Education is being hacked. Through free online courses, peer-to-peer learning, apprenticeships, skillshares and more, the doors of global accessibility are being blown wide open.

The latest to throw its hat into the open education ring is Open Educational Resource University. An online platform that offers free university courses to anyone with an internet connection, OER is open source and fully customizable depending on whether you’re a self-directed learner or working toward a degree.

With a goal of widening access and lowering costs for learners, especially those “excluded from the formal education sector,” OER partners with institutes and universities to offer what are described as world-class courses. There’s also an option to receive academic credit at greatly reduced fees.

Course offerings include: Developing a Business Plan, Introduction to Asia and the Pacific, Resourcing a Small Enterprise, Open Content Licensing for Educators, Introduction to Art Appreciation and more. While the number of classes currently offered is small, the vision for the project is large and includes expanding the number of courses as well as the range of credential options.

Here’s to one more free and open educational option.

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Top photo by Brian Hillegas (CC). Follow Cat Johnson on Twitter and Facebook