My OpenLearn Profile
- Personalise your OpenLearn profile
- Save your favourite content
- Get recognition for your learning
free course icon
Level 2 icon
Society, Politics & Law
Learning from audio-visual material: Introducing surveillance
Looking at the theme of surveillance as a multifaceted everyday practice, this free course, Learning from audio-visual material: Introducing surveillance, will show you the value of using audio visual material in your learning. It will show you how to develop the skills you need to make the most of learning from DVDs.
free course icon
Level 2 icon
Health, Sports & Psychology
Sporting women in the media
The mass media (e.g. radio, TV, internet) has become one of the most powerful institutional influences in society. This free course, Sporting women in the media, explores whether gendered inequalities exist in sport by evaluating the media coverage. The media can be highly influential in shaping perceptions about gender in sport and headlines indicative of differences in how male and female athletes are regarded in the media. In the course you’ll examine messages that the media send us about gender in sport, their potential impact and how gender ideologies can be challenged.
free course icon
Level 2 icon
Society, Politics & Law
Oil industry in Scotland: Making photographs, making demands
The oil industry is perhaps the archetypal globalised industry, and it is this global scale that poses the challenge. How can the full dimensions of the oil industry be adequately represented in a photograph? This free course, Oil industry in Scotland: Making photographs, making demands, looks at a series of photographs made with the intention of affecting the way a globalised industry is seen and understood.
free course icon
Level 1 icon
Badge icon
Science, Maths & Technology
An introduction to exoplanets
This free course, An introduction to exoplanets, introduces our galaxy's population of planets, and some of their many surprises. It explains the methods used by astronomers to study exoplanets, and provides a general introduction to the methods of scientific inquiry. The course culminates in discussion of life elsewhere in our Galaxy.
Society, Politics & Law
Forensics: The Real CSI
“Every contact leaves a trace – whether we can find that trace or not, that’s the power of forensics”.
article icon
Health, Sports & Psychology
The Psychological Risks in Reality TV and How Aftercare Should be Done
Following the recent deaths surrounding participants on the Jeremy Kyle Show and Love Island, Dr John Oates explores the pyschological harm associated with the media spotlight.
video icon
Health, Sports & Psychology
Why do women need abortions?
As more states in America seek to make abortion illegal, we look back at our video collection on women's abortion experiences based on Open University research that shows how an unintended and unwanted pregnancy can easily happen, even when women are using contraception.
activity icon
Health, Sports & Psychology
A Support Net: Can you help someone in need?
All of us will experience personal challenges, but could you make a positive impact on someone's life? Try our wellbeing interactive 'A Support Net' to see if you can help four people.
You can use OpenLearn to
Get inspired
Watch, listen, discuss and play: exciting ways to understand the world around you.
See the latestExplore subjects
Browse subject categories to explore new topics or look for reference material for a course you are already studying.
Explore subjectsStudy free courses
From 1 to 100 hours of learning - discover hundreds of free courses to inspire and inform everyone.
Free coursesBrush up on skills
Improve your study and employability skills, with our expertly created courses and resources.
SkillsEarn while you learn
Earn a free digital badge or Statement of Participation as evidence of your learning to share with employers, friends and family.
Find out more
Free learning from The Open University
Get the most out of OpenLearn
Anyone can learn for free on OpenLearn but creating an account lets you set up a personal learning profile which tracks your course progress and gives you access to Statements of Participation and digital badges you earn along the way. Sign-up now!
©1999-2018. All rights reserved. The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in England & Wales and a charity registered in Scotland (SC 038302). The Open University is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in relation to its secondary activity of credit broking.