Professional Documents
Culture Documents
List of Free Online Courses
List of Free Online Courses
COURSE
Stanford 5 Around the world, we find ourselves facing global epidemics of Beginner
Introduction to obesity, Type 2 Diabetes and other predominantly diet-related
Food & Health diseases. To address these public health crises, we urgently need to
(Stanford explore innovative strategies for promoting healthful eating. There is
University) strong evidence that global increases in the consumption of heavily
processed foods, coupled with cultural shifts away from the
preparation of food in the home, have contributed to high rates of
preventable, chronic disease.
In this course, learners will be given the information and practical
skills they need to begin optimizing the way they eat. This course
will shift the focus away from reductionist discussions about
nutrients and move, instead, towards practical discussions about real
food and the environment in which we consume it. By the end of this
course, learners should have the tools they need to distinguish
between foods that will support their health and those that threaten
it. In addition, we will present a compelling rationale for a return to
simple home cooking, an integral part of our efforts to live longer,
healthier lives.
Child Nutrition 10 Eating patterns that begin in childhood affect health and well-being Beginner
and Cooking across the lifespan. The culture of eating has changed significantly in
(Stanford recent decades, especially in parts of the world where processed
University) foods dominate our dietary intake. This course examines
contemporary child nutrition and the impact of the individual
decisions made by each family. The health risks associated with
obesity in childhood are also discussed.
Participants will learn what constitutes a healthy diet for children
and adults and how to prepare simple, delicious foods aimed at
inspiring a lifelong celebration of easy home-cooked meals. This
course will help prepare participants to be the leading health
providers, teachers and parents of the present and future.
Living with 18 Health professionals and students, family caregivers, friends of and Beginner
Dementia: affected individuals, and others interested in learning about
Impact on dementia and quality care will benefit from completing the course.
Individuals, Led by Drs. Nancy Hodgson and Laura Gitlin, participants will
Caregivers, acquire foundational knowledge in the care of persons with
Communities Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurocognitive disorders.
and Societies
(John Hopkins
University)
Myocardial 13 Cardiovascular diseases are – according to the WHO – the number Beginner
Infarction one cause of death globally. Myocardial infarction (heart attack) is
(University of the most prominent under the Cardiovascular diseases. In
Zurich) Switzerland alone, the risk to develop a coronary heart disease
during lifetime is around 25% for men and 18% for women.
Most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by addressing
behavioral risk factors, the understanding of these risk factors, their
mechanisms and impact on the cardiovascular system. In this context
our course aims to approach the complex field of myocardial
infarction in two respects: medical education and awareness of a
broader audience.
Weight 16 Across the globe, more people are suffering from obesity than at any Beginner
Management: other time in our history. Why has obesity become so common and
Beyond so challenging?
Balancing In this course, we will look at the root cause of obesity, as explained
Calories (Emory by the latest science. We will see how our food environment has
University) evolved over the last half-century, and how it is altering our biology
to over-consume calories and resist sustained weight loss. We will
also see how stress, a sedentary lifestyle, and inadequate sleep
disrupt our appetite control system to promote gaining weight. By
developing a better understanding of the physiology behind obesity,
you will learn how to work with your body to prevent and manage
weight gain. This course will also provide practical tools and
strategies for creating a long-term, sustainable weight management
plan to leverage your habits and your surroundings.
Traditional 32 This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of Beginner
herbal issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in
medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world
supportive experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and
cancer care: Canada, as well as Europe, the Middle East, China and Japan.
From By the end of the course, you will: • Understand core concepts in
alternative to Integrative Oncology, as they relate to the supportive/palliative
integrative cancer care setting • Acquire effective communication skills which
(Technion - will foster a better understanding of patients' views on herbal
Israel Institute medicine, while providing guidance on the safe and effective use of
of Technology) these products • Be able to design, together with patients, caregivers
and healthcare providers, a patient-tailored and cultural-sensitive
integrative oncology treatment program, including the use of herbal
medicine • Be acquainted with leading "players" who can share their
experience in creating and implementing an integrative oncology
program The course has been specially designed to provide
information and guidance at a level appropriate for patients and non-
medical participants, as well as medical professionals interested in
receiving evidence-based guidance on the safety and effectiveness of
herbal medicine in cancer care.
Diabetes – the 9 Across the world more than 420 million people are living with Beginner
Essential Facts diabetes. Two thirds of these have not yet been diagnosed. When
(University of discovered late or managed incorrectly, diabetes can damage your
Copenhagen) heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves, leading to disability
and premature death. In fact, more people are dying of diabetes
related diseases than of diseases as HIV/AIDS, malaria and
tuberculosis combined.
