Find out more about The Open University's Open degree.
Since 1999, The Open University has been making free learning available to everyone online. From 2008, all that learning has been in one place - OpenLearn. The site you're looking at now.
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OpenLearn can be used for free by anybody... But it's particularly useful for Open University Students.
Using your OU student username and password to log in, you can research your potential OU course or module before signing up, complete your student induction, or learn skills like note taking, revision techniques, essay writing or using online forums, that could all be useful for your studies.
All the content on Open Learn is written and reviewed by Open University academics - so you might even use OpenLearn as part of your OU module. Whatever you're studying, OpenLearn is also useful for acquiring valuable skills that will help you stand out to potential employers.
Any digital badges earned on OpenLearn are visible on your OU student record, they can be included on your CV and can even be shared on social networking sites.
In fact, we've seen that students who use OpenLearn tend to be more successful in their OU studies.
So, whether you're already committed to an OU qualification, wanting to improve your employment prospects, or interested in gaining new skills in between modules, OpenLearn is for you.
We've got thousands of ways to learn - short articles by academic experts from the OU and beyond; videos; podcasts - even, if you're really keen, free courses. You can find your own way through our content - navigate by subject at the top of the page; choose by type of experience at the top right of most pages - or look to the bottom, where subjects and experience are listed again. Or, to get started - why not see what's popular right now?
Top 10 articles, interactives and videos
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Sperm counts
How much sperm does a man make? Would you explode if you don't release your sperm? Explore the male reproductive system in this article and video.
Read nowArticle
Level: 1 Introductory
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Do you have a photographic memory?
Can you hold an image in your mind by just looking at it for a brief amount of time? Try our photographic memory test and see whether you have eidetic memory.
Take part nowActivity
Level: 1 Introductory
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About us
Welcome to OpenLearn - the home of free learning from The Open University. Are you looking for a new topic to explore, or wanting to dig deeper into something you've already discovered? Whether it’s a 60-second animated video or a 24-hour course you are after, you will find it on OpenLearn for free.
Read nowArticle
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Hitler's rise and fall: Timeline
Track the key events in Adolf Hitler's life, including his childhood in Austria, his decisions as Fuehrer of Germany, his leadership in the Second World War, and his eventual suicide.
Read nowArticle
Level: 1 Introductory
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Explore your world with free learning from The Open University
We've thousands of free learning items across OpenLearn - from games to full free online courses. Need help with where to start? We've a few ideas right here...
Watch nowVideo
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DIY: Generate your own electricity
Do you want to make your own electricity? Here's a step-by-step guide to making your own generator.
Read nowArticle
Level: 1 Introductory
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Children's University - Free online courses
Discover free online courses you can use to earn Children's University stamps.
Read nowArticle
Level: 1 Introductory
Top 10 courses
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Exploring learning disabilities: supporting belonging
This free course, Exploring learning disabilities: supporting belonging, takes the real-life cases of a number of different people to explore what it is like to have the label ‘learning disability’. The course also considers how it feels to support someone with a learning disability, as a family member, a friend, an advocate or a paid worker...
Learn moreFree course
24 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
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Introduction to bookkeeping and accounting
Learn about the essential numerical skills required for accounting and bookkeeping. This free course, Introduction to bookkeeping and accounting, explains the fundamental rules of double-entry bookkeeping and how they are used to produce the balance sheet and the profit and loss account.
Learn moreFree course
8 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
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Internet of everything
The internet of everything (IoE) is the networked connection of people, process, data and things. As more people, data and things come online, we develop processes to harness the vast amounts of information being generated by all these connected people and things. The goal of this free course is to introduce you to fundamental concepts and ...
Learn moreFree course
15 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
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Teaching mathematics
This free course, Teaching mathematics, has been designed for non-specialist mathematics teachers of 8 to 14 year olds, teaching assistants, home schoolers and parents and draws on the established provision of mathematics education at the Open University. It can also be used as Continuing Professional Development by individuals or groups ...
Learn moreFree course
24 hours
Level: 2 Intermediate
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Introduction to cyber security: stay safe online
This free course, Introduction to cyber security: stay safe online, will help you to understand online security and start to protect your digital life, whether at home or work. You will learn how to recognise the threats that could harm you online and the steps you can take to reduce the chances that they will happen to you.
Learn moreFree course
24 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
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Understanding autism
Learn about autism, one of the most challenging long-term conditions of the century. This free course, Understanding autism, introduces the autism spectrum, how it is experienced by individuals and families, and why it has become a global concern. The course explains how understanding of the autism spectrum and approaches to diagnosis and care ...
Learn moreFree course
24 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
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Digital thinking tools for better decision making
Ever since the very beginning of humanity, tools have played a pivotal role in who we are and what we do. Tools for recording, processing and communicating information have a time-honoured history – from the clay tokens used in Mesopotamia to mechanical calculating machines. The invention of the digital computer has boosted the scale, speed and ...
Learn moreFree course
24 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
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Forensic psychology
In this free course, Forensic psychology, you will discover how psychology can help obtain evidence from eyewitnesses in police investigations and prevent miscarriages of justice.
Learn moreFree course
24 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
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Succeed in the workplace
Do you want to change jobs, are you just starting in the job market or may be returning after a break? If so, then this free course, Succeed in the workplace, is for you. It will help you explore career opportunities. You will also gain the skills to write strong CVs and application forms, and to handle different types of interviews. By the end ...
Learn moreFree course
24 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
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Exploring the psychological aspects of sport injury
Have you ever experienced a sport injury? Have you ever thought there could be a psychological dimension to sport injuries, as well as a physical one? Sport injury is relatively common among sport and exercise participants, and while the physical impact of injury is often easy to recognise, the psychological impact is less obvious. In this ...
Learn moreFree course
24 hours
Level: 2 Intermediate
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