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Science, Maths & Technology
Design in a nutshell
Get the lowdown on 6 key design movements and share your design alter-ego
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Education & Development
Design thinking cards
The welcome pack that is sent with our first level module (U101) is designed to get you thinking differently about objects that are familiar to us all.
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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!
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Science, Maths & Technology
Design ecologies animation
This animation explores why a whole systems approach to design is important. It uses the example of a smartphone to illustrate the need to shift from linear to regenerative resource flows.
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Science, Maths & Technology
A brief introduction to co-design
Co-design is becoming important in the face of complex social, political, environmental, educational and technological issues.
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level 1: introductory icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Design
This free course looks at the process of design, from assessing the complexity of design as an activity to exposing the difficulty in making general conclusions about how designers work. You will be able to identify innovation in a wide variety of designed objects and evaluate the impact of this innovation.
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Education & Development
Essential skills for OU study
Feeling prepared for your module? Our short collection of free courses covers the essential skills to get the most from your studies.
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level 1: introductory icon
Education & Development
Am I ready to be a distance learner?
Distance learning can open up opportunities for study. You might have not studied for a while, you might be returning to education, or you might not have had the chance to study at a higher level before. This free course, Am I ready to be a distance learner?, will help to boost your confidence. You'll explore useful skills so you can discover ...
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Society, Politics & Law
Bun-chùrsa mu bhith a’ dèanamh atharrachadh poilitigeach is sòisealta
Written in a moment of multiple crises – environmental, economic, political, social and health-related – ‘An Introduction to making political and social change’ gives you a grounding in some of the key citizenship skills and information you will need to intervene in the world as it changes around you. This free course explores how you can make ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Food, shelter and re-designing home as a living system
Housing has become the most valuable asset on Earth while people are increasingly going without food and shelter. How can we design for people to have a home, while also regenerating the living systems on which we depend?
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Science, Maths & Technology
Co-design approaches
There are many different approaches, methods and tools that can be used to enable co-design at different stages in the process.
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Science, Maths & Technology
About the Design Hub
Welcome to the Design Hub where you can find out more about design and innovation at The Open University.