Online education platforms are adding courses about the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes, Covid-19. These resources include courses designed for specialists who study the virus or treat people sickened by it, for humanitarian workers, and for general-interest learners who want more knowledge about the disease and how to cope with it.
Here we highlight a sampling of those resources. The majority are in English, but some are in Arabic, French, and other languages. Suggestions for additions to this resource list can be made in the comments below.
Coursera
Coursera, established in 2012, offers thousands of high-quality online courses, as well as online degrees and certificate programs. Courses it recently added in response to the Covid-19 pandemic include:
Science Matters: Let’s Talk About Covid-19
Imperial College London.
Free.
This four-week course, from the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics (J-Idea) at Imperial College London, is open to all and free of charge. Students will learn about the science underpinning basic questions about Covid-19 and its spread, such as how dangerous the virus is, and how the epidemic can be contained. The material includes videos and readings on where to find the latest information on Covid-19 and situation reports from leading researchers about the current state of the epidemic. Students will also get an introduction to the essential principles of epidemiology and infectious disease modeling. The course’s final week, on health systems and economic impacts, is being created in real time as the epidemic unfolds.
Fighting Covid-19 with Epidemiology: A Johns Hopkins Teach-Out
Johns Hopkins University.
Free.
Like the Imperial College London course, this free “teach-out” also provides basic information about the epidemiology of infections like Covid-19 and how scientists study such outbreaks. The two-week course is presented in 24 short video lectures that run a total of about three hours.
Covid-19: What You Need to Know
From the medical-education platform Osmosis.
Free for general learners, $49 for those who want to earn a certificate.
This course brings together regularly updated information from the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and other agencies on the basics of the disease and topics like diagnostics and protective gear. While anyone can enroll in the course, it’s designed to help healthcare professionals become familiar with the signs of Covid-19 and become better prepared to treat it. They may also earn continuing medical education credits. Students who take the course for free get access to all materials—five videos, 12 readings and six quizzes.
Mind Control: Managing Your Mental Health During Covid-19
University of Toronto.
Free.
This four-week course is designed to help people deal with anxiety related to Covid-19 as it relates to their current lives and their fears about the world it will leave in its wake. Learners will gain a deeper understanding of the anxiety reaction and strategies for managing it. Three weekly sections contain videos and practical exercises on topics like “Achieving Relaxation: A Skill We All Need to Learn Now” and “Why Watching the News is Addicting and How to Manage Your Consumption.” The final week summarizes key lessons and suggests additional videos.
The author, a professor of psychology, writes: “My sincere hope is that you will leave this course with a better understanding of how your brain reacts to crises, along with some powerful tools for managing it before it manages you.”
Covid-19—A Clinical Update
University of Florida.
Free to audit; $49 to earn a certificate.
This two-week course, taught by a professor of medicine who specializes in infectious diseases, aims to counter misinformation about Covid-19 and give learners the knowledge and skills to make a difference in flattening the curve of the disease’s progress around the world.
Videos answer questions like who is at risk, how is the disease best treated, and how can we slow the spread of the infection. Exercises that will be reviewed by other learners in the course aim to show the power of tracing cases and isolating those who are infected. They also encourage learners to create campaigns to shift their countries’ cultures to embrace behaviors that can help suppress the epidemic and save lives.
Resilience Skills in a Time of Uncertainty
University of Pennsylvania.
Free.
This four-week class is a special edition of an existing course within a specialization called Foundations of Positive Psychology. The university is making the course free to support people confronting various difficult challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The course teaches learners how to incorporate resilience interventions into their personal and professional lives. It explores several types of resilience interventions, including strategies for managing anxiety and increasing positive emotions, such as gratitude.
FutureLearn
This U.K.-based platform has a three-tier pricing structure. Learners can join most courses for free, but will have time-limited access to the course’s material. For a fee, they can upgrade to get unlimited access to the course and eligibility to earn a certificate of achievement. Students can also buy a one-year subscription that grants access to hundreds of courses on the platform.
Special courses added in response to Covid-19 include:
Managing Covid-19 in General Practice
St George’s, University of London.
Free to auditors; $39 for upgraded access.
This course is designed for primary care clinicians and other health care professionals who are dealing with the large volume of patients affected by Covid-19. The course is based on guidance offered by U.K. public health bodies but will also be relevant to health care practitioners in other nations. Topics covered in this course include when to suspect Covid-19 infection in primary care, management of acutely unwell patients, management of those with mild symptoms in home isolation, and tips on how to keep a general practice running safely.
Covid-19 Diagnostics and Testing
Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics.
Free to auditors; $39 for upgraded access.
This course is presented by a global nonprofit organization that develops diagnostics to combat major diseases affecting the world’s poorest populations. Students will learn about the different types of diagnostic tests for Covid-19 in use around the world, the latest recommendations on testing strategies, and key considerations for the safety, quality and impact of diagnostic services.
Covid-19 Critical Care: Understanding and Application
University of Edinburgh.
Free access and free upgrade.
This course is designed to teach frontline care providers and clinical staff how to effectively care for critically ill patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. Topics include daily critical care practices, self-care and staff well-being. The information in this resource will support those refreshing critical care knowledge and skills, newly qualified doctors, those who are upskilling, and those returning to acute clinical services during the pandemic.
Covid-19: Tackling the Novel Coronavirus
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Free access and free upgrade.
This course is for people working in health care services, or anyone interested in how experts are responding to the outbreak. Topics covered include how Covid-19 emerged and was identified, and what is needed to deal with it going forward. The course is presented in English, with translations available in Chinese, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
Thrive in Trying Times Teach-Out
University of Michigan.
Free access and free upgrade.
This course, led by experts from the Center for Positive Organizations at the University of Michigan, offers tips for community organizing and maintaining well-being during this time of crisis. Learners will discover the scientific grounding behind terms like thriving, resilience, and compassion, and consider the value of gratitude and staying connected in a time of social distancing.
Yes..I am interested to joins as Covid warriors…As medical officers