I’ve signed up for some more online learning opportunities.

The first is a FutureLearn class called Extinctions: Past and Present.

It will cover the five historic mass extinctions of plants and animals around our planet, as well as whether we are experiencing a sixth mass extinction right now.

I’ve taken a number of other FutureLearn courses and found them to be very educational and enjoyable. They used to give you unlimited access to the courses for free, but now free access is limited to the time that the course is offered.

Extinctions: Past and Present is a five-week course that begins this Sunday, May 10th. Will you join me in taking the class?

One of the good things about FutureLearn is the easily-utilized feature for posting student reactions or questions, which are commented on, not only by the instructor, but also by other students.

You also can introduce yourself to the others taking the class. I find it’s really interesting to learn other people’s backgrounds.

Extinctions: Past and Present is taught by Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan, a paleobiologist at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. You can learn more about the course, and about FutureLearn in general at https://www.futurelearn.com/

Then, beginning June 23rd, I will once again be auditing a class at the Ohio State University, as a student in Program 60.

I’m signed up for Introduction to Cultural Anthropology with Professor Harold Wright. It’s offered for six weeks during the second session of summer term.

Because of the coronavirus, all summer term classes at Ohio State this year are online. That’s a good thing for me, since it means I don’t have to face the rather lengthy commute to get to and from the actual campus and then the parking hassles.

The nice thing about Program 60 is that, if you are 60 or over and an Ohio resident, you can take Ohio State classes for free. You don’t receive credit, but on the other hand, you don’t have to take tests or write papers. That’s a good trade-off, in my opinion! 🙂