In the Fall of 2011 Big Think teamed up with the Jack Parker Corporation to launch The Floating University, an online educational initiative that debuted at Harvard University, Yale University, and Bard College. Seeking to upset the status quo, evolve the structure of higher education, and democratize access to the world's best thinkers, FU's inaugural course, Great Big Ideas, became the most requested class at all three schools where it was offered. FU spearheaded the movement toward open-access higher education, with a focus on professional production values, ease-of-use, top academic talent, and online collaboration between individual learners and participating institutions. Since that time we've seen Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and many more of our best universities take the leap forward, and now, one year after our beta launch, we're pleased to present portions of the Great Big Ideas course offering to all comers. No fees, no sign-ups: just pure, unadulterated learning from the best minds academia has to offer, aided by Floating University's arresting style and Hollywood production values. Members of our inaugural class retain full and unfettered access to the original e-learning platform via the Sign In link in the upper right hand hand corner.

Our inaugural course, Great Big Ideas, delivers the key takeaways of an entire undergraduate education. It's a survey of twelve major fields delivered by their most important thinkers and practitioners. Each lecture explores the key questions in the field, lays out the methods for answering those inquiries and explains why the field matters. The course is a primer in the diverse modes of problem solving essential for success in the 21st century.

A wide range of subjects are covered including Psychology, Economics, Biomedical Research, Linguistics, History, Political Philosophy, Globalization, Investing and more. Within each topic, we will discuss the most current, innovative ideas in the field, dissect them, and look at how they impact not only the world-at-large, but our own lives as well. How does Demography predict our planet's future? How is Linguistics a window to understanding the brain? What are the fundamentals of successful Personal Finance and Investing? Each of these lectures is presented by top experts from top institutions around the country.

Individual learners will find all Great Big Ideas course materials presented in an intuitive, self-guided format. There are no tests or written assignments, just straightforward, easy-to-access videos, readings, and discussions that allow you to learn what you want at your own pace and participate in a global knowledge forum. Get Started now, or keep reading to learn more about the future of higher education.