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Money & Business
Effective communication in the workplace
This free course, Effective communication in the workplace, explores the importance of communication as a skill in the workplace. It aims to increase your understanding of communication skills and to help you to consider how your communication could be perceived by others. You'll cover areas such as verbal and non-verbal communication, written communication and using your communication skills to overcome challenging situations.
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Languages
Beginners' Chinese
Learn about Mandarin Chinese as a tool for communication and gain insights into Chinese society and culture. This free course, Beginners’ Chinese, provides a brief introduction to the Chinese language, its scripts and sounds, and how words are formed. You will hear short conversations where people greet each other, introduce themselves, describe where they come from and what they do for a living. You’ll hear them talk about their daily activities and order food and drinks in a restaurant. This OpenLearn course will be easily accessible for those with some basic knowledge of Chinese.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Scales in space and time
Scale – dealing with the miniscule to the massive, over milliseconds to millennia – is central to all the sciences. In this free course, Scales in space and time, you’ll go to the absolute limits of what can be measured – all through a study of an oak tree! By studying it you will be introduced to concepts in physics, chemistry, biology and life-sciences, and Earth and environmental sciences. Across these multiple disciplines you will meet time scales that include ages, durations and rates, and size scales including distances in three dimensions, which underpin areas and volumes.
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Society, Politics & Law
Critical criminology and the social sciences
This free course, Critical criminology and the social sciences, will provide you with an insight into some of the main disciplines within the social sciences, focusing in particular on critical criminology. It will begin by outlining some of the defining characteristics of the social science disciplines of psychology, law, sociology and critical criminology. Using the global financial crisis of 2007-8 as a case study, the course will then provide you with an insight into how academics working in some of these different disciplinary backgrounds make sense of a similar topic in different ways. The course will conclude by considering the place of critical criminology within the social sciences.
TV, Radio & Events
How to Make
Watch as Zoe Laughlin deconstructs three everyday items, before recreating them using innovative materials
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Covid-19 nursing and healthcare: learning to help you in practice
If you're returning to practice to support the NHS, NHS in Scotland, NHS Wales or Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland, OpenLearn has a range of free courses available for you to refresh your knowledge and skills.
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Money & Business
Business support for Small and medium-sized enterprises
Many Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are facing their toughest challenges to date due to Covid-19. Study our free business courses to help improve your skills and knowledge.
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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.
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