If you're wanting to learn more during the school holidays, evenings or weekends, you've come to the right place! We've pulled together some of our top courses and content across a range of subjects, including Maths, English, Literature, Science, Languages and Finance to help you continue learning at home.
Maths
Everyday maths 1
This free course, Everyday maths 1, is designed to bring your learning to life, inspiring you to improve your current maths skills or helping you to remember any areas that you may have forgotten. Working through the examples and interactive activities in this course will help you to, among other things, run a household or make progress in your career.
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Everyday maths 2
This free course, Everyday maths 2, will build on your existing maths skills and help you to feel more confident tackling the maths you come across in everyday situations.
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Succeed with maths – Part 1
If you feel that maths is a mystery that you want to unravel then this free course is for you. It will guide you through how numbers are put together, give you confidence with using percentages, fractions and negative numbers and provide you with problem solving skills for your everyday life and the wider world.
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Succeed with maths – Part 2
This free course, Succeed with maths Part 2, is a sequel to Part 1, in which you will continue to develop your mathematical knowledge and skills using everyday examples. The course takes a look at measurement of length, mass and volume, negative numbers and how to use these, scientific notation (based upon powers of 10), shapes and how to calculate their properties before finally turning to how to construct and read from tables, charts and graphs. It provides a solid foundation for you to continue with studies in any subject which requires some degree of mathematical knowledge.
Learn more ❯Succeed with maths – Part 2
Diagrams, charts and graphs
Diagrams, charts and graphs are used by all sorts of people to express information in a visual way, whether it's in a report by a colleague or a plan from your interior designer. This free course will teach you how to interpret these tools and how to use them yourself to convey information more effectively.
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Squares, roots and powers
From paving your patio to measuring the ingredients for your latest recipe, squares, roots and powers really are part of everyday life. This free course reviews the basics of all three and also describes scientific notation, which is a convenient way of writing or displaying large numbers.
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Introduction to algebra
This free course is an introduction to algebra which builds on the idea of using letters to represent numbers. Section 1 looks at finding, simplifying and using formulas and includes useful tips on learning algebra. Section 2 introduces some of the terminology used in algebra and techniques such as evaluating and checking equivalence of expressions, identifying terms in an expression and collecting like terms. Section 3 looks at how to simplify terms and introduces index notation and multiplying powers. Section 4 looks at the use of brackets in algebra and section 5 covers solving, checking and using simple linear equations.
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Exploring data: Graphs and numerical summaries
This free course, Exploring data: graphs and numerical summaries, will introduce you to a number of ways of representing data graphically and of summarising data numerically. You will learn the uses for pie charts, bar charts, histograms and scatterplots. You will also be introduced to various ways of summarising data and methods for assessing location and dispersion.
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Interpreting data: Boxplots and tables
This free course, Interpreting data: Boxplots and tables, is concerned with two main topics. In Section 1, you will learn about another kind of graphical display, the boxplot. A boxplot is a fairly simple graphic, which displays certain summary statistics of a set of data. Boxplots are particularly useful for assessing quickly the location, dispersion, and symmetry or skewness of a set of data, and for making comparisons of these features in two or more data sets. Boxplots can also be useful for drawing attention to possible outliers in a data set. The other topic, which is covered in Sections 2 and 3, is that of dealing with data presented in tabular form. You are, no doubt, familiar with such tables: they are common in the media and in reports and other documents. Yet it is not always straightforward to see at first glance just what information a table of data is providing, and it often helps to carry out certain calculations and/or to draw appropriate graphs to make this clearer. In this free course, some other kinds of data tables and some different approaches are covered.
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Introduction to differential equations
Differential equations are any equations that include derivatives and arise in many situations. This free course, Introduction to differential equations, considers three types of first-order differential equations. Section 1 introduces equations that can be solved by direct integration and section 2 the method of separation of variables. Section 3 looks at applications of differential equations for solving real world problems. Section 4 introduces the integrating factor method for solving linear differential equations. The final two sections summarise and revise the methods introduced in the previous sections and describe various other approaches to finding solutions of first-order differential equations and to understanding the behaviour of the solutions.
