Opportunities for independent study and research can give high school students a crucial boost to their academic performance. Moreover, the American Psychological Association states that participating in research in high school can aid in early career exposure, the development of important life and career skills, and the creation and expansion of professional networks.
Because of the pandemic, in-person research has become difficult for many high school students. In this vacuum, only study platforms can help students to gain knowledge. There are also lower costs when compared to in-person programs, more flexibility, more development of time management skills, and time saved from dealing with travel and other logistical issues. Students have a lot to learn from the following online study platforms, and should take advantage of all they have to offer.
Coursera
Coursera is an education platform that partners with top universities and organizations to offer free online courses. Anyone can take them, and students often have different learning goals: they want to earn a degree, complete certain requirements for a job, or gain knowledge to advance their career.
The courses cover a wide range of topics, including business, data analysis, programming, psychology, and even some education courses. There are also courses in the arts, if a student has an interest in those subjects. Music composition and graphic design are also options.
Coursera has 295 partners across 59 countries. Aside from top universities, like Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, and Princeton University, they also cooperate with prominent companies like Meta, Google, and Amazon. These connections can benefit students, as they’ll learn what skills are required at their dream jobs.
edX
Co-founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the mission of edX is to increase access to high-quality education for everyone, everywhere. The platform enhances learning on campus and online, and enhances teaching through research.
EdX provides over 3600 total courses, with representation from over 160 universities. These subjects included biological sciences, medicine, business, architecture, and the social sciences. By cooperating with top universities, edX can supply students with understanding equal to that of a Bachelor’s or even Master’s degree.
Khan Academy
The Khan Academy website is completely free of charge. The staff is paid by donations from different users; despite limited funds, Khan Academy provides high-quality pages, information, and videos.
Subjects are divided into sub-subjects; for example, 8th grade math includes basics, arithmetic equations, solving systems of unknown equations, functions, systems of equations, geometry, and date of time. Each sub-subject is broken down even more, on occasion. Students can easily find what they need to work on. Videos cover all kinds of topics, and include notes taken directly on the computer. Even standardized tests, like the SAT, LSAT, or AP courses, have corresponding lessons on Khan Academy.
Mastery of a different subject is divided into levels: unpracticed, practiced, level 1, level 2, and mastered. Each difficulty level has its own set of questions. In many cases, you’ll be asked to get 3-4 questions right in a row to prove that you’ve really understood the problem.
