Free courses

Produced by The Open University, a world leader in open and distance learning, all OpenLearn courses are free to study. We offer nearly 1000 free courses across 9 different subject areas. Our courses are available to start right away.

Grid List Results: 112 items
Health and safety in the laboratory and field free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Science, Maths & Technology

Health and safety in the laboratory and field

Health, safety and risk assessment are of paramount importance both in the laboratory and the field. This free course, Health and safety in the laboratory and field, will help make you more aware of the hazards and risks involved wherever you undertake your research, as well as giving you an overview of the legal requirements attached to this ...

Free course
1 hr
Design thinking free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Science, Maths & Technology

Design thinking

Are you ever frustrated with something that you thought you could design better? This free course, Design thinking, will show you how to structure your natural creativity to come up with solutions to all kinds of problems, and have fun in the process too!

Free course
10 hrs
Exploring family health free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Health, Sports & Psychology

Exploring family health

How can families support healthy living and cope with illness? This free course, Exploring family health, will provide an understanding of what is meant by socialisation. You will recognise how a family can learn and support good and poor health behaviours alongside government interventions, such as the 5 A DAY strategy. Identification of people...

Free course
8 hrs
An introduction to social work in Wales free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Health, Sports & Psychology

An introduction to social work in Wales

Respecting the individuality of each person is a central value of social work but, as the term suggests, social work is not only about individual perspectives: it also takes place in a social context. Society, demography, geography, national legislation, national policy, and language all play an important part, both in the lives of service users...

Free course
10 hrs
Commercial awareness free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Money & Business

Commercial awareness

This short course encourages you to look across your organisation, at your place within it and the value you create. It considers how getting different perspectives and widening existing ones within your organisation can enhance commercial awareness.

Free course
2 hrs
The impact of technology on children's physical activity free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Health, Sports & Psychology

The impact of technology on children's physical activity

This free course, The impact of technology on children's physical activity, explores the impact of technology on children’s physical activity levels. It examines the different types of technology that children have access to and the ways in which they engage with it. As part of this discussion this course looks at information from a range of ...

Free course
6 hrs
Business communication: writing a SWOT analysis free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Money & Business

Business communication: writing a SWOT analysis

This free course, Business communication: writing a SWOT analysis, is designed to develop your writing skills for business. You will be taken step by step through the process of writing a SWOT analysis, with clear advice on selecting key information from a case study text, making concise notes, choosing an appropriate structure and using ...

Free course
8 hrs
An introduction to design engineering free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Science, Maths & Technology

An introduction to design engineering

This free course, An introduction to design engineering, looks at the way in which engineers use ideas and approaches from the discipline of design thinking to inform their work. The complexity that people bring to design problems is introduced, along with some basic methods of dealing with such complexity.

Free course
10 hrs
IT: Information free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Science, Maths & Technology

IT: Information

BBC News 24, Sky News, CNN. We live in an era where news has become almost instantaneous. This free course, IT: Information, will look at how news is gathered and the technology that's used for its dissemination. You will also be encouraged to examine how information might be manipulated by questioning its reliability.

Free course
20 hrs
Difference and challenge in teams free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Money & Business

Difference and challenge in teams

This free course looks at how teams ‘travel’ together on a journey of development. Those journeys are hardly ever smooth. The course encourages you to recognise difference and challenge amongst individuals in the team who are pulling in different directions. It will help you identify where such challenges can be embraced for the benefit of your ...

Free course
2 hrs
The Ancient Olympics: bridging past and present free course icon level 1: introductory icon

History & The Arts

The Ancient Olympics: bridging past and present

This free course, The Ancient Olympics: bridging past and present, highlights the similarities and differences between our modern Games and the Ancient Olympics and explores why today, as we prepare for future Olympics, we still look back at the Classical world for meaning and inspiration.

Free course
5 hrs
Exploring sport online: Athletes and efficient hearts free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Health, Sports & Psychology

Exploring sport online: Athletes and efficient hearts

We all know that the heart is very important but what exactly does the heart do? Why is the blood so important? What functions do the lungs perform? In this free course, Exploring sport online: Athletes and efficient hearts, we will try to provide at least a basic understanding so we can answer these questions and begin to understand why knowing...

Free course
5 hrs