So you want to study for free? Massive Open Online Courses might work for you.

The internet has provided us with many affordances. At present, we can get almost everything on-demand with our gadgets and a good-enough internet connection. The internet has also changed many industries including our educational system. You might have heard about Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Technopedia defines a MOOC as “an online course that has open access and interactive participation by means of the Web.” Many of these MOOCs are being offered by reputable universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and Ivy League Universities such as Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

This presents an opportunity to learn from the academia’s greats, and this might work for you, too. Here’s why:

1. The delivery is free.

Yes. The delivery is free. Majority of the courses from top-notch universities are free and accessible through platforms such as Coursera, eDX, and Udacity. You can sign up for free, watch the lectures, read the learning materials, conduct the assignments without paying for tuition and miscellaneous fees.

1. They’re flexible

These MOOCs operate on the philosophy of openness. This means that they are made to accommodate people with different backgrounds. These MOOCs also permit you to work on their activities at your own pace, at your own time.

1. There are many choices

These MOOCs cover an array of subjects. Whatever is your interest at the moment, there’s a fat chance that there is already an existing MOOC about it. All it takes is a good searching strategy.

However, like many good things on the internet, caution must also be observed. Inasmuch as these MOOCs provide the affordances mentioned above, these also present a different set of challenges to potential learners like you. Here are some of the things to watch out for:

1. MOOCs require independent learning

As many of us are products of residential education where we learn inside the physical classroom with our teachers and classmates in tow, note that these MOOCs are different. Once you are enrolled, these MOOCs will require you to study on your own. This is the caveat of flexibility.

1. MOOCs might not suit your learning style.

Many of these MOOCs come with multimedia learning materials. If you are not the type who can easily learn through watching videos as lectures, these MOOCs might not be the best fit for you.

1. Crediting options

Crediting might not be possible if these MOOCs are availed for free. In many cases, those who want to earn credits for the MOOCs that they have attended are required to pay certain fees.

These are just some of the affordances and the challenges that come with technology-enabled educational initiatives such as the MOOCs. It is up to you, the potential learner, to decide if you’ll embrace BOTH affordances and challenges for the purpose of learning.