This course will provide you with an introduction to the most recent
research in the field of prevention and treatment of diabetes as well
as a broader understanding of the situation in different communities,
rich and poor, across the world, where diabetes threatens public
health. What kind of disease is diabetes, who has it, and who is at
risk of getting it? And what are the roles of medicine, exercise and
nutrition when trying to prevent, delay or treat diabetes? During the
course you will meet researchers and experts from Imperial College
London, Emory University in Atlanta, Steno Diabetes Center in
Copenhagen as well as the School of Global Health and the Center
for Basic Metabolic Research at the University of Copenhagen. They
work with very different aspects of diabetes, from microbiology to
global public health, but what ties them together is the belief that it is
a global responsibility to combat diabetes, and this fight can only be
won through new knowledge and global collaboration.
Sit Less, Get 5 Physical inactivity and sedentariness are “silent killers”. Do you feel Beginner
Active like you spend too much time sitting? Do you feel like you would
(The University like to be more active? Are you unsure about how to incorporate
of Edinburgh) physical activity into your daily life? We are here to help.
Join us on a journey to learn about how to sit less and become more
active. Use this FREE course to learn how to monitor your own
activity and set physical activity goals. We will feature various
examples of how physical activity could be increased in different
settings, such as your neighbourhood, home or work, to give you
ideas of ones that could best fit your lifestyle. Are you a health
professional? Use this opportunity to learn how to incorporate
physical activity into your daily routine and also how to empower
your patients to be more physically active. If time with a patient is an
issue, you can simply “prescribe” this course to your patient. This
course offers you a unique opportunity to receive weekly physical
activity health messages and monthly video-reminders on how to
increase physical activity in various settings for 6 months after the
initial 3 week course.
Hacking 10 Renowned exercise physiologists Martin Gibala and Stuart Phillips of Beginner
Exercise For McMaster University teach the surprising new science of cardio
Health. The fitness and strength-building—and then provide you with hacks to
surprising new get fit and strong (and healthy!) in less time than you ever thought
science of possible. What’s the right mix of exercise between cardio and
fitness. strength? How do you know if you’re working out hard enough?
(McMaster What’s better, heavy or light weights? These questions and more are
University) addressed through a course designed to provide even the most
inexperienced of exercisers the tools you need to design time-efficient
workouts that can be done virtually anywhere, from your own home
to a city park or even at your workplace.
Marty and Stu are good friends and colleagues who just happen to be
two of the world’s most passionate scholars in the science of fitness.
They aim to entertain you while they’re describing the relationship
between exercise and health. Marty is a pioneer in the field of
interval training, the technique of varying your workout intensity to
get fit faster than anyone ever thought possible. Stu’s studies proved
that lifting lighter weights can be a highly effective strength-building
technique—plus he’s a leading expert in dietary protein and muscle.
In Hacking Exercise for Health, you’ll follow Marty and Stu as they
teach you the basics about the way your body boosts its fitness and
strength. Next, they’ll apply that theory, providing you with a series
of do-anywhere workouts and, most importantly, teaching you what
you need to know to design your own sessions. Filled with
inspirational practical tips, fun quizzes, interactive community
participation and assignments designed to help you remember your
lessons, Hacking Exercise for Health will give you the tools and
techniques to incorporate exercise into your life, no matter how busy
you are.
The Science of 21 Learners who complete Science of Exercise will have an improved Beginner
Exercise physiological understanding of how your body responds to exercise,
(University of and will be able to identify behaviors, choices, and environments that
Colorado impact your health and training. You will explore a number of
Boulder significant adjustments required by your body in order to properly
respond to the physical stress of exercise, including changes in
carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism, nutritional considerations,
causes of muscle soreness & fatigue, and the effectiveness and
dangers of performance enhancing drugs.
Active learning assessments will challenge you to apply this new
knowledge via nutrition logs, heart rate monitoring, calculations of
your total daily caloric expenditure and body mass index (BMI).
Finally, learners will examine the scientific evidence for the health
benefits of exercise including the prevention and treatment of heart
disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity (weight loss), depression, and
dementia.
Healthy 4 In this course you will find a comprehensive overlook of healthy Beginner
Practices: practices in public schools in the USA, including physical activity
Nutrition, and nutrition in the school setting. We will review the basics of some
Physical of the regulatory programs found in the United States that support
Activity, and healthy students through nutrition education and nutrition
Community programs. You will be able to explain some of the nutritional
and Family components such as, alternatives to the use of Sugar-Sweetened
Participation Beverages. Many of these principles can be applied to students in
(University of schools throughout the globe.
