All our free courses
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Society, Politics & Law
Myths in law
Have you ever wondered how much truth there was reflected in your favourite court room drama? How accurate is your favourite crime series in depicting the way the criminal justice system works? If you have, then this free course is for you. You will be looking at some of the biggest myths around criminal law and criminal courts to see how ...
free course icon
level 3: advanced icon
History & The Arts
What do historians do?
What do historians do? In this free course you will explore some of the ways that historians work to develop our understanding of the past. You will learn about three aspects of the historian’s craft through three topic areas: landscapes, infant health and criminal justice. Through the activities in the course, you will experience a wide range ...
free course icon
level 3: advanced icon
History & The Arts
Agatha Christie and the golden age of detective fiction
In this free course you’ll examine one of Agatha Christie’s most significant works, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), and explore the evolution of British detective fiction in relation to Christie’s background, literary modernism and the development of middlebrow fiction.
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Money & Business
Retirement planning made easy
This free course on money and retirement planning has been produced by The Open University in collaboration with Legal & General.
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Health, Sports & Psychology
Supporting older people with learning disabilities and their families
This free course, Supporting older people with learning disabilities and their families, stems from research that explored how to improve the care and support for older people with learning disabilities and behaviours that challenge others, and their families.
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Money & Business
Midlife MOT: wealth, work and wellbeing
Introducing your Midlife MOT. Your midlife years – that is, when you’re between about 40 and 60 – will probably be a very hectic time indeed. You might have ended up in a challenging job, or you might be working hard to get one. You could be looking after the kids, your parents or maybe both. Maybe you’re putting time and energy into a whole new...
free course icon
level 3: advanced icon
Education & Development
Leadership for inclusion: what can you do?
This course will help you to develop your understanding of how to promote and support learning for all, within classrooms with a diverse student and staff population. It will encourage you to embrace your own capacity to lead at any level of an organisation. You will explore the tensions around collective responses and individualised challenges,...
free course icon
level 3: advanced icon
Education & Development
Leadership for inclusion: thinking it through
This course will help you to think about your professional educational situation and the ways in which you can develop your practices alongside others. It will provide you with a better understanding of competing values within the school system and how to identify and build upon opportunities to lead and collaborate in this context. You will ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Languages
A short introduction to the English language
This free course, A short introduction to the English language, will look at the role language plays in our lives, with a particular focus on the English language. It will examine the history and the future of the language, from the Anglo-Saxons and Shakespeare to social media communication and stand-up comedy.
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Health, Sports & Psychology
Caring for an older family member with learning disabilities
Whether you are a parent or sibling caring for a relative with a learning disability, this free course, Caring for an older family member with learning disabilities, is designed to help you navigate the system as they grow older. It has been developed from a cutting-edge research project that explored how to improve the care and support for ...
free course icon
level 3: advanced icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Introduction to complex analysis
This free course, Introduction to complex analysis, is an extract from the third level Open University course M337 Complex Analysis, which develops the theory of functions of a complex variable, emphasising their geometric properties and indicating some applications.
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Badge icon
Society, Politics & Law
Advancing Black leadership
In this free course, learners will develop and explore skills to empower themselves as leaders.
free course icon
level 3: advanced icon
Education & Development
An appreciative approach to inquiry
This free course, An appreciative approach to inquiry, is designed to support groups of practitioners or individuals adopt an appreciative inquiry approach to reflecting, questioning, and developing their collective or individual practices. It is particularly aimed at those working in education at any level and any context to engage in teacher ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
History & The Arts
Diversity in religion: Islam
In this short course, Diversity in religion: Islam, you will explore how attitudes and opinions within a single religious tradition can be internally diverse. You will look at Islam in particular, considering the diversity of Muslim attitudes to same-sex relationships. This will focus mainly on relationships between men because Muslim legal ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Education & Development
Introducing multidisciplinary study at The Open University
This free course, Introducing multidisciplinary study at The Open University, provides an overview of the materials and resources there are to support you if you’re studying or thinking about studying an Open qualification (Degree, and/or Masters) with The Open University. It provides useful background information to the qualifications and helps...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Money & Business
Gweithio hybrid: cynllunio ar gyfer y dyfodol
Oherwydd pandemig COVID-19 yn 2020, bu rhaid i sefydliadau gynllunio ac addasu o fewn wythnos er mwyn symud eu gweithlu cyfan bron i weithio o bell, ac roedd yn rhaid i'r rheini a oedd yn gorfod aros 'ar y safle’ roi mesurau diogelwch ar waith yn gyflym. Roedd hwn yn ymateb byd-eang digynsail na fyddai llawer o sefydliadau wedi'u rhagweld a bu ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Money & Business
Hybrid working: planning for the future
In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic organisations had to plan and adapt within a week to move almost their entire workforce to remote working, and those who had to remain in ‘onsite’ environments had to quickly implement safety measures. This was an unprecedented global response that many organisations would not have foreseen and had to adjust ...