The Open University is building on years of knowledge, experience and research into Open Educational Resources (OER) with badged open courses (BOCs). These have been developed in response to the needs of informal learners who are seeking access to study skills and to have their learning recognised.
'We have listened to the changing needs and requirements of our informal learners using our open platforms' says The OU’s Open Media Unit Director, Andrew Law. 'Badged open courses complement The OU’s extensive and growing portfolio of OER on OpenLearn and provide learners recognition for their achievements through assessment – for free.'
The team at The OU who produced the courses were finalists in The Learning Awards 2015 for ‘Innovation in Learning’ and finalists in The Times Higher Education Awards 2015 for ‘Outreach project of the year’.
Currently, learners enrolled on any of the almost 800 short courses on OpenLearn can download an activity record to print or to share online what they have read. Digital badges issued with each BOC and accompanying Statement of Participation are a different marker of achievement: learners will have not only read full online courses but will have had to have passed online quizzes to earn their digital badge and OU Statement of Participation. Research has shown that this helps learners build confidence and motivation for learning, providing a record of achievement which they can share with friends, learner communities, employers and educational institutions. Learners are able to display their completed badges publicly or privately in their My OpenLearn profile and link to other platforms, such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Our first badged open courses
-
Taking your first steps into higher education
What is university study like? Is it for me? If you are asking yourself these questions, this course is for you.
External link
-
Succeed with learning
Help to answer questions such as What do I want to do with my life? Would I cope with studying at university?
External link
-
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 ...
Free course
24 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
-
Succeed with maths – Part 1
If you feel that maths is a mystery that you want to unravel then this short course is for you.
External link
-
Succeed with maths – Part 2
Part 2 of this course will continue to develop your mathematical knowledge and skills using everyday examples.
External link
-
English: Skills for learning
Thinking of studying for a university degree and would like to develop your English reading and writing skills?
External link
-
Introducing the voluntary sector
This free course, Introducing the voluntary sector, will guide you through some of the distinctive features and values of the voluntary sector, how organisations are funded and involve volunteers and other ‘stakeholders’ in their work. It will also provide you with knowledge and skills you can apply to your own work or volunteering as well as ...
Free course
24 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
-
Returning to STEM
This free badged course, Returning to STEM, offers useful skills and solutions to help you get back into a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM).
Free course
24 hours
Level: 3 Advanced
-
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.
Free course
24 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
-
Understanding your sector
This free course, Understanding your sector, will help you to understand the difference between sectors, industries and professions. It will also help you to gain the inside knowledge to impress in applications and at interviews and to put together an action plan that is tailored to you.
Free course
24 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
Rate and Review
Rate this article
Review this article
Log into OpenLearn to leave reviews and join in the conversation.
Article reviews
i have just finished the course and successfully completed the final course quiz. How do I list this in my record o achievements and obtain the digital badge? Have I not completed something?
Gordon Bagnall
Hi Gordon,
I have just checked and it looks as though you have to complete the session 3 and session 4 sections of the course, so please do look through those sections again and then you will receive your badge.
Best wishes,
OpenLearn Moderator
How do the free classes/lessons contribute to a formal course I may want to take following my units of free study?
Are there pathways, certain free courses that will give me credits to a formal course leading to a formal qualification?
For example weather and environmental changes - which free courses could 1. give me prior knowledge and or 2. make it easier to study the formal qualification that follows on from the free lessons?
Wil doing the free lessons make it cheaper to do a formal qualification?
Thanks, I could not find these questions in the Q&A.
Regards
Anne Pacey
Hi Anne,
Thank you for getting in touch. Our free courses on OpenLearn do not have any formal assessment, do not carry accreditation and do not lead to qualifications. Anyone who signs up to our free courses can earn a ‘Statement of participation’ (or for some courses a ‘badge’), demonstrating that they have viewed all the pages of a course, and attempted any quizzes, but this is not a formal certificate. The free courses don't make the formal qualifications any cheaper.
However, it has been proven that studying an OpenLearn free course really helps students with their formal studies. 5% of our formal cirriculum goes on OpenLearn for free so if you were intertested in the formal module 'Environmental Science' a good place to start getting a flavour for the subject would be the related free course from the module 'The Oceans': https://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/the-oceans/content-section-0
The full list of courses is here:
http://www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses/full-catalogue
I hope this helps, but if you have any further specific questions, then don't hesitate to get in touch again. You can email us at openlearn@open.ac.uk too.
Good luck with your studies :)