Barnes and Noble University: International Classroom Experience From Your Home

As most of you know, I am all about learning new things. Maybe it's because I'm bored most of the time, and feel as though I need to do something productive with my time. I don't know.

One of my problems is that I don't want to leave my house to take classes. I have gotten to the point where I am sick and tired of dealing with people. I guess I'm becoming a bit of a hermit in my old age. For my Masters, I did my course through University of Phoenix - online. But, it' was boring and I can only take one class at a time.

I mentioned this to my friend, and she told me about Barnes and Noble University. Apparently, Barnes and Noble bookstore has their own University run on their website, www.barnesandnoble.com.

Intrigued, I took a look at what they had to offer.

There are two types of classes. The first kind is the FREE class. Yes, you read correctly. Most of the classes offered at Barnes & Noble University are free. You pay nothing. Nada. Zero. Zip. Zilch. You just need to get the book(s) for the class. Of course, they want you to buy it from their bookstore. However, you can just go to your local library and borrow them. Barnes & Noble will never know the difference.

There are SO many different topics that you can choose from: Business & Productivity, Liberal Arts, Graphic & Web Design, Life Improvement, Information Technology, and Writing & Languages. It seems as though classes start every week, which is terrific. You can take as many as you like, as long as you keep up the attendance in the classes.

With the free classes, enrollment seems to be VERY high. I've taken two free courses, and there were more than 50 people in each. After a while, you just get lost in all of the threads. You don't get credit with the free courses, either, so you don't get a grade. It's basically for your own benefit.