If you've always wanted to see what taking courses at renowned schools like MIT or Harvard is like, you can get taste by checking out free online course materials from each. These are non-credit courses, but it's worth a look for self learning.

MIT OpenCourseWare is a web based publication of pretty much all MIT course content. That includes lecture notes, exams, and videos.

Harvard serves up 8 online courses. Course selection includes Shakespeare, computer science, algebra, and more.

For an even more elaborate experience, visit edX -- a new collaborative online education effort from Harvard and MIT. Here, you actually enroll for the courses. There are 7 courses offered (2 from Berkeley) and the courses start in September and October. According to the site FAQ, certificates of completion can be earned. If you want a challenge, here are the courses that are available this fall:

• 3.091x Introduction to Solid State Chemistry (MITx)
• 6.002x Circuits and Electronics (MITx)
• 6.00x Introduction to Computer Science and Programming (HarvardX)
• CS50x Introduction to Computer Science I (HarvardX)
• PH207x Health in Numbers: Quantitiative Methods in Clinical & Public Health Research (HarvardX)
• CS169.1x Software as a Service (BerkeleyX)
• CS188.1x Artificial Intelligence (BerkeleyX)