Colorado You will understand how the schools can support physical activity
System) throughout the day and how they can effectively offer physical
education. Learners will be able to explain MVPA, or moderate to
vigorous physical activity. They will identify this as the newest
method for measuring and evaluating what counts as physical
activity in terms of METs. Participants in the course will be able to
explain the science behind the recommended "60 minutes of Physical
Activity" and what counts toward MVPA both during and outside of
the school day. Learners will be able to evaluate and explain how
what students eat and how they exercise impacts student success. We
will provide you with information to help you to promote the
teamwork that it takes to implement successful nutritional and
physical activity programs. Our discussion will include where to find
and how to develop community support and encourage family
participation. Later in the course you will understand how
attendance impacts student success. Together we will look at real-life
examples of programs in a school setting and this will help you to
recognize what impact you can have on improving the health and
success of students in your own community.
Easing the 14 This course is multidisciplinary in nature, and aims to equip the Beginner
burden of global audience of interested lay people, people with chronic disease,
obesity, public health researchers, health clinicians, students, administrators,
diabetes and and researchers to reflect on the overall impact of the burden of
cardiovascular chronic disease. It shows how all chronic diseases (obesity, diabetes,
disease cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and
(The University cancer) are related by a set of common causes, and that such diseases
of Sydney) should be tackled, not individually, but as part of a complex system,
with interrelated contributing factors. These factors are genetic,
environmental, psychological, economic, social, developmental, and
media related.
The Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney is a unique
interdisciplinary education and research hub which seeks solutions
to chronic disease through a complex systems approach. Academics
in many disciplines (in Science and Medicine, but also in
Architecture, Humanities, Law etc) work in a collaborative fashion to
produce novel solutions to the problems of chronic disease. All
contributors and participants in this course are members of the
Charles Perkins Centre and will speak from the unique
interdisciplinary perspective that this Centre affords. The course will
describe a complex systems approach as the most productive way to
ease the burden of chronic disease. It then describes these diseases in
detail, their risk factors, and the environmental and biological factors
that have led to the current epidemic of obesity, diabetes and
cardiovascular disease. Finally, the solutions – and more importantly
the process for finding solutions- is the subject of the last module. No
one approach by itself can ever be the answer, and certainly not a
simple diet and exercise approach. The entire course consists of 5
content modules, plus an extra module for completing assignments
and discussions, and takes about 6 weeks to complete. Completion
certificates are issued on the basis of participation in all 6 modules.
What you'll learn: - How the Charles Perkins Centre recruits
interdisciplinary teams to ease the burden of chronic disease - How a
complex systems approach is necessary to provide solutions to a
complex problem - The fundamentals of chronic disease research and
where it is heading - The biggest risk factors for chronic disease and
their global incidence - The biological, genetic, social, regulatory, and
other influences that have inflated these risk factors - How to provide
solutions globally for the reduction of chronic disease
Measuring 15 Epidemiological research is ubiquitous. Even if you don’t realise it, Beginner
Disease in you come across epidemiological studies and the impact of their
Epidemiology findings every single day. You have probably heard that obesity is
(Imperial increasing in high income countries or that malaria is killing millions
College of people in low income countries. It is common knowledge that
London) smoking causes cancer and that physical activity is protective against
heart disease. These facts may seem obvious today, but it took
decades of epidemiological research to produce the necessary
evidence. In this course, you will learn the fundamental tools of
epidemiology which are essential to conduct such studies, starting
with the measures used to describe the frequency of a disease or
health-related condition. You will also learn how to quantify the
strength of an association and discuss the distinction between
association and causation. In the second half of the course, you will
use this knowledge to describe different strategies for prevention,
identify strengths and weaknesses of diagnostic tests and consider
when a screening programme is appropriate.
Feeding The 19 This course will explore the concepts driving current food Beginner
World production science (population growth, urbanization, emerging
(University of affluence, resource constraints, and underlying biological limits) with
Pennsylvania) the main focus on livestock production. Each of the major food
animal species (dairy, swine, beef, and poultry) will be covered in
terms of their universal life cycles, constraints to production and
emerging societal issues.
Throughout the course, we will tackle some difficult and important
questions: What are the major health benefits and potential concerns
regarding the production and consumption of animal products? How
does animal production affect the efficient use of resources and
impact our environment? Can cost of production be reduced to meet
growing demand for animal products around the globe while
maintaining health and safety for both animals and consumers?
What are the different types of animal food production systems?
Myths and misconceptions surrounding the animal food systems will
be discussed. We’ll also look closely at some of the global issues,
problems, and challenges in these food systems which scientists,
farmers, and veterinarians, are attempting to solve through
collaboration.
