20 Free Courses You Can Take Online Through the University of Alberta This Fall

Cooler weather means more time indoors, and it's the perfect excuse to learn something new as a family. The University of Alberta partners with Coursera to offer free, open online courses to the community — no tuition, no admission requirements, just curiosity. Pick a topic together, settle in for a family learning night, and dive in.

These courses are especially great for homeschool families looking for structured content, or for any family that wants to explore a new subject together at their own pace. Several of the courses even align with the Alberta curriculum.

The free courses, offered through Coursera and the University of Alberta, include:

• 21st Century Energy Transition

• Arctic: Development

• Arctic: Economy

• Arctic: Peoples and Cultures

• Astro 101: Black Holes

• Black Canadians: History, Presence, and Anti-Racist Futures

• Bugs 101: Insect-Human Interactions

• Dino 101

• Famine as Genocide: The Holodomor in Ukraine

• Indigenous Canada

• Introduction to the Arctic: Climate

• Mountains 101

• Paleontology: Ancient Marine Reptiles

• Paleontology: Early Vertebrate Evolution

• Paleontology: Theropod Dinosaurs & the Origin of Birds

• Problem Solving, Python Programming, and Video Games

• Reinforcement Learning (Specialization)

• Science Literacy

• Software Design & Architecture (Specialization)

• Software Product Management (Specialization)

• Understanding Video Games

Find the full, current list right here, including how the courses align with the Alberta curriculum for junior high and high school students.

Are you looking for more hands-on, free family learning? Check our full guide to free things to do in Edmonton with kids for year-round ideas.