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.
- All topics
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Science, Maths & Technology
What is a metal?
This free course, What is a metal? explores the main characteristic properties of metals and their varied use in our everyday lives. Each metal has its own personal signature and you will undertake an online experiment to identify individual metals.
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Money & Business
Introduction to operations management
This free course, Introduction to operations management, will introduce you to the role of operations management in organisations, and gives you the opportunity to understand what an operations manager does. It looks at how the role might influence the short- and long-term success of the organisation. It is important to develop a clear ...
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Education & Development
Young lives: is now a good time to be young?
This free course, Young lives: is now a good time to be young?, looks at young lives in the UK today, asking the question is this a good time to be young? It focuses on some of the factors that influence the divergent lives and complex experiences of children and young people today, taking an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the ...
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Education & Development
Are you ready for postgraduate study?
This free course, Are you ready for postgraduate study, will help you to become familiar with the requirements and demands of postgraduate study and ensure you are ready to develop the skills and confidence to pursue your learning further.
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Money & Business
Managing and managing people
This free course, Managing and managing people, will introduce you to the world of management. We will be looking at a range of topics, including what managers do, what skills they require, and how you can develop as a manager.
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Education & Development
Teachers sharing resources online
This free course, Teachers sharing resources online, is designed to help you learn about how learning resources can be shared using online repositories, i.e. websites that allow for the uploading of electronic materials that can then be used and adapted by others. One of the leading examples of such websites is TES Connect. While the course ...
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Education & Development
Children and young people: food and food marketing
The following video explores the concepts covered in this course.
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level 3: advanced icon
Education & Development
Leadership: external context and culture
Through studying this free course, Leadership: external context and culture, you will develop your understanding of the impact of external context and culture on the practice of leadership. The course begins by exploring the nature ‘societal culture’, identifying how culture, at a number of levels, impacts on leadership. We then explore how the ...
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Money & Business
Sure, I know how to talk to people!
This free course is one in a series focusing on leadership, decision-making and communication in the context of policing within the community. This particular session focuses on communication skills and specifically looks at how to build rapport and get the most out of conversations in community settings. It introduces a psychological model ...
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Money & Business
Introducing the voluntary sector
This free course, Introducing the voluntary sector, will guide you through some of the distinctive features and values of the voluntary sector, how organisations are funded and involve volunteers and other ‘stakeholders’ in their work. It will also provide you with knowledge and skills you can apply to your own work or volunteering as well as ...
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level 3: advanced icon
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Education & Development
Succeeding in postgraduate study
This free course, Succeeding in postgraduate study, will help you to become familiar with the requirements and demands of postgraduate study and to develop the skills and confidence to pursue your learning further.
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level 2: intermediate icon
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Education & Development
The digital scholar
Digital scholarship is a shorthand for the intersection of three technology related developments: digital content, networked distribution and open practices. It is when digital, networked and open intersect that transformational practice occurs. In this free course, The digital scholar, you will explore the impact of digital technologies on ...