Free courses

Produced 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 9 different subject areas. Our courses are available to start right away.

Grid List Results: 76 items
A brief history of communication: hieroglyphics to emojis free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Languages

A brief history of communication: hieroglyphics to emojis

This free course, A brief history of communication: hieroglyphics to emojis, is an introduction to the history of writing, and the key role it plays in human communication. It tracks this history from the invention of writing around 5500 years ago to the mass popularity of emojis today.

Free course
5 hrs
Intermediate French: Understanding spoken French free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Languages

Intermediate French: Understanding spoken French

This free course, Intermediate French: Understanding spoken French, is aimed at intermediate learners of French with an interest in language and culture. It is designed to develop your understanding of spoken French through six video portraits of people living in the Touraine region in France and in Brussels in Belgium. It introduces you to ...

Free course
6 hrs
Translation as a career free course icon level 3: advanced icon

Languages

Translation as a career

This free course explores translation as a career. During the course you will meet professional translators discussing their work and reflect on what they say. You will assess your own language level and find out how translators maintain their language skills. You will also engage in a short translation activity.

Free course
4 hrs
Intermediate German: Understanding spoken German free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Languages

Intermediate German: Understanding spoken German

This free course, Intermediate German: Understanding spoken German, is aimed at intermediate learners of German with an interest in language and culture. The six-hour-course is designed to develop your understanding of spoken German through video portraits of people in the German cities of Hamburg and Passau. It introduces you to naturally ...

Free course
6 hrs
Beginners’ French: food and drink free course icon level 1: introductory icon

Languages

Beginners’ French: food and drink

Improve your language skills by learning to communicate more easily and effectively in French. In this free course, Beginners' French: food and drink, you will also gain an insight into French societies and cultures through focusing on food and drink. You will listen to French speakers in a variety of situations, and you will be provided with ...

Free course
5 hrs
Advanced French: At the science museum in Paris free course icon level 3: advanced icon

Languages

Advanced French: At the science museum in Paris

Using the topic of science and technology in France, this free course, Advanced French: At the science museum in Paris, will show you how to structure arguments, write a summary, use the subjunctive, report numbers and express wishes in French.

Free course
15 hrs
Cultures free course icon level 2: intermediate icon

Languages

Cultures

In this free course, Cultures, you will address the question of traditional music and music from the francophone world, and you will examine the place they occupy in the world of artistic creation. The course is divided into three sections: 'Is traditional music, current music?', 'The musical heritage of Normandy' and 'Music of the francophone ...

Free course
5 hrs
How to be a critical reader free course icon level 2: intermediate icon

Languages

How to be a critical reader

In this free course you will focus on how to be a critical reader. Reading critically is an essential skill at university. It means being aware of your own purposes and opinions as you read and being able to recognise the writer's purposes and opinions in their writing.

Free course
7 hrs
Intermediate Italian: describing people free course icon level 2: intermediate icon

Languages

Intermediate Italian: describing people

This free course, Intermediate Italian: describing people, requires some basic knowledge of Italian. It focuses on describing both physical appearance and personality, as well as on developing listening skills and work on pronunciation.

Free course
8 hrs
Grammar matters free course icon level 3: advanced icon

Languages

Grammar matters

Grammar matters because, combined with vocabulary choice, it is our main way of making meaning. This free course introduces you to one approach used to understand how meanings relate systematically to different aspects of grammar and shows how this deeper understanding can be applied to make everyday communication more effective.

Free course
8 hrs
Advanced Spanish: Language in context free course icon level 3: advanced icon

Languages

Advanced Spanish: Language in context

This free course, Advanced Spanish: Language in context, will develop your knowledge and understanding of the societies and cultures of Spain and Latin America and extend the practical skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The course focuses on the many ways in which living languages - notably Spanish - adapt to the contexts in ...

Free course
4 hrs
Form and uses of language free course icon level 1: introductory icon

History & The Arts

Form and uses of language

In this free course, Form and uses of language, we will consider how language can be used in different ways for different purposes. To do this we will use the theme of memorial and commemoration. In the first section we briefly discuss the life of the poet Siegfried Sassoon before examining both his poetry and his prose. Through this we will see...

Free course
4 hrs