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History & The Arts
Census stories: Bringing statistics to life in Milton Keynes
This free course brings national census data to life by highlighting the vibrant stories of the diverse residents of Milton Keynes. This ‘new town’ with an increasingly mixed population, serves as a rich case study for understanding demographic changes in ethnicity and religion across the UK. The approach can be applied in any local context. It encourages reflection upon personal lived experience and its relationship to the complexities of identity, ethnicity and religion, as observed in the census statistics over time.
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Physical activity for health and wellbeing in the caring role
Are you a carer? Or do you work with a carer, or know someone who one? This free course, Physical activity for health and wellbeing in the caring role, is designed to give an insight into the demands, both physically and mentally, of the caring role and look at how taking part in physical activity can offer benefits to the health and wellbeing of carers. Given the demands of the caring role, the course also looks at possible ways to start incorporating physical activity into everyday life and reflects upon a number of case studies. By the end of the course you will have gained knowledge about strategies that will help you to understand how to support and improve the wellbeing of either yourself or a carer you know.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Astronomy with an online telescope
This free course shows you how to navigate the night sky, and introduces the wide variety of objects it contains. You will develop a hands-on understanding of telescopic observations using the Open University’s own robotic telescope facility COAST sited on the island of Tenerife. Supported by your own measurements we illustrate how stars evolve, and study variable stars. For those new to astronomy and/or the use of robotic telescopes this course provides a practical introduction and will prepare you for further OU study where remotely operable telescopes feature.
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History & The Arts
Getting started on classical Latin
This free course, Getting started on classical Latin, has been developed in response to requests from learners who had had no contact with Latin before and who felt they would like to spend a little time preparing for the kind of learning that studying a classical language involves. The course will give you a taster of what is involved in the very early stages of learning Latin and will offer you the opportunity to put in some early practice.
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History & The Arts
Charles Dickens, Race and Colonialism
What can the works of Charles Dickens tell us about race and colonialism in the Victorian era? Dr Alex Tickell, a Senior Lecturer in English, explores…
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Nature & Environment
Ocean Explorer
Take a journey into the Earth's oceans and discover whether you've got what it takes to become an oceanographer. Explore ocean depths, currents, temperatures and find out more about the future of our oceans.
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History & The Arts
How do historians know about the past?
How do historians know about the past? What are primary and secondary sources? Find out with our short animations.
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Education & Development
Jumpstart University
Aimed to help students starting university this year to prepare for and settle into their studies, the Jumpstart University hub has been developed by The Open University in collaboration with the Russell Group.
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