Learn more ❯Introduction to differential equations
Teaching mathematics
This free course, Teaching mathematics, has been designed for non-specialist mathematics teachers of 8 to 14 year olds, teaching assistants, home schoolers and parents and draws on the established provision of mathematics education at the Open University. It can also be used as Continuing Professional Development by individuals or groups of teachers. The authors have many years’ experience of teaching mathematics in the classroom and in Initial and Continuing Teacher Education.
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Perplex: Classic puzzles, past and present
Test your puzzle-solving ability with incredibly immersive and interactive puzzles from The Open University and UKMT
Take part now ❯Perplex: Classic puzzles, past and presentEnglish
Everyday English 1
This free course, Everyday English 1, will develop and improve your essential speaking and listening, reading and writing skills for work, study and everyday life.
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Everyday English 2
This free course, Everyday English 2, will inspire you to improve your current English skills and help you to communicate more effectively in everyday work and life.
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English: skills for learning
English: skills for learning, is a free course for anybody who is thinking of studying for a university degree and would like to develop the English reading and writing skills needed to succeed. You will learn through a range of engaging activities aimed at extending your existing language skills.
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Succeed with learning
Succeed with learning is a free, introductory course for people who want to feel more confident about their learning skills. Informal in approach, the course builds on each person's own qualities, knowledge and skills to develop a deeper understanding of the nature of learning and of their own potential. It introduces some core ideas about learning and academic study, and some planning tools to enable participants to take their next step with confidence.
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The History of English in Ten Minutes
Where did the phrase ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’ come from? And when did scientists finally get round to naming sexual body parts? Voiced by Clive Anderson, this entertaining romp through 'The History of English' squeezes 1600 years of history into 10 one-minute bites, uncovering the sources of English words and phrases from Shakespeare and the King James Bible to America and the Internet. Bursting with fascinating facts, the series looks at how English grew from a small tongue into a major global language before reflecting on the future of English in the 21st century.
Watch now ❯The History of English in Ten Minutes
The evolution of English: From Romans to Shakespeare
Part one: The history of colonialism was a major factor in the development of English. Follow the global spread of English starting with the Roman invasion.
Take part now ❯The evolution of English: From Romans to ShakespeareLiterature
Exploring Virginia Woolf’s Between the Acts
This free course introduces Virginia Woolf’s last novel, Between the Acts (1941), with the aim of understanding how she writes about time, memory, and ideas about identity. It also considers why Woolf’s fiction is often considered difficult. Selected extracts from her essays on writing help to clarify some of these perceived difficulties, illuminating complex patterning and structure in this fictional account of an English village, on a day in June in 1939.
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Exploring Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd
This free course, Exploring Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd, is designed to tell you something about Hardy's background, and to introduce you to the pleasures of reading a nineteenth-century novel. Why do we believe in fictional characters and care about what happens to them? You will discover some of the techniques that Hardy uses to achieve an illusion of real people and their relationships in a real world. Through analysing narrative you will think about who the narrator is, and the importance of the narrative point of view in telling the story, as well as understanding how characterisation, the use of dialogue, time and locations work within the novel. Watch the following video in which Sue Asbee, the course author, introduces the course.
Learn more ❯Exploring Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd
Reading Shakespeare's As You Like It
Do you enjoy watching Shakespeare's plays and like the idea of finding out more about them? This free course, Reading Shakespeare's As You Like It, will guide you through some of the most important speeches and scenes from one of Shakespeare's best-loved comedies.
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Happy birthday Shakespeare!
It has been over 400 years since Shakespeare died, but his works still 'play on' today. Explore the life, times and legacy of the Bard of Avon...
Read now ❯Happy birthday Shakespeare!
Exploring books for children: words and pictures
Many people have fond memories of the stories they encountered in childhood, perhaps especially of those wonderful picture books and illustrated tales which fired our young imaginations and transported us to magical worlds. To an adult’s eye, some picture books may seem remarkably simple, even oversimplified. However, in this free course, Exploring books for children: words and pictures, you will learn how children’s books use words and pictures together in remarkably sophisticated ways to communicate both to young and older readers, drawing on examples from the classics, such as Beatrix Potter’s Tales of Peter Rabbit, and from contemporary children’s authors such as Anthony Browne, author of Gorilla.
