What can you do if you're not comfortable talking about mental health issues with your peers? Dr Jonathan Leach and Dr Mathijs Lucassen set out six ways of getting the support you need.

Dr Sharon Mallon explores what is meant by self-care before introducing you to some of the top inexpensive and time-effective ways that you can introduce self-care practices into your life.

Mindfulness is about focusing on the present moment, whilst at the same time accepting your feelings, thoughts, and body’s sensations. But why does mindfulness matter?

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.

What do you really know about crime? Try our interactive 'Finding the Truth' to dig way beyond the surface of forensic psychology, corporate crime and the prison system. 

Who wrote the first novel over 1000 years ago? Who disguised herself as a man to explore the new world? Take this interactive world tour to discover the stories the history books left out. 

What tricks of the trade do shops employ to make us dig deep into our pockets and spend our hard-earned cash?

So you think you're supportive? But are you really an LGBTQI+ ally? Test yourself by using our immersive film-based interactive.

Hearing a particular song can take us back to a certain moment in our lives. In this interactive we're going to take a trip down memory lane, looking at songs from the past and exploring what music means to you.

Professor Monica Grady and Philippa Smith, from the Open University's space science team, give you the lowdown on what to look for if you want to take up stargazing. From big bang to black holes; from spotting stars to identifying galaxies this collection is a beginner's guide to astronomy introducing you to the key features at each level of ...

This course is part of a collection of courses called Climate Change resources. There are 18 courses in this collection so you may find other courses here that maybe of interest to you.

This course is part of a collection of courses called Climate Change resources. There are 18 courses in this collection so you may find other courses here that maybe of interest to you.

This course is the second of the eight courses in the collection of Computing for School - Communication and Networks. This course is an introduction to the operation of the WWW, and how to improve your web searches to find the exact information you require. This course is for anyone who wants to know more about searching on the web. It explains...

This introductory module aims to support you to develop an awareness of what autism is, its impact and how it can be supported within an inclusive school community. It may also be of interest if you work in the voluntary sector or simply have an interest in autism and inclusive practice.

This free module aims to provide teachers and local authority staff with an awareness of what dyslexia is, its impact and how it can be supported within an inclusive school community. It may also be of interest if you work in the voluntary sector or simply have an interest in dyslexia and inclusive practice.

This course is for parents who have been sent this to get a better idea about what to expect from speech and language therapy and anyone who is interested in language and speech and language therapy.

Our modern world is driven by and strongly dependent on computers and other information and communication technologies. In our daily lives, we heavily rely on computers not only for our work, but also to socialise and communicate with each other as well as to support our learning and studying. The aims of this unit are to introduce computers and...

This resource, developed by The University of Manchester Library, will help you to develop skills to get the most out of being an online learner.

This free introductory course is for anyone who is interested in learning more about practical ways to improve wellbeing, particularly whilst recovering from the effects of the pandemic. It is particularly useful for parents and carers interested in learning new ways to support their own and their children’s mental health and happiness.

Planning a better future is an introductory course for anyone considering changing jobs, wondering how to move up the ladder or return to work after a break, and those who might be looking to aspire to better things.

Supporting children’s development is an introductory course for anyone who is interested in children’s development, especially support staff in schools, such as teaching assistants. It builds on your knowledge and skills to develop a deeper understanding of children from the early years to school leavers. You will be introduced to some core ...

Digital skills are now indispensable in a society that increasingly depends on computers. This course is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to get started in this digital world. It explores accessible ways to use computers and the internet.

This free reflection course was developed with and for carers. It will help you reflect on your experiences, gain a clearer understanding of who you are, and recognise the range of skills and abilities you’ve developed from your caring role. It will also help you to look forward, to think about what you’d like to do now or in the future, and to ...

Panic attacks: what they are and what to do about them is a free course that should be helpful to anyone who experiences panic or panic attacks, for their family and friends, and anyone more generally interested in mental health and mental health treatment. The course starts by exploring formal definitions of panic and panic attack. These ...

If you’ve enjoyed exploring the materials in the last section, why not challenge yourself with a short course?

We now live in a global village where distance is no longer a barrier to commercial or social contact. This free course, IT in everyday life, will enable you to gain an understanding of the information and communication technologies that drive our networked world and how they now permeate our everyday lives.

Tables and charts are a great way to present numerical information in a clear and concise form. This free course, Presenting information, explains how to use the Windows calculator to carry out basic operations and calculate percentages. You will then learn how to use charts and tables to represent and interpret information.

A small grocery store run by one person and perhaps their family must pose quite different challenges from a multinational corporation with operations in many different countries. This free course introduces different types of business, depending on industry sector, size and type of ownership and discusses some of the ways in which businesses ...

Have you ever wanted to try out simple coding? Want to understand the basics of what it entails? This course introduces you to the skills, concepts and jargon of coding.

Learning how to learn: a process we all engage in throughout our lives, but no single method of learning guarantees success. This free course, Learning how to learn, aims to make the process of learning much more explicit by inviting you to apply various ideas and activities to your own study as a way of increasing your awareness of your own ...

The Open University has joined forces with MoneySavingExpert (MSE) to produce this new free course to give you the skills and knowledge to master your finances. Packed with videos, audios, quizzes and activities the course covers all the key aspects of personal finance in six sessions of study that each take around two hours to complete.

