All our free courses
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Science, Maths & Technology
Vaccination
Vaccinations are now considered a part of everyday life, but how do they work? Vaccination is a free course that will help those with a background in biology understand the historical development of vaccination, assess the various types of vaccines used today, examine their production and explore the limitations that are placed on vaccination ...
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Nature & Environment
Water for life
Atoms, elements and molecules are the building blocks of everything that makes up our world, including ourselves. In this free course, Water for life, you will learn the basic chemistry of how these components work together, starting with a chemical compound we are all very familiar with water.
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Digital & Computing
Machines, minds and computers
Computers are becoming smarter and may soon become intelligent. This free course, Machines, minds and computers, looks at what intelligence is, how computers may become so, and whether they ever will really be intelligent. It is aimed at people interested in understanding what intelligence and thinking really are, and who want to understand the ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Obesity: balanced diets and treatment
The incidence of obesity is on the increase in affluent societies, and the phenomenon commands increasing attention from health professionals, legislators and the media. This free course, Obesity: balanced diets and treatment, looks at the science behind obesity, examining the dietary, physiological and genetic aspects of the topic.
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History & The Arts
Goya
What influenced Goya? Did Napoleon's invasion of Spain alter the course of Goya's career? This free course will guide you through the works of Goya and the influences of the times in which he lived. Anyone with a desire to look for the influences behind a work of art will benefit from studying this course.
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Education & Development
Play, learning and the brain
This free course, Play, learning and the brain, examines the area of brain-based learning, with a particular focus on the development of the young child's brain, and is of particular relevance to those who work with young children. We begin by looking at the structure and functions of the brain, and the impact that sensory deprivation can have ...
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Digital & Computing
Integrated safety, health and environmental management: An introduction
Life is full of risk. In this free course, Integrated safety, health and environmental management: An introduction, 'risk' describes the probability and consequences of harm or, at worst, disaster. Risk management involves many stakeholders and integrated management systems help to ensure that safety, quality, environmental and business risks ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Geological processes in the British Isles
The landscape of the British Isles has undergone dramatic changes during the history of the Earth, from shallow sea to desert to the familiar terrain of the 21st century. In this free course, Geological processes in the British Isles, you will explore the processes that have shaped the British landscape over time, gaining insight into the ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Migration
Migration is a free course looking at the migrations of animals, with special reference to birds, and also introducing the themes of movement, selection and homeostasis.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Meiosis and mitosis
This free course, Meiosis and mitosis, looks at how units of inheritance are transmitted from one generation to the next. First you will look at what happens to the chromosomes of animals and plants during the process of sexual reproduction. Then you will examine how genes are transmitted in particular patterns from generation to generation. ...
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Society, Politics & Law
Attention
What does 'attention' mean to you? This free course, Attention, will help you to examine how we 'pay attention'. How do we manage to single out sounds and images that require attention and how easy is it to distract someone and why.
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Society, Politics & Law
Seeing institutions in different ways
To help you to understand the complexity of institutional development, this free course, Seeing institutions in different ways, will present institutions in three key ways: as rules and norms, as meanings and values and as big players. The rules govern social life and the norms establish how people should behave, while institutional development ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Drug development process: combating pain
Drug development process: combating pain, is a free course offering a brief introduction to the process of new drug discovery; from identification of a suitable candidate drug molecule to the development of a commercial drug product available in the clinic for pain relief or as an anti-inflammatory.
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Society, Politics & Law
Information technology: A new era?
Do the advances in information technology equate to a new industrial revolution? The advances made by IBM, Dell and many other manufacturers have resulted in massive changes to our working lives. This free course, Information technology: A new era?, looks at whether it is possible to predict the future of this industry by comparing it to the ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
What do genes do?
This free course, What do genes do?, explores how information contained in DNA is used, explaining the flow of information from DNA to RNA to protein. Also introduced are the concepts of transcription (as occurs between DNA and RNA) and translation.
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Society, Politics & Law
The body: a phenomenological psychological perspective
The body has traditionally been treated as a biological object in psychology. However, is there more to our bodies than that? Some psychologists recognise that we relate to other people and the world about us through our body. This free course, The body: A phenomenological psychological perspective, explores the theoretical perspective on ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
The Moon
As the only planetary body everyone is familiar with seeing in the sky, the Moon has long been an object of fascination and speculation. This free course will teach you about the nearest planetary body to Earth: the missions to the Moon, the basic facts of its composition, the cratering on its surface, and the ancient eruptions that flooded many...
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Languages
Understanding language and learning
Learning is understood broadly as any kind of activity, whether in a formal or informal context, that enhances an individual’s knowledge or skills in one way or another. The relationship between language and learning is approached in three ways: learning a language, learning about language and learning through language. This free course, ...