Jointly reported by
Chang Qian Hung Sr2A
Grace Low Shing Wei Sr1ScA
Khan Academy, you’ll probably know it for its informative and straightforward Youtube lessons that saved you during your darkest hours before the exam. However, Khan Academy is much more than that. In a bid to promote proactiveness and encourage self-directed learning amongst students, Kuen Cheng High School has set up a special self-directed learning area on the school website, containing a few massive open online courses (MOOCs) platforms which includes Khan Academy.
Click the Khan Academy icon and users will be immediately brought to the Khan Academy website. Students will be asked to register an account but feel free to use Kuen Cheng’s email on this occasion. Personalization is key to an effective and joyful learning experience. Therefore, the website will ask for your current educational background and the academic topics you’re interested in. Khan Academy offers a wide range of courses, encompassing Math, Science, Economics, Arts and Humanities, Computing, Reading & Language Arts, Life Skills and even Test Prep for SATs. Whether your passion lies in arts stream or science stream, it is safe to say that you will not be left out by the wide variety of courses available.
A myriad of courses ranging from “US government and civics” to “college biology” is offered
After choosing the subjects they wish to learn, users can immediately dive into a sea of knowledge by clicking “Start” in the “My courses” page. Unlike other online learning platforms, Khan Academy has a simple user interface, enabling students and teachers to manoeuvre conveniently on the website. Users can view their progress in detail and earn different badges for completing the courses too.
Khan Academy is totally at no cost. Users can get full access to all resources on the website for an unlimited period of time. Besides, one of their highlights is the test preparation courses for examinations such as SAT, LSAT and MCAT. Other than that, Khan Academy, in collaboration with ETS, has also developed the first Praxis Core Prep programme to help users measure their academic skills in reading, writing and math.
Test Prep
One of the most popular courses provided by Khan Academy is computer programming. For those who are planning to venture into the web development business, Khan Academy is a decent choice. The course is divided into 8 sections, which are introductory lectures to JavaScript, HTML, CSS and SQL, followed by game development, natural simulations, interactive webpages and ‘Meet the Professional’. Throughout the course, users will have to undertake many projects to put the knowledge learnt to the test.
Computer programming
Apart from computer programming, Khan Academy’s personal finance course is also a great choice for soon-to-be-adults. This course is suitable for those who intend to improve their financial literacy and learn future planning strategies. It offers advice on saving and budgeting, and tips to track your expenses. Users will also learn about interest, debt, investments options, post-retirement planning and taxes.
Personal finance
Khan Academy provides a very personalized learning experience, with instructors directly engaging in the learning process via videos, audio and a digital blackboard. They are all available on the Khan Academy YouTube channel. Subscribe to their channel to receive videos from them. You will definitely learn a lot from their lessons. On top of that, you can watch some Ed Talks that have recently been uploaded on their channel to seek useful advice. Lastly, do not miss their videos on tips and tricks to score in examinations.
Ed Talks