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Science, Maths & Technology
Unsolved problems in cosmology
The science of cosmology has been very successful in explaining a wide range of observational evidence about the Universe, from the detailed properties of the cosmic microwave background radiation to the distributions of galaxies, and the elemental abundances in astrophysical environments. However, there are several major unknowns in ...
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Introducing the psychology of our relationships with fictional villains
This free course, featuring interviews with famous crime fiction authors, explores psychological theory and research on the relationships we form with fictional characters.
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Education & Development
Introducing Union Black
This free course, Introducing Union Black, aims to build your confidence as a change agent for equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Everyday maths 1 (Northern Ireland)
This free course will develop and improve your essential maths skills for work, study and everyday life. The course has four sessions, which cover the following topics: numbers, measurement, shapes and space, and handling data. There will be plenty of examples to help you progress, together with opportunities to practise your understanding.
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History & The Arts
Introduction to music theory 2: pitch and notation
In this free course, you will explore the concept of musical pitch by working with examples of folk, popular, and classical music from several world traditions. You will learn how pitch is represented using staff notation and other forms of illustration. You will also practise reading and writing pitch using staff notation, and learn to perform ...
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Sporting women in the media
The mass media (e.g. radio, TV, internet) has become one of the most powerful institutional influences in society. This free course, Sporting women in the media, explores whether gendered inequalities exist in sport by evaluating the media coverage. The media can be highly influential in shaping perceptions about gender in sport and headlines ...
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History & The Arts
Banning the bomb: a global history of activism against nuclear weapons
In this free course you will learn about the global anti-nuclear movement that has worked for decades to prevent the use of nuclear weapons, with the ultimate aim of abolishing them altogether. You will see how opposition to nuclear weapons has been an important cause on every continent. Beginning in 1945, this course will equip you with ...
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Education & Development
Approaching language, literature and childhood
This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course L301 Language, literature and childhood.
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Society, Politics & Law
Carrying out research for policy and advocacy work
How can you effectively influence decision makers to change laws, regulations or policies? How can your idea to improve an issue or problem be adopted by those in power? If you are involved in law reform or policy work, then this free course, Carrying out research for policy and advocacy work, is for you. Whether you are employed as a policy ...
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Money & Business
Exploring career mentoring and coaching
This free course, Exploring career mentoring and coaching, will explain what mentors and career coaches do and how a colleague or expert who can ask the right questions, challenge assumptions, and help an individual to find the best solutions for themselves, can make a significant difference in a wide range of situations and contexts.
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Improving patient, family and colleague witnesses’ experiences of Fitness to Practise proceedings
This evidence-based course provides learning about the Fitness to Practise process and being a witness.
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Promoting the effective management of children’s pain – part 2
This is the second of two OpenLearn courses focusing on the effective management of children’s pain. The focus of the first course was on why pain matters and how a pain management framework can be used to deliver the effective management of children’s pain. This second free course further develops how to improve children’s pain management in ...
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Education & Development
Physical and mental health for young children
This free course will increase your knowledge and skills and show you ways that adults, both parents and professionals, can play an active role in supporting and promoting good health in babies and young children.
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History & The Arts
Introducing music research
Introducing music research provides you with insights into the wide variety of possibilities for studying music at postgraduate level. In this free course you will explore diverse musical topics through four themes: inclusions and exclusions, practice, technology, and community. You will encounter music from different times, places and genres ...
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Digital & Computing
Diagramming for development 2: exploring interrelationships
Diagramming for development 2: exploring interrelationships, is a free course that introduces you to the diagramming techniques of Influence diagrams, Multiple Cause Diagrams and Cognitive Maps. Using a case study project based in Africa, this unit illustrates the powerful use of systems diagramming for international development management. This...
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Digital & Computing
Diagramming for development 1: bounding realities
Diagramming for development 1: bounding realities, is a free course that introduces you to the systems diagramming techniques of Rich pictures, Spray diagrams and Systems maps. Using a case study project based in Africa, the course illustrates the use of powerful use of systems diagramming for international development management. This is a ...
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Introducing social care and social work
This free course, Introducing social care and social work, will introduce you to different social care and social work practitioner roles. It will develop your understanding of the context in which social care and social work takes place in the UK. The course is designed for people who are interested in and curious about social care or social ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Introduction to differentiation
This free course is an introduction to differentiation. Section 1 looks at gradients of graphs and introduces differentiation from first principles. Section 2 looks at finding derivatives of simple functions. Section 3 introduces rates of change by looking at real life situations. Section 4 looks at using the derivative of a function to deduce ...