Don's Online University

by Don Rittner

I value education. An educated society is a free society. Unfortunately, many people today simply cannot afford to go to college. Society may be free, but the cost of an education is not. I have good news for you. Several times a year I will present to you a complete degree program that I have set up using FREE online classes from the Internet.

If you complete the programs that I outline here I will send you a diploma suitable for framing from Don's Online University (Note to the State Education Department or Attorney General. Don't hassle me. It's not real, ok!).

Did I say free? Yup. There are hundreds of courses available on the Internet and they cost only the time to complete them. These are taught by professional educators, professionals, scientists, educated laypeople and even offered by businesses and leading universities.

Many of the classes I have outlined are pretty extensive and will take a while to complete. Some of them are actually online books and tutorials. So, get smart and change the world.

Art

Artschool Online

http://www.angelfire.com/ar/rogerart/index.html

An award winning repository for art lessons on the web by Roger Elliott, a professional artist for more than 30 years.

Business Management

Certificate Program in Management and Business Administration

http://www.mbaii.org/entry.htm

You can take a test and get a certificate (free).

Computers

Building Your First Web Page

http://www.barnesandnobleuniversity.com/

Learn how to create your own Web page with graphics and text in this intro course.

Internet

Internet User Introduction

http://www.freeskills.com/listcourses?cobrand=freeskills

This course provides readers with an introduction to the concept of the Internet and the opportunity to gain a broad understanding of how the Web works.

Introduction to Programming

http://www.barnesandnobleuniversity.com/

Explore the basics of programming.

Office 2000

Microsoft Word 2000 Introduction

http://www.freeskills.com/listcourses?cobrand=freeskills

This intensive course is designed to introduce users to Word 2000.

Outlook Express

http://www.freeskills.com/listcourses?cobrand=freeskills

Intro to using this email program.

Government

Civics

http://www.peoplesu.com/obj/00/00/00/06/88/49/index.html

Download software and learn about the US Government.

History

Internet Modern History Sourcebook

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modmusic.html

A source book on modern European history and American history, as well as in modern Western Civilization and World Cultures.

Literature

The Poet's Table: Walt Whitman's Poetry and Prose

http://www.barnesandnobleuniversity.com/

Learn about the major works of Walt Whitman, one of America's most influential poets. This course is designed for beginners and poetry lovers alike.

Walking through Shakespeare: The Comedies

http://www.barnesandnobleuniversity.com/

The comedy of William Shakespeare is just as funny and provocative in the year 2000 as it was in 1600. This course leads you through four comedic works and shows you why they're still relevant today.

Poetry: The Basics

http://www.peoplesu.com/obj/00/00/00/06/91/19/index.html

This is an informal, introductory course on how to write poetry. It covers topics ranging from rhythm and meter, and imagery to how to support yourself as a poet.

Literature

http://www.peoplesu.com/obj/00/00/00/06/91/17/index.html

Pick One of the classics from Orwell to Mark Twain.

Math

Arithmetic Fundamentals

http://www.peoplesu.com/obj/00/00/00/06/88/72/index.html

Refresher courses for additions, subtractions, multiplication and division.

Music

Music Theory Online

http://www.be-blood.demon.co.uk/musictheory.htm

An Intro to learning music theory.

Introduction to Classical Music

http://www.barnesandnobleuniversity.com/

Survey of the history of Western classical music from the days of the Greek philosophers to the rise of Chopin and the Romantics in the 1800s.

Philosophy

Ethics World

http://www.peoplesu.com/obj/00/00/00/06/88/81/index.html

Explore the world of ethics by taking any of the 14 ethics modules presented.

Photography

Photography 101

http://www.peoplesu.com/obj/00/00/00/06/91/05/index.html

Learn the basics of photography. Lessons cover: exposure, metering, film, electronic flash, different lens types, depth-of-field and simple photo techniques.

Digital Photography

http://http://www.nyip.com/sub_idx_pgs/digitalidx/digitalidx.html

Learn how to do photography with digital's instead of the old 35 SLRs?