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
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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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
Exploring innovative assessment methods
This course is particularly relevant for teachers, trainers and educators who are looking for new and innovative methods to teach and ------ learners at a distance when they are not physically in school or on a campus. This free course introduces the use of innovative methods for ------ment within secondary, further and higher education. The course is highly practical in nature and guides educational and training professionals through the process of introducing flexible formative and summative ------ments that can meet the needs of a standardised curriculum. The course will be particularly useful for educators who work in secondary schools and teachers and lecturers who work in further and higher education colleges or universities. The course provides a practical approach to introducing innovative flexible ------ment methods that are designed to improve the effectiveness of the ------ment.
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Education & Development
Global perspectives on primary education
This free course, Global perspectives on primary education, provides an introduction to comparative education studies and will compare and contrast primary schooling around the world. You will look into classrooms and hear from teachers, teacher educators and policy makers from a range of education settings and countries. You will also learn about United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 and the agenda for free, universal, quality education.
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Education & Development
Take your teaching online
In this free course, Take your teaching online, you will gain knowledge fundamental to delivering effective teaching online. You will hear about the experiences of real educators, be introduced to cutting edge research, and understand the ideas and tools that shape how we teach and learn online. You will also learn useful methods that will guide you to test out these new ideas in your own practice.
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Education & Development
Dysgu ac arfer: Gweithrediad a hunaniaethau
Mae'r uned hon yn eich cyflwyno i ddull cymdeithasol-ddiwylliannol o ddeall a dadansoddi'r hyn y byddwch yn ei ddysgu mewn sefydliadau addysgol, gartref ac yn y gweithle.
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Education & Development
Taking your first steps into higher education
What is university study like? Is it for me? If you are asking yourself these questions, this free course is for you. Taking your first steps into higher education provides insights into how subjects are studied at university. This introduction to carefully selected materials helps you decide what you might want to study. You will be looking at three main areas: arts and humanities; the social sciences; and maths, technology and science.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Returning to STEM
This free badged course, Returning to STEM, offers useful skills and solutions to help you get back into a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM).
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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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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 external context within which an organisation operates impacts on the factors that leaders need to take account of and consequently the exercise of leadership. Finally the course examines the relationship between policy and leadership.
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Education & Development
Teaching and learning tricky topics
This free course is designed to provide a background and understanding of tricky topics, the practical application of threshold concepts, and their connection with learning design, digital innovation and learning analytics. The course, and the innovative teaching tricky topic process which it explores, will be useful for trainee or experienced teachers in schools, colleges and universities, who need to develop their skills in teaching difficult knowledge. It will also be useful for career development of academics who wish to upskill in learning design, digital innovation and analytics.
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Education & Development
Revision and examinations
Do you get stressed at the thought of an examination? Does the idea of revision fill you with dread? This free course, Revision and examinations, will provide a host of tips to help you improve your revision and examination techniques and enable you to manage your time effectively by creating a timetable for your revision.