Online Courses
Using your library membership, you can get many courses for free!
LIBRARY DATABASES
Access these resources using your WVML card.
Creativebug is your go-to resource for high-quality, on-trend arts and crafts instructional videos. Enjoy HD instructional videos on drawing, painting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, quilting, baking and more!
New to Creativebug? View a tutorial.
Download the app for Apple or Android.
*App users must first create a personal account using the browser version
Access Information: Licensed for West Vancouver residents only.
Stream an amazing collection of movies and documentaries. You can also learn new skills with the Great Courses. Users have access to 18 credits per month (but unlimited access to Great Courses and kids' content).
New to Kanopy? View a tutorial.
Download the app: iOS | Android
Access Information: Licensed for West Vancouver residents only.
Watch courses on business, creative, and technology skills. LinkedIn Learning offers more than 8,000 on-demand courses to help you build professional skills across a range of job functions, plus all of the 7,000 courses previously offered on Lynda.com. Support for additional languages, such as French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin, and Portuguese, is included. Click here to see FAQ.
Download the app: iOS | Android. Use Library ID westvanlibrary.
Access Information: Licensed for West Vancouver residents only.
Click here for a tutorial on how to use LinkedIn Learning.
- Download the Linkedin Learning app from Google Play/ Apple App Store
- Open the app
- Tap on "Sign in"
- Select "Sign in with your library card"
- Enter "westvanlibrary" as your Library ID
- Tap on "Continue"
- Enter your Library Barcode and PIN
- Tap on "Continue"
Lessons in over 70 languages (including English). Sign up for an account on our website, or download the Mango Languages app on your mobile device.
Access Information: Licensed for West Vancouver residents only
Click here for an online tutorial on how to use Mango Languages.
The mandatory Recording Studio Orientation is now offered online!
Learn how to use the online resources your WVML card gives you access to.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
A wide range of free and low-cost courses awaits anyone eager to pursue a subject in greater depth. Short for massive open online courses, MOOCs are most commonly offered through consortiums or partnerships between universities and colleges, and open to anyone.
Course length and time commitments vary. Though most MOOCs are not-for-credit, some institutions offer certificates of completion for a fee. Teaching is through video lectures, podcasts, online discussions and links to articles and ebooks.
Browse the catalogues of the MOOC providers below, or use Class Central to search by subject across multiple platforms.
How to tell if a MOOC is right for you
- Watch the instructor’s introductory video
- Check the course outline for pre-requisites and the level at which the course will be taught
- Look at the instructor’s college webpage and search the web for course reviews
Coursera has over 33 international partners and courses that span the humanities, medicine, biology, social sciences, mathematics, business and computer science.
The first MOOC - an MIT course in electrical engineering - led to the creation of edX, a partnership between MIT, Harvard, Berkeley and University of Texas. McGill University, the University of Toronto and others have since joined, offering courses "designed to be interesting, fun and rigorous."
The pioneer of MOOCS, MIT puts lecture notes, exams, and videos from more than 2,200 courses online for free (no registration required). Since many of these courses only include written material, you need to look under the heading "Audio/Visual" at the bottom of the website to find courses that include audio or video lectures.
Offering thousands of courses from leading Australian universities, Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit dedicated to helping you access quality education.
Stanford Online is Stanford’s online learning portal, offering learners around the world access to Stanford’s extended education, professional development, and lifelong learning opportunities.
Stimulating Lectures
Enjoy lectures by internationally acclaimed experts.
Episodes of BBC Radio's popular 'history of ideas' show are archived here. Listen to a podcast on the age of the universe, or whether we are near to achieving the thinking, feeling computer.
TED (Technolgy, Entertainment, Design) offers "1500+ talks to stir your curiosity." Wondering where to start?
"Created in the spirit of TED's mission, "ideas worth spreading," the TEDx program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue at the local level." Check out the Editors Picks, or look for upcoming webcasts.
Tutorial or Mini-lecture Style Learning
Challenge yourself with first rate tutorial style lectures from the Khan Academy.
With a library of over 4,200 high quality short videos on everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and hundreds of skills to practice, they are on a mission to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace. Created by Salman Khan who began posting math tutorials on YouTube, it’s a fantastic way for high school and university students to get help with difficult concepts.