Taking Notes from Research Reading Printable PDF Version Fair-Use Policy If you take notes efficiently, you can read with more understanding and also save time and frustration when you come to write your paper. These are three main principles 1. Focus your approach to the topic before you start detailed research. First, review the commonly known facts about your topic, and also become aware of the range of thinking and opinions on it. 2. Your essay must be an expression of your own thinking, not a patchwork of borrowed ideas. Copy out exact words only when the ideas are memorably phrased or surprisingly expressed—when you might use them as actual quotations in your essay. 3. Whether you use cards or pages for note-taking, take notes in a way that allows for later use. Save bother later by developing the habit of recording bibliographic information in a master list when you begin looking at each source (don't forget to note book and journal information on photocopies).
Take Any College Class for Free: 236 Open Courseware Collections Written by: Thomas Broderick Universities, colleges, and private organizations offer free online college courses to help students acquire new knowledge and skills. These courses cover a variety of traditional academic topics and other subjects that can lead to career advancement and personal enrichment. Courses occur online, allowing learners from all over the world to participate. Most online courses provide an introduction to a topic, although there are some intermediary and advanced courses. Some free college courses use the term massive online open course (MOOC). Benefits of Open Courses Free online college courses allow students to learn from home, a significant advantage for learners who prefer to eliminate a commute. In a free college course, learners can explore new academic topics without incurring high tuition costs. Open courses can also expose students to new hobbies. Should You Take Open Courses? Open courses also attract current high school and college students.
Top 100 Open Courseware Projects Have you always wanted to learn more about science or literature? Are you thinking of changing your career or going back to school? Do you want to improve your business skills? If you're certain that returning to college is what you'd like to do, visit our list of best online colleges to find a program that suits your needs. If you're interested in testing the waters of online learning – or if you're simply craving an intellectual challenge – read more about free, online learning opportunities below. Open courseware projects (OCWs) are free courses, often designed and offered by the best schools in the nation, that are perfect for independent learners. These open courseware projects are available in a wide range of formats, bringing together everything from lecture notes to videos to reading material. Architecture From building green to touring amazing cities, these open courseware projects will let you learn about an incredibly diverse range of subjects in architecture. Engineering Law
Top 6 Sites that Inspire and Educate If you’re a professional who likes to be intellectually stimulated and you enjoy keeping up with the latest news and breaking trends, the internet provides you with an endless choice of carefully curated sites to visit. Today, we bring you six of them that we believe are leaps and bounds above the rest. These sites will not only educate you on topics ranging from business and technology to art and design, they’ll motivate you to find your own, original ideas and see them through. They’re culturally relevant, they’re idea driven and most of all, they’re deeply inspirational. TED is short for three incredibly important subjects in our modern world; technology, entertainment and design. Tip: Download TED’s free iPad app to browse through 800 videos by date, popularity or keyword. 2. Brain Pickings started from very humble beginnings. Tip: With over 63K Twitter followers, Brainpicker has a strong audience…and for good reason. 4. 5.
Open Educational Resources Project (Collections Strand) - OeRBITAL UK Centre for Bioscience OER project - Phase 2 The UK Centre for Bioscience sucessfully bid for funding to undertake a 'Collections Strand' Open Educational Resources project over 2010-2011 following its success with the phase 1 (OER pilot projects) Interactive Laboratory and Fieldwork Manual for the Biosciences project. Working with ten discipline consultants from across the country we have produced a wiki for the benefit of the bioscience community to explore the potential of OERs across a range of disciplines. The intention is to guide staff new to Open Educational Resources in the Biosciences towards those which we believe are valuable examples, and the routes to find them. The OeRBITAL project wiki is available at: The story behind finding, evaluating and enhancing OERs is also captured here, so that we might share and develop a realistic approach to assist other OER users (and developers) with JISC and HEFCE funded projects.
free university lectures - computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry Whether your goal is to earn a promotion, graduate at the top of your class, or just accelerate your life, lectures can help get you there. Our archives of lectures cover a huge range of topics and have all been handpicked and carefully designed by experienced instructors throughout the world who are dedicated to helping you take the next step toward meeting your career goals. Lifelong learns can turn their free time turn into self-improvement time. The online lectures on this list are more than lecture notes or a slideshow on a topic -- they were designed for audiences like you, with carefully sequenced themes and topics taught by veteran educators, and often with additional resources for your own independent study. The lectures are available to anybody, completely free of charge. Lecture courses are a valid and vital learning tool, and may be one of the best methods of learning available.
25 Awesome Virtual Learning Experiences Online - Virtual Education Websites Just because you’re online doesn’t mean that you can’t experience the world first-hand — or as close to first-hand as possible. Here are websites that feature virtual learning experiences, exposing online visitors to everything from history to geography, astronomy to anatomy, literature to government. 7 Wonders Panoramas – 360-degree views of the Seven Wonders of the World. Arounder Virtual Tour of the Moon – 360-degree panoramic views of the moon, courtesy of the Apollo 11, 12 and 17 missions. Frissiras Museum – A virtual art gallery from Athens, Greece that allows you to explore paintings by clicking through their entire collection. Google Earth – Explore the geography of both land and sea (free download). Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Vital Signs: Understanding Cardiovascular Diseases – A virtual gallery teaching about heart disease. Louvre Virtual Tour – Virtual tour of the world-famous Louvre museum in Paris. Mount St. Supreme Court Tour – A 360-degree exploration of the U.S.
100 Best Open Science Courses on the Web It’s never too late or too early to start expanding your knowledge of science. With the wealth of free courses available on the web, that goal is easier than ever to achieve and can often be done without even leaving the house. The courses listed here will help you get started, offering resources on a wide variety of scientific fields from those that delve into the laws of the universe to those that explain the chemical reactions taking place in your own kitchen. Physics Use these courses to learn about both the basics and some of the more advanced topics in physics. Fundamentals of Physics: In this course Professor Ramamurti Shankar will teach you about the basic principles of physics. Chemistry Give these chemistry courses a try to get a handle on many aspects of the subject. Freshman Organic Chemistry: Use the lessons in this course to teach yourself about the theories and principles of organic chemistry. Biology Study cells, systems, plants and more through these free courses. Astronomy
100 Awesome Open Courses and Lectures for Digital Artists | Onli By Caitlin Smith Digital arts is a growing field, with lots of educational resources available. You can get a university-level education in digital art by taking advantage of open courseware, which we’ve highlighted here. Read on, and you’ll find 100 excellent courses that will help you develop your skills and knowledge in digital art. Art These courses cover the study of art in general. Studying the Arts and Humanities: In this course, you’ll learn more about both arts and humanities. Web Design Follow these courses to learn how to program web sites, Internet multimedia, and more. Introduction to Web Design: Learn the basics of multimedia web design from this course. Film, Video and Animation These courses are for students interested in the creation of moving images. Film as Visual and Literary Mythmaking: Understand the concept of myths in filmmaking through this course. Gaming If you’re interested in creating games, be sure to check out these courses. Digital Imaging Interaction and Usability