Unravelling 16 Our society depends on the availability of food and accessibility to it. Beginner
Solutions for According to the United Nations nearly 800 million people are
Future Food hungry and on the other hand, over 650 million people are obese.
Problems While many people in developing countries experience food
(Utrecht shortage, in industrialized countries people are throwing food away.
University) These facts show how paradoxical and complex the world’s food
problem is. ln this course, more than 10 food researchers from
Utrecht University will address the main issues of food consumption.
They will handle two interrelated themes; Food shortage and
Healthy choices.
You will learn to identify the key ingredients of the world’s food
challenges and to think about the solutions for enabling changes in
the current food system. We will also look at the possible sustainable
solutions for several acute issues: the demands of the growing
human population, the role of nutrition, and the need to understand
food choices in order to have healthier diet and consider the
possibilities of alternative foods. We invite you to join us on an
interdisciplinary journey through the world food problems. You will
gain new knowledge and insights that will help you form your own
opinion on these subjects and make better choices in your food
consumption.
Data 15 This course presents research conducted to increase our Beginner
Collection: understanding of how data collection decisions affect survey errors.
Online, This is not a “how–to-do-it” course on data collection, but instead
Telephone and reviews the literature on survey design decisions and data quality in
Face-to-face order to sensitize learners to how alternative survey designs might
(University of impact the data obtained from those surveys.
Maryland) The course reviews a range of survey data collection methods that
are both interview-based (face-to-face and telephone) and self-
administered (paper questionnaires that are mailed and those that
are implemented online, i.e. as web surveys). Mixed mode designs
are also covered as well as several hybrid modes for collecting
sensitive information e.g., self-administering the sensitive questions
in what is otherwise a face-to-face interview. The course also covers
newer methods such as mobile web and SMS (text message)
interviews, and examines alternative data sources such as social
media. It concentrates on the impact these techniques have on the
quality of survey data, including error from measurement,
nonresponse, and coverage, and assesses the tradeoffs between these
error sources when researchers choose a mode or survey design.
Understanding 13 How can you tell if the bold headlines seen on social media are truly Beginner
Medical touting the next big thing or if the article isn't worth the paper it's
Research: Your printed on?
Facebook Understanding Medical Research will provide you with the tools and
Friend is skills you need to critically interpret medical studies, and determine
Wrong for yourself the difference between good and bad science. The course
(Yale encompasses propers study-design, research methods, and statistical
University) interpretation. It also delves into the dark side of medical research by
covering fraud, biases, and common misinterpretations of data. Each
lesson will be highlighted with case-studies from real-world journal
articles. By the end of this course, you'll have the tools you need to
determine if the scientific information you're reading is trustworthy
and, of course, whether or not your Facebook friend is wrong.
Understanding 26 If you’ve ever skipped over the results section of a medical paper Mixed
Clinical because terms like “confidence interval” or “p-value” go over your
Research: head, then you’re in the right place. You may be a clinical
Behind the practitioner reading research articles to keep up-to-date with
Statistics developments in your field or a medical student wondering how to
(University of approach your own research. Greater confidence in understanding
Cape Town) statistical analysis and the results can benefit both working
professionals and those undertaking research themselves.
If you are simply interested in properly understanding the published
literature or if you are embarking on conducting your own research,
this course is your first step. It offers an easy entry into interpreting
common statistical concepts without getting into nitty-gritty
mathematical formulae. To be able to interpret and understand these
concepts is the best way to start your journey into the world of
clinical literature.
The Meat We 14 The Meat We Eat is a course designed to create a more informed Mixed
Eat consumer about the quality, safety, healthfulness and sustainability
(University of of muscle foods and address current issues in animal agriculture in
Florida) developed and developing countries.
Gut Check: 22 Imagine if there were an organ in your body that weighed as much Mixed
Exploring Your as your brain, that affected your health, your weight, and even your
Microbiome behavior. Wouldn’t you want to know more about it? There is such
(University of an organ — the collection of microbes in and on your body, your
Colorado human microbiome.
Boulder,
University of
California San
Diego)
Vital Signs: 19 The vital signs – heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, Mixed
Understanding respiration rate, and pain – communicate important information
What the Body about the physiological status of the human body. In this six-part
Is Telling Us course we explore the anatomy and physiology underlying the vital
(University of signs so that you will develop a systematic, integrated understanding
Pennsylvania) of how the body functions. Relevant body systems are reviewed
including cardiovascular and respiratory, followed by explanations
of how the function of these systems affects vital signs. We discuss
normal ranges, normal variants, and the mechanisms that underlie
changes in the objective measurement of vital signs. The course also
includes demonstrations of appropriate techniques for measuring
vital signs in yourself and others.