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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Nature & Environment
Studying mammals: The opportunists
Many mammals are food specialists, with complex adaptations that gear them toward a particular food source. So how do the omnivores survive and prosper without these fancy evolutionary features? This free course, Studying mammals: The opportunists, examines the physiology, diet and strategies of some of these opportunistic feeders. It is the ...
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Languages
Intermediate Italian: describing people
This free course, Intermediate Italian: describing people, requires some basic knowledge of Italian. It focuses on describing both physical appearance and personality, as well as on developing listening skills and work on pronunciation.
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Education & Development
Succeed in the workplace
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 ...
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History & The Arts
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 ...
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History & The Arts
Art and visual culture: medieval to modern
What is art? What is visual culture? How have they changed through history? This free course, Art and visual culture: medieval to modern, explores the fundamental issues raised by the study of western art and visual culture over the last millennium. It moves from discussing the role of the artist and the functions of art during the medieval and ...
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Nature & Environment
Studying mammals: Food for thought
Who were our ancestors? How are apes and humans related? And where does the extinct Homo erectus fit into the puzzle? In this free course, Studying mammals: Food for thought, we will examine culture, tool use and social structure in both apes and humans to gain an understanding of where we come from and why we behave as we do. This is the tenth ...
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Education & Development
An introduction to intercultural competence in the workplace
You might think that knowing about country facts or differences between cultures is the key to being interculturally competent – but that is in fact only a small piece of the puzzle! Intercultural competence is an umbrella term for a range of qualities, attitudes and skills that allow you to mediate and communicate appropriately and effectively ...
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Education & Development
Democracy? You think you know?
Participating in democratic processes is seen as being a fundamental aspect of citizenship. All pupils need a broad knowledge and understanding of the rights, responsibilities and duties of citizens, as well as an understanding of forms of government. Notions of citizenship have been forged alongside the expansion of the right to vote and the ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Working with charts, graphs and tables
When you come across information represented in charts, graphs and tables, you'll need to know how to interpret this information. This free course, Working with charts, graphs and tables, will help you to develop the skills you need to do this. For further study, there's another course titled 'More working with charts, graphs and tables' which ...
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Languages
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 ...
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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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History & The Arts
Start writing fiction
Have you always wanted to write, but never quite had the courage to start? This free course, Start writing fiction, will give you an insight into how authors create their characters and settings. You will also be able to look at the different genres for fiction.