NewsletterProduced 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 8 different subject areas. Our courses are available to start right away.
A growing selection of our courses offer a free Open University digital badge. Badges demonstrate your interest in a subject, a commitment to your career or provide evidence of continuing professional development.
Got a few spare minutes? Brush up on your knowledge with our range of free bite-size courses and activities.
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Education & Development
Being an OU student
In the course, you’ll get a flavour of what OU study is actually like, learn about how you’ll be supported, the technologies you’ll use and start to develop the skills you’ll need to succeed.
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Languages
Beginners’ Tamil: a taster course
This free course, Beginners’ Tamil: a taster course, provides a brief introduction to the Tamil language and its scripts and sounds. You will learn how to greet people and introduce yourself, as well as how to ----- from one to ten. You will also be introduced to Tamil society and culture and will learn about the food and music popular in Tamil-speaking societies. This introductory course offers you a chance to start an exciting new learning experience and learn a new language, with a range of activities.
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Education & Development
Working with diversity in services for children and young people
This free course, Working with diversity in services for children and young people, will provide you with an understanding of the ways in which diverse and intersecting social identities structure the lives and experiences of children and young people, and the implications of those identities for professional practice. Although designed primarily for those working with or supporting children or young people, whether in a paid or voluntary role, it will also be of interest to those who wish to improve their understanding of services for children and young people.
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Money & Business
MSE’s Academy of Money
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.
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Money & Business
Academi Arian MSE
Mae'r Brifysgol Agored wedi ymuno â MoneySavingExpert (MSE) i gynhyrchu'r cwrs rhad ac am ddim newydd hwn i roi'r sgiliau a'r wybodaeth i chi feistroli eich arian. Ysgrifennwyd y cwrs gan y Brifysgol Agored, gyda chyngor ac arweiniad MSE.
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Education & Development
Youth justice in the UK: children, young people and crime
This free course will introduce you to the many ways of working with children in trouble with the law. You will learn about the emergence of the youth justice system in England and Wales and how it has changed over the years. A comparative approach provides opportunities to learn about the approaches taken in Northern Ireland and Scotland. You will explore topical issues surrounding young people and crime, such as how rates of victimisation and offending vary, with particular reference to the ways age, gender, race and social class shape young people’s experience of crime.
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Education & Development
Ewch â’ch addysgu ar-lein
Mae dysgu ar-lein wedi datblygu’n gyflym ac fe’i gwelir bellach ym mhob maes addysg, o ysgolion i hyfforddi sgiliau. Mae mwy o bobl nag erioed yn dysgu trwy gyrsiau ar-lein. Hyd yn oed pan addysgir ‘wyneb yn wyneb’ yn bennaf, mae adnoddau a rhyngweithio ar-lein wedi dod yn rhan allweddol o’r profiad dysgu.
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Languages
Beginners’ Chinese: a taster course
Learn about Mandarin Chinese as a tool for communication and gain insights into Chinese society and culture. This free course, Beginners’ Chinese: a taster course, 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 and introduce themselves, and learn how to ----- from one to ten. You’ll learn different ways of saying your name and greeting people, as well as give your telephone number. This OpenLearn course is introductory material for absolute beginners in Chinese.
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Education & Development
Becoming an ethical researcher
This free course, Becoming an ethical researcher, explores the ethics of planning, carrying out and reporting research which involves human participants. It will sensitise you to issues that a researcher should consider to support ethical and well-justified decision-making. A wide variety of research scenarios will be used to stimulate individual reflection and discussion on the course forum, participation in which, together with successful completion of quizzes, will contribute to gaining a digital badge.
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Education & Development
Supporting children's mental health and wellbeing
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; examining factors from a national and global perspective. By the end of the course you will have gained knowledge about strategies and interventions that will help you to understand how you can support children’s mental health and improve their wellbeing.
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Education & Development
Addysg gynhwysol: deall yr hyn a olygwn (Cymru)
Ni waeth pa ysgol y byddwch yn eich canfod eich hun ynddi, bydd y ffordd y mae'n ymdrin ag addysg gynhwysol yn ffactor bwysig wrth bennu diwylliant ei hamgylchedd dysgu ac addysgu.
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Education & Development
Gwaith Tîm: Hyfforddiant i Lywodraethwyr (Cymru)
Mae llywodraethwyr yn chwarae rôl hanfodol yn y system addysg yng Nghymru fel rhan o waith tîm ehangach tuag at yr un nod: sicrhau bod plant yng Nghymru yn cael addysg ardderchog.