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.

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.

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 ...

Do you have a professional or personal interest in the mental health issues affecting young children? Are you working with children or are you a parent or carer? This free course, Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing, is designed to give insight into the factors that are contributing to our youngest citizens’ poor mental health; ...

This free course, Digital skills: succeeding in a digital world, will develop your confidence and skills for life online, whether study, work or everyday life. It explores a range of digital skills and practices, including digital identity, digital well-being, staying safe and legal, finding and using information and online tools, and dealing ...

Learn about autism, one of the most challenging long-term conditions of the century. This free course, Understanding autism, introduces the autism spectrum, how it is experienced by individuals and families, and why it has become a global concern. The course explains how understanding of the autism spectrum and approaches to diagnosis and care ...

Develop the English reading and writing skills needed for university success.

This course is 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 ...

This free course, Exploring sport coaching and psychology, investigates how scientific and management ideas contribute to success while also taking you on a journey through unique sporting case studies and insights that will change how you view and study sport. You will consider how the mind, the body, the environment and training techniques all...

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 ...

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.

This free course, Exploring learning disabilities: supporting belonging, takes the real-life cases of a number of different people to explore what it is like to have the label ‘learning disability’. The course also considers how it feels to support someone with a learning disability, as a family member, a friend, an advocate or a paid worker...

In this free course, Working with young people: roles and responsibilities, we look at the roles that are taken when working with young people. We focus on what those working with young people actually do, starting with some analysis of roles. We show that, in the context of work with young people, the term is more than simply a statement about ...

This free course introduces the mechanics of effective, persuasive oral presentations, by giving you the opportunity to analyse examples and then create your own. Using resources such as TED Talk videos, you will see how experts deliver professional talks and famous speeches, observe what works, and identify how language connects ideas and keeps...

Occasionally, controversies arise that remind us of the link between sport and politics. It was once common for leading figures in the sporting world to declare that sport was, effectively, a politics-free zone. Sport was cast as the perpetual innocent party, liable to be corrupted by any connection with politics. However, it has become ...

Are you a carer? Or do you work with a carer, or know someone who one? This free course, Physical activity for health and wellbeing in the caring role, is designed to give an insight into the demands, both physically and mentally, of the caring role and look at how taking part in physical activity can offer benefits to the health and wellbeing ...

Childhood is a time of rapid growth and development, and studying these changes is endlessly stimulating. In this free course, Introduction to child psychology, you will be introduced to the discipline of child psychology and some of the key questions that guide the understanding of childhood. These questions include 'What influences children's...

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...

This free course provides an introduction to adolescent mental health. The course is designed to encourage a greater understanding of mental health issues as well as to explore the variety of strategies that can be employed to support young people.

Do you want to change jobs, are you just starting in the job market or may be returning after a break? If so, then this free course, Succeed in the workplace, is for you. It will help you explore career opportunities. You will also gain the skills to write strong CVs and application forms, and to handle different types of interviews. By the end ...

This free online course, Working in the voluntary sector, will introduce you to some of the main activities carried out by volunteers and staff, will give you some background on how different organisations work and will provide you with knowledge and skills you can apply to your own work or volunteering, as well as to your every day life.

This free course, So you want to be a nurse? A brief introduction to nursing, provides an overview of what nursing entails. Focusing on nursing in the UK specifically, but also looking at its place globally, you will learn about the four fields of nursing in the UK, what nurse training involves, as well as what makes a great nurse. This ...

To succeed in management you need good interpersonal skills, you need to understand how to deal with other people. This free course, The importance of interpersonal skills, will help you gain an awareness of your own skills and understand that an awareness of the interpersonal skills of others can help us enormously in dealing with the work ...

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 ...

By now you will already know all about the amazing learning opportunities available on OpenLearn. You may have completed many OpenLearn courses or perhaps just one or two. However much you’ve done so far, your experience on OpenLearn means you already know what it is like to study online and at a distance.

Formal study is assessed learning that may lead to a qualification. It takes place in schools, colleges, universities and other education and training providers. It can also include distance learning, workplace training and professional qualifications.

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 ...

The induction course for new OU students, covering the essentials for starting your undergraduate studies.

Reading and note taking are two essential study skills. How do you read? This free course, Reading and note taking preparation for study, will introduce you to different techniques to help you to alter the way you read according to the type of material you are studying. You will also learn the techniques behind successful note taking and how to...

Working effectively with other people in a group or a team is a skill valued highly by community and educational organisations, as well as employers. Working in a group is about communicating effectively, contributing ideas, listening and receiving feedback, and leading or following as appropriate. Developing your skills means thinking about ...

Problem solving runs through many activities. Often problems are contexts for focusing ideas and stimulating further investigation or discussion. Framing an issue appropriately, identifying why it is a problem, recognising factors that might have a bearing on it and outlining what an acceptable resolution or solution might look like, are ...

As the volume of information grows in databases, libraries and on the internet, information literacy skills are key to being able to find and manage information effectively in a complex society. Information literacy is about recognising when information is needed, and locating, critically evaluating, using and presenting the information to suit...

Communication is part of everyone's life. Being able to communicate clearly and effectively orally, visually and in writing underpins nearly everything we do. This free course, Key skill assessment: communication, will help you recognise your strengths as well as the areas where you could improve. In developing and assessing your communication...

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