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Approaching literature: Reading Great Expectations
This free course, Approaching literature: Reading Great Expectations, considers some of the different ways of reading Great Expectations, based on the type of genre the book belongs to. This is one of the most familiar and fundamental ways of approaching literary texts. The novel broadens the scope of study of a realist novel, in both literary and historical terms. The course includes extracts from critical writings, which are discussed in detail.
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Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus
What does Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus tell us about the author and the time at which the play was written? This free course, Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus, will help you to discover the intricacies of the play and recognise how a knowledge of the historical and political background of the time can lead to a very different understanding of the author's intended meaning.
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John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi
This free course, John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi, concentrates on Acts 1 and 2 of John Webster's Renaissance tragedy, The Duchess of Malfi. It focuses on the representation of marriage for love and the social conflicts to which it gives rise. The course is designed to hone your skills of textual analysis.
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Happy Birthday Harry Potter!
July 31st is the birthday of the boy who lived (and coincidentally Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling). To celebrate, we're going potty about Potter with our academic insights into the wizarding world. Mischief managed!
Read now ❯Happy Birthday Harry Potter!
Poetry Prescription
Feeling loving, adventurous or scared? Poetry Prescription will find you the perfect poem to reflect your mood.
Take part now ❯Poetry Prescription
Approaching poetry
Do you want to get more out of your reading of poetry? This free course, Approaching poetry, is designed to develop the analytical skills you need for a more in-depth study of literary texts. You will learn about rhythm, alliteration, rhyme, poetic inversion, voice and line lengths and endings. You will examine poems that do not rhyme and learn how to compare and contrast poetry.
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What is poetry?
Have you always wanted to try to write poetry but never quite managed to start? This free course, What is poetry?, is designed to illustrate the techniques behind both the traditional forms of poetry and free verse. You will learn how you can use your own experiences to develop ideas and how to harness your imagination.
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Introducing Virgil’s Aeneid
This free course offers an introduction to the Aeneid. Virgil’s Latin epic, written in the 1st century BCE, tells the story of the Trojan hero Aeneas and his journey to Italy, where he would become the ancestor of the Romans. Here, you will focus on the characterisation of this legendary hero, and learn why he was so important to the Romans of the Augustan era. This course uses translations of Virgil’s poem, and assumes no prior knowledge of Latin, but it will introduce you to some key Latin words and phrases in the original text.
Learn more ❯Introducing Virgil’s Aeneid
Troy Story: Homer's Iliad and Odyssey
Interested in Greek myths? We've condensed the epic narrative of Homer's poems the Iliad and the Odyssey into short animations voiced by the dulcet tones of Don Warrington.
Watch now ❯Troy Story: Homer's Iliad and Odyssey
Introducing Homer's Iliad
This free course, Introducing Homer's Iliad, focuses on the epic poem telling the story of the Trojan War. It begins with the wider cycle of myths of which the Iliad was a part. It then looks at the story of the poem itself and its major theme of Achilles' anger, in particular in the first seven lines. It examines some of the characteristic features of the text: metre, word order and epithets. Finally, it explores Homer's use of simile. The course should prepare you for reading the Iliad on your own with greater ease and interest.
Learn more ❯Introducing Homer's IliadScience
Discovering chemistry
Chemistry lies at the centre of our modern life, playing a part in areas as diverse as the development of new drugs and materials, analysing our environment through to more mundane activities such as washing your clothes and making your tea. But to truly understand the role chemistry plays you need to have a sound grasp of a number of fundamental principles. This free course, Discovering chemistry, introduces you to some of these concepts, beginning with the idea that everything that you can see is made of building blocks called atoms. This leads on to a look at the chemical elements and how they are arranged in the Periodic Table, enabling chemists to rationalise patterns in their chemical and physical behaviour. Next you will consider chemical reactions, specifically how atoms combine with other atoms to form molecules, and how molecules combine with other atoms or molecules to form bigger molecules. You will meet simple (tried and tested) theories to explain the bonding in molecules and at how their shapes may be explained, and indeed predicted. And in a wider sense you’ll be looking at why reactions happen at all and how fast they go. This is also a beginner’s level course in the language of the chemist; you’ll learn about symbols, formulas and how chemical equations which represent reactions are constructed. Finally you will see how chemists count atoms and molecules, essential for making up solutions of a known concentration in order to carry out a reaction, or performing a chemical analysis.
