All our free courses
History & The Arts
Young people and religion: creative learning with history
This free course, Young people and religion: creative learning with history, will train teachers and others working with young people on how to engage them in learning about religious diversity past and present through the creative process of making short, creative films (Docutubes). It is based on the RETOPEA (Religious Toleration and Peace) ...
Society, Politics & Law
Applying social work law with children and families
This course will introduce you to the law as it applies to social work with children and families in the United Kingdom. You will learn about varying definitions of childhood and family and then explore underpinning principles of the law relating to child rights and parental responsibilities. You will look at the key legislation relating to ...
Society, Politics & Law
Social work law and UK regulation
Social workers have significant powers, rights and responsibilities in their professional role. The law has a vital role in the regulation of professional practice, and such regulation is important to social workers, as it provides clear boundaries for their practice. Boundaries also provide the public with confidence in the profession. It is ...
Society, Politics & Law
An introduction to social work law
This course will get you to consider your initial perceptions of the social work role before exploring what social workers do in their day-to-day practice with people. It will highlight the core values of the social work profession and consider the challenges of applying these values in practice. The course will explore the relationship ...
Languages
Describing language
This course introduces you to the basics of describing language. Using examples from English, you’ll learn how words are built, how they fit together to make sentences, and what labels like noun, verb and adjective mean. You’ll see how language patterns in regular ways and how the meaning of a sentence is more than the sum of its parts. This ...
Money & Business
Developing career resilience
Do you sometimes wish you were more resilient when faced with changes at work? Do you have career plans but feel unsure about progressing with them? If you do, then this free course, Developing career resilience, will help you to build your resilience and approach career-related change with greater confidence and motivation.
Health, Sports & Psychology
Physical activity for health and wellbeing in the caring role
Are you a carer? Or do you work with a carer, or know someone who one? This free course, Physical activity for health and wellbeing in the caring role, is designed to give an insight into the demands, both physically and mentally, of the caring role and look at how taking part in physical activity can offer benefits to the health and wellbeing ...
Health, Sports & Psychology
Biological, psychological and social complexities in childhood development
This free course uses the case studies of Liam, Chloe and Lola to explore childhood development and some of the biological and psychological conditions that can affect children and young people. You will focus on asthma, intellectual and development disorders, depression and anxiety, and eating disorders.
Education & Development
Developing Reading for Pleasure: engaging young readers
It is widely recognised that supporting children to become capable and engaged readers plays an important role in their future success. Reading empowers; it facilitates education and employment, and it enriches one’s personal life and growth. Learning to read is therefore a key goal of primary or elementary education, and high-quality literacy ...
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Developing resilience in sport
In this free course, Developing resilience in sport, you will explore how the concept of resilience can support athletes on their athletic development journey. You will examine how resilience can act as a buffer to protect against the challenges that might be faced by athletes and coaches. The protective qualities of resilience make it an ...
Health, Sports & Psychology
Introduction to adolescent mental health
This free course provides an introduction to adolescent mental health. The course is designed to encourage a greater understanding of mental health issues as well as to explore the variety of strategies that can be employed to support young people.
History & The Arts
Historical perspectives on race
Race is not biological. It is a social construction. Yet we know that in our contemporary world and in history, this construction has real consequences. From enslavement and colonisation to resistance and revolution, the stories of people of colour are often left untold in accounts of the past. This free course, Historical perspectives on race, ...
Society, Politics & Law
Capacity and demand management
This free course, Capacity and demand management, is part of the series focusing on leadership, decision-making and communication in the context of policing within the community. This course focuses on the use of data to make decisions, using actions taken in managing capacity and demand as the applied example. The course uses examples not ...
Education & Development
Race and Youth Policy: working with young people
How should we, as a society, best respond to and prevent gang and knife crime and violent extremism?
Science, Maths & Technology
Succeed with maths: part 1
If you feel that maths is a mystery that you want to unravel then this free course is for you. It will guide you through how numbers are put together, give you confidence with using percentages, fractions and negative numbers and provide you with problem solving skills for your everyday life and the wider world.
History & The Arts
Getting started on ancient Greek
This course offers a taster of the ancient Greek world through the study of one of its most distinctive and enduring features: its language.The course approaches the language methodically, starting with the alphabet and effective ways to memorise it, before building up to complete Greek words and sentences. Along the way, you will see numerous ...
Health, Sports & Psychology
Applying to study for a PhD in psychology
This free OpenLearn course is for psychology students and graduates who are interested in PhD study at some future point. Even if you have met PhD students and heard about their projects, it is likely that you have only a vague idea of what PhD study entails. This course is intended to give you more information.
Science, Maths & Technology
Introducing vectors for engineering applications
Applied mathematics is a key skill for practicing engineers and mathematical modelling is an ever-increasing field within engineering. This free course, Introducing vectors for engineering applications, covers one aspect of a Level 1 engineering module, the application of vectors and vector algebra, using examples inspired by engineering ...