The University of Reddit Offers College-Level Classes for Free

My boyfriend is constantly on Reddit.com, so I finally caved and decided to check out the website that has a cute little alien as its mascot. Like most websites whose content is user-generated, there are a lot of cute pictures of animals, funny videos, and…oh wait, that’s not normal…a free university where you can learn about anything from art to languages to philosophy.
The University of Reddit is a new website that was created from a sub-Reddit. On UReddit, users can create their own courses and teach other users about whatever they want to teach. Some of the classes are introductory type classes (example: Hindi 101), while others are more advanced and specific (example: Vertebrate Palentology – The History of Vertebrate Life).
According to the creators, UReddit is “the product of free intellectualism and is a haven for the sharing of knowledge. Teachers and students are free to explore any subject that interests them. Unlike a convential university, University of Reddit strives to make its course offerings free, varied, and easily accessible. …Students don’t have to worry about attendance, grades, or tuition – this isn’t a regular university.”

Obviously, the University of Reddit is not an accredited school nor are the teachers actual professors. However, most of the classes are actually developed in a similar manner to the classes you would find on a college campus and can offer a lot of information for no cost at all. Registering for classes is very simple: you just create an username, password, and can opt to supply your email address. Then, UReddit will allow you to sign up for as many classes as you want and will send you email reminders when new information is posted.
One class that is currently pretty popular is Intro to Web Development with HTML/CSS. The class has 116 students “enrolled,” and the teacher sends our regular announcements for updated information and materials. The class aims to “communicate the motivations, principles, and mechanics underlying the design and use of HTML and CSS in developing a website. It is aimed at absolute beginners with the goal of teaching general skills that can be applied to novel tasks.” Sounds like a pretty standard entry-level computer science class that you could find at any college across the nation to me. Oh, and in case you are wondering about the teacher’s qualifications, he “created the website [UReddit] which you are currently viewing.”
A college education is becoming more and more expensive in today’s world. In the rush to get in, get their degree, and get out, many students do not make the time to study subjects that – while interesting – are not be required for their degrees. The University of Reddit is a great resource if you want to learn about something from experts on the subject, without having to pay a single cent for the information.
I guess I now understand why my boyfriend is so obsessed with this website: free education…and cute pictures of puppies.
See Also:
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