As a result of the pandemic; I had a lot of time on my hands during the school breaks since travel was non-existent and many professional development sessions/ conventions/ conferences were cancelled. Coursera really helped to bridge the gap. It allowed me to continue learning and took my mind off of the state of the world. This site was developed in 2012 by Stanford University professors. You can take courses for free, for certification as well as obtain degrees from a plethora of universities and other post-secondary institutions.
The courses I have enjoyed and highly recommend include…
1. Indigenous Canada, from the University of Alberta
“A 12-lesson course that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations. Topics covered are: the fur trade and other exchange relationships, land claims and environmental impacts, legal systems and rights, political conflicts and alliances, Indigenous political activism, and contemporary Indigenous life, art and its expressions,” (Coursera).
2. The Science of Well Being, from Yale University
“In this course you will engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits. As preparation for these tasks, Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change. You will ultimately be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity into your life,” (Coursera).
3. Big History — From the Big Bang until Today, from the University of Amsterdam
“After completing this course you will develop a better understanding of how you and everything around you became the way they are today. You will also have gained an understanding of the underlying mechanisms that have helped shape the history of everything and how they will help shape the future. Last but not least, you will have developed the skill to use this knowledge to put smaller subjects into a bigger perspective with the aid of the little big history approach,” (Coursera).
4. The Arctic Series from the University of Alberta
This series includes: Introduction to the Arctic: Climate, Arctic Economy and Arctic Development.
The first; provides, “an overview of regional geography: the cryosphere (ice), the atmosphere and ocean. You will learn why the Arctic is cold and ice covered, and how that impacts its climate and ecosystems and how the Arctic is connected to the rest of the world. Finally, an examination of present day climate change, the processes driving it, and evidence for it in the Arctic as well as the implications of it,” (Coursera).
The second course teaches you that, “Arctic communities are facing new kinds of challenges to their survival as a result of globalization. You will investigate the challenges faced by Indigenous, North American, Russian and Nordic Arctic communities in a modern world and how those communities adjust to change while maintaining their ways of life, socio-economic histories, and cultural traditions,” (Coursera).
In the third course; “you will investigate the role that natural resources play across the Indigenous, Nordic, Russian and North American Arctics, different strategies for resource management in different regions, and how these affect community planning and development efforts in an increasingly populated part of the world,” (Coursera).