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60 Second Adventures in Astronomy
Days that last two years, space microbes bringing life and a moon which always shows its best side. Join us for a series of quick space adventures.
Watch now ❯60 Second Adventures in Astronomy
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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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.
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Microgravity: living on the International Space Station
This free badged open course, Microgravity: living on the International Space Station, will help you to consider microgravity environments in more detail than before! You will make direct comparisons of some important physical values between the International Space Station (ISS), the Earth and the Moon.
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60 second adventures in microgravity
What is microgravity, and how does it help science research? This series, funded by the UK Space Agency, explores how we recreate microgravity conditions on Earth, and why they are beneficial to scientific research.
Watch now ❯60 second adventures in microgravity
Citizen science and global biodiversity
This free course, Citizen science and global biodiversity, deals with the importance of biodiversity and explores how anyone can contribute to and be involved in identifying and recording wildlife, as a citizen scientist. It looks at what citizen science is, and how citizen science facilitates public involvement in scientific research activities as individuals learn and build skills. Traditional biological keys are introduced and online recording is demonstrated using citizen science techniques and practical activities using the www.iSpotnature.org platform. The course goes on to demonstrate how, once a species is identified, web resources can be used to research its ecology. The role of citizen science is illustrated through a number of case studies from across the world. Finally, the course concludes by exploring the impact citizen scientists are having on recording biodiversity around the globe.
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Separate coloured ink with this experiment
Did you know your black biro isn't black and your green felt tip isn't green? Don't believe this? Try this chromatography experiment.
Read now ❯Separate coloured ink with this experiment
Learn to code for data analysis
This free course will teach you how to write your own computer programs, one line of code at a time. You'll learn how to access open data, clean and analyse it, and produce visualisations. You will also learn how to write up and share your analyses, privately or publicly.
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Mathematics for science and technology
Maths is intimately entwined with science and technology, whether it is used to analyse data collected on plants in the Amazon rainforest, to calculate the trajectory of a comet or design a bridge to connect two countries. This means that science and technology go hand-in-hand with maths, and that a firm grasp of maths is crucial for studying any science and technology discipline. This free course, Maths for science and technology, will help you build a stronger grip with the maths helping hand. You’ll learn about how the power of algebra, the sense of scientific notation, the beauty of basic trigonometry and why 70 db (decibels) is 10 times more powerful than 60 db. As well as this you will delve into scientific measurement, including the importance of units and the flexibility and practically of the SI – the internationally recognised system of units based on multiples of ten.
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Maths for Energy Science
Are you considering doing a science qualification but wondering if you have adequate maths skills? Test yourself in our interactive.
Take part now ❯Maths for Energy Science
Introducing mammals
Mammals come in a bewildering variety of shapes and sizes, and yet all species have some characteristics in common. These similarities justify the inclusion of all such diverse types within the single taxonomic group (or class) called the Mammalia. This free course, Introducing mammals, offers a starting point for the study of mammals. It will establish their rich diversity, while highlighting the common features that define the group.
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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.
Take part now ❯Ocean Explorer
Wild Weather Kitchen Experiments
Recreate an avalanche, dust storm, flood or tornado in the comfort of your own home by watching these short videos investigating extreme weather.
Watch now ❯Wild Weather Kitchen Experiments
Slip Slide Collide
Want to learn more about the Earth's tectonic plates? Start your journey into the surface of the Earth with these three quick-fire challenges in our science game.
Take part now ❯Slip Slide Collide
Angel Breed
Understand the basic rules of genetics and see if you can breed the rarest fish in our biology game.
