia University). Jeffrey Sachs's course on development that is economically productive, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable.

33. Water, Civilization, and Nature: Addressing 21st Century Water Challenges (Colorado State University). How population growth and climate variability are straining water supplies, and what can be done.

34. Concepts in Nanotechnology (North Seattle Community College). What counts as a nanomaterial, how nanotechnology works and which everyday products already use it.

35. Critical Thinking in Global Challenges (University of Edinburgh). Training in weighing evidence and building reasoned arguments, using big issues such as climate and health as practice material.

DIY hardware

36. Mobile Robotics (Open2Study). An approachable introduction to how mobile robots move, sense their surroundings and are built.

37. Control of Mobile Robots (Georgia Institute of Technology). Magnus Egerstedt's course applied control theory to make robots move safely and predictably, including in groups.

Business, leadership and education

Entrepreneurship and business skills

38. Decision Skills: Power Tools to Build Your Life (NovoEd). A course on recognising decisions as they arise and making them with more confidence and clarity.

39. Introduction to Public Speaking (University of Washington, on edX). Students studied the principles of good speeches and practised by analysing their own and others' talks.

40. Principles of Project Management (Open2Study). The basics of defining a project and keeping it on time and on budget.

41. Innovation for Powerful Outcomes (Open2Study). Practical methods and concepts for making new ideas happen inside organisations.

42. Foundations of Business Strategy (University of Virginia). Michael Lenox's Darden course on analysing a company's strategy and recommending improvements.

43. Strategic Management (Open2Study). Planning and decision-making skills for managing projects and workplaces more deliberately.

44. Leadership: Identity, Influence and Power (Open2Study). A research-based look at what effective leaders actually do.

45. Financial Literacy (Open2Study). Personal finance essentials: budgeting, investing and protecting your money.

46. Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies: The First Step in Entrepreneurship (University of Maryland). How to spot real customer needs and turn them into viable business ideas.

47. Grow to Greatness: Smart Growth for Private Businesses (University of Virginia). Edward Hess's course on the problems established private companies face when they try to grow quickly.

48. Creating an Ethical Corporate Culture (Santa Clara University). Tools for managers and executives who want to build and maintain ethical workplaces.

21st-century education

49. New School Creation. A six-week project course in which participants designed the vision and story of a school they would like to build.

50. Becoming a Confident Trainer (Open2Study). Understanding how adults learn and what motivates them, for anyone who teaches or trains at work.

51. Education in a Changing World (Open2Study). Education viewed as a social institution, both shaped by society and helping to shape it.

52. History and Future of (Mostly) Higher Education (Duke University). Cathy Davidson's course on how universities were designed for the industrial age and how learning might be rethought for today.

53. Badge 101: The Discovery of Badging (Accreditrust). An introduction to digital badges and micro-credentials as a way to recognise learning step by step.

54. Becoming a Dynamic Educator (Bowling Green State University). How digital technology is changing the way information is shared and how teachers can respond.

Humanities, science and other interesting subjects

55. How Things Work (University of Virginia). Louis Bloomfield's popular physics course explained the physics of everyday objects without heavy mathematics.

56. Think Again: How to Reason and Argue (Duke University). Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Ram Neta's course on spotting good and bad arguments.

57. Spanish Basics (Spanish MOOC). A beginner course building listening, reading, writing and speaking skills in Spanish.

58. Becoming Human: Anthropology (Open2Study). An introduction to human evolution and our relationship to other primates.

59. Food, Nutrition and Your Health (Open2Study). The basics of nutrition, how eating disorders develop and how popular diets compare. For personal health questions, talk to a doctor.

60. Practical Importance of Human Evolution (University of Oklahoma). Why understanding human evolution matters for health and everyday life.

61. Galaxies and Cosmology (Caltech). George Djorgovski's course on galaxies, quasars, the big bang and the large-scale structure of the universe.

62. Astronomy: Discovering the Universe (Open2Study). How the universe evolved and how new telescopes and technology drive discovery.

63. The Art of Photography (Open2Study). A practical course in the skills and ideas behind contemporary photography.

64. The Linguistics of Swearing: A Good Class about Bad Words (University of Utah). A serious linguistic study of taboo language, from grammar and sound patterns to psychology and cross-cultural differences.

65. The Modern World: Global History since 1760 (University of Virginia). Philip Zelikow's survey of modern world history from a global viewpoint.

66. Introduction to Communication Science (University of Amsterdam). An overview of communication research that also drew on history, sociology and psychology.

67. Principles of Written English (UC Berkeley, on edX). Academic writing for English learners, covering essay structure, grammar and self-editing.

68. Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life (University of Edinburgh). How life began and evolved on Earth and how scientists search for it elsewhere.

69. The Modern and the Postmodern (Wesleyan University). Michael Roth's course asked whether we still live in modern times or have moved beyond them, through philosophy, literature and art.

70. Introduction to Philosophy (University of Edinburgh). A survey of key areas of contemporary philosophy, from knowledge and mind to morality.

Where to find free online courses now

The MOOC landscape has changed a lot since 2014. Fixed-date sessions gave way to self-paced courses, and most providers now keep basic material free while charging for graded work and certificates. Coursera, which once let anyone audit most courses, has since moved much of its catalogue behind a paywall with financial aid available. Completion rates were always low: Harvard and MIT courses averaged about 22% in 2012, and many learners simply sampled lectures.

  • edX still hosts many university courses, including Harvard's free CS50.
  • Coursera remains the largest catalogue; check each course for preview and financial aid options.
  • FutureLearn offers courses from UK and international universities.
  • University open courseware, such as MIT OpenCourseWare and Harvard's own CS50 site, publishes lecture materials free.

A practical tip: search for a course by its exact title and university, since many of the classes above live on under the same name on a newer platform.

Sources: DIY Genius (original course list); Wikipedia: Massive open online course; Wikipedia: CS50; Wikipedia: Coursera; Class Central: closure of Open2Study. Header photo: UC Davis via Flickr.

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