If there is one word I love when I am looking for study materials to prepare for a CLEP exam or to get more background on a course I'm taking, it's "free". Luckily, there are many helpful web sites which can help distance learning students without causing them to dig deeper into their pockets.
One of my favorite finds is the Online Education Database
(http://oedb.org/library/features/236-open-courseware-collections). It's a clearinghouse of more than 230 open courseware classes, podcasts and videos. You'll find free courses from Columbia University, the BBC, the University of Texas-Austin as well as free online audio books, videos and textbooks. Whether you are studying for a CLEP or DANTES exam or are just looking to learn something new, the Online Education Database should keep you busy for a long time.
A similar resource is INFOMINE (http://infomine.ucr.edu/). It was developed by the Regents of the University of California, and is a sort of search engine for online reference materials. What's great about INFOMINE is if there is a particular resource that isn't available online, INFOMINE will tell you where it can be found, pointing the way to specific libraries or government agencies where you can request the material.
Bookrags.com (http://www.bookrags.com/) is a great study resource for literature guides, essays, biographies and research materials. It even features a bibliography generator. Just plug in the ISBN number of the book for which you need a bibliography and it will format it in MPA, APA or other bibliography styles. I also like the encyclopedia feature, which has free as well as premium entries you have to pay for.
Everybody is familiar with CliffsNotes, but did you know they have a great web site with plenty of free material available? Aside from the usual literature notes, CliffsNotes.com also has study guides for algebra, biology, chemistry and other subjects. The online CliffsNotes don't go into great detail, but if you are looking to do some quick review studying before taking an exam, it's great.
Still looking for free in-depth literature summaries? If you were supposed to read "The Glass Menagerie" last week but only got halfway through it, Litsum.com can help. Litsum is chock full of free literature summaries, analysis and study guides. Bibliomania.com has similar study resources and both are very helpful.
There literally is no limit to the amount of free resources available on the Internet to help you learn something new, study for an exam or broaden your knowledge in a certain subject. You just have to know where to look for it ... and chances are it's free!
Happy Learning!