Earlier this week, in an effort to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a “Stay Home, Work Safe” order shuttering nonessential businesses and directing county residents to stay home as much as possible. Other counties in the area issued similar orders.
Many are now holed up indoors, facing an ever-growing laundry list of closures (schools, museums, malls, movie theaters, bars, clubs, bookstores, gyms, swimming pools and playgrounds, to name a few) and, likely, they’re wrestling with some boredom.
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For those struggling to keep boredom at bay in the time of social distancing, the University of Houston might have a solution: take a class.
The UH System is currently offering seven of its courses online, free of charge and accessible to anyone with internet access.
The classes now open for enrollment include:
- “The Bilingual Brain” - Participants will learn about the latest research related to how humans learn one or two languages and other cognitive skills. The course takes approximately 16 hours to complete.
- “Math Behind Moneyball” - Learn how probability, math, and statistics can be used to help baseball, football and basketball teams improve, player and lineup selection as well as in game strategy. The course takes approximately 18 hours to complete.
- “Powerful Tools for Teaching and Learning: Web 2.0 Tools” - This course will introduce participants to popular Web 2.0 tools like Edmodo, Twitter, Voicethread, and Skype in K-16 instruction, and will also learn how to effectively integrate these technologies into your classroom practices and create engaging student activities. The course takes approximately 18 hours to complete.
- “American Deaf Culture” - This course provides a historical overview of the American Deaf community and its evolving culture. The course takes approximately 5 hours to complete.
- “A Brief History of Human Spaceflight” - This course provides a view of the history of spaceflight. The course was developed to educate and entertain anyone with an interest in human spaceflight. The course takes approximately 10 hours to complete.
- “Preparing for the AP Physics 1 Exam” - This course is designed for high school students preparing to take the AP* Physics 1 Exam. The course takes approximately 26 hours to complete.
- “Powerful Tools for Teaching and Learning: Digital Storytelling” - The course introduces educators to digital storytelling and explores ways to use digital stories to enhance students’ learning experiences. The course takes approximately 17 hours to complete.
All the courses available are fully online, self-paced and operate with flexible deadlines. Those who finish a course will earn a certificate of completion.
For more information on or to enroll in any of the UH System’s course offerings, visit https://www.coursera.org.