First, some of you may ask right off the bat: “What is a MOOC?” MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Courses. They’re extensive online courses, often offered by renowned universities, and the best part: they’re free to enroll in. They also cover a vast variety of topics, from programming languages to philosophy. This can be your opportunity to learn a specialized skill that you may need for your research that isn’t offered at OsloMet, or to take a short course on a topic related to your research that is so niche that it isn’t offered anywhere else.

MOOCs sometimes get the reputation for being easy courses for the public, but that isn’t often actually the case. They’re intended as a supplement in this context and can be a great way to spark off new thinking on your research topic or learn about literature you may otherwise not have stumbled upon. And again, as previously mentioned, on the big MOOC sites, they are most often offered by highly respected universities, including some Norwegian ones! Some also offer certificate programs for a fee, while others offer a certificate for free to show that you’ve completed the course if needed.

Three of the more well-known MOOC websites are:

Future Learn: www.futurelearn.com

MOOC.org: www.mooc.org

and Coursera: www.coursera.com

One of the best things about MOOCs (in this PhD fellow’s opinion) is that some of them allow you to learn at your own pace, so you can pick up a lesson anytime you’re feeling less motivated and get inspired to dive into your project again.