Take part now ❯Angel Breed
Meteoric
Rocks hurtling through space shape the surface of the moons and planets as collide – and now you can use your skill and knowledge to make your own mark. Can you cover a target percentage of a planet or a moon’s surface with impact craters – by choosing meteroids based on size, make-up and speed and aiming them at your chosen target.
Take part now ❯Meteoric
Patterns of Life
Everywhere you look in nature you will find patterns. From the seeds in the flower under your nose to the flock of swallows overhead some patterns keep occurring again and again. The essence of mathematics is a series of simple rules that produce complex consequences. And nowhere are these complex consequences more apparent than in the natural world.
Watch now ❯Patterns of LifeLanguages
Beginners’ French: A trip to Avignon
This free course, Beginners’ French: A trip to Avignon, helps you to acquire the basic language to find your way around a French town. You will learn how to understand and give directions, ask about accommodation, book a hotel room at the tourist information office and get information about what to see and do in the local area. You will visit some museums in Avignon and buy a film for your camera. The course also deals with telling the time and making liaisons in speech. By the end of the course, you will feel more confident understanding and giving information about towns, seeking clarification and dealing with numbers. You will also have developed your oral fluency and your reading skills.
Learn more ❯Beginners’ French: A trip to Avignon
Beginners’ Spanish: Getting around
Do you want to improve your language skills and communicate more easily and effectively in Spanish? This free course, Beginners’ Spanish: Getting around, concentrates on Spanish as a tool for communication, but it also provides some insights into Hispanic societies and cultures through authentic printed and audio materials. This OpenLearn course focuses on public spaces and how to get by in a Hispanic city.
Learn more ❯Beginners’ Spanish: Getting around
Beginners’ German: Places and people
Do you want to learn the basics of the German language? This free course, Beginners’ German: Places and people, will take you on a journey through German-speaking countries. You will read and hear about a range of places and people. This OpenLearn course will give you the opportunity to develop language skills which will help you to cope in a range of situations.
Learn more ❯Beginners’ German: Places and people
Getting started with Chinese 1
Have you always wanted to learn how to speak Mandarin Chinese? Are you fascinated by the sound, the script and its ancient civilisation? If so, this introduction will get you started on the essentials of reading, writing, speaking and listening in Chinese through a variety of online activities. A perfect introduction for absolute beginners! This OpenLearn course is an extract from the beginning of the Open Centre for Languages and Cultures short course, LXC001 Beginners Chinese 1. After completing this free course, you may wish to register for the full course to continue your learning!
Learn more ❯Getting started with Chinese 1
Beginners’ Italian: Food and drink
This free course, Beginners' Italian: Food and drink, focuses on buying drinks and snacks in an Italian café, as well as on greeting and introducing yourself in Italian. It does not require any previous knowledge of Italian.
Learn more ❯Beginners’ Italian: Food and drink
How to learn a language
Learn about the concepts and skills required to learn languages successfully. This free course, How to learn a language, introduces the skills and strategies for language learning, setting realistic goals when learning languages and keeping motivated, practise speaking skills and vocabulary learning strategies. It will enable you to evaluate resources and create a virtual immersion environment.
Learn more ❯How to learn a languageFinance
Managing my money for young adults
This free course, Managing my money for young adults, will help you start to think about managing your finances. You will learn how to budget effectively, and will be encouraged to start thinking about your financial future.
Learn more ❯Managing my money for young adults
The History of Money
Where did money come from? How did people trade before inventing money? Was it a masterstroke or madness (or both) to let banks create money? Today money is generally accepted as payment for goods and services or repayment of debt. But governments still fret about whether there's too much (or too little) in circulation, economists can't agree on what it is, and the enduring popularity of alternative or crypto-currencies shows rumbling discontent with the official version. These 10 short animations chart the evolution of money from stones and whale teeth to modern monetary policy and banking, and takes a hard look at money's role in economic crises.
Watch now ❯The History of Money
5 things you might like to know about the Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the UK, but do you know anything about it? Take a look at these 5 facts...
Read now ❯5 things you might like to know about the Bank of England
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