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.
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Nature & Environment
Animals at the extremes: the desert environment
Animal life has adapted to survive in the most unlikely and inhospitable habitats. This free course, Animals at the extremes: the desert environment, looks at the surprisingly diverse desert climates throughout the world and mammals, birds, lizards and amphibians that survive there. It splits these animals into three groups according to their ...
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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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Nature & Environment
Nature matters in conversation
This free course, Nature matters in conversation, focuses on the substance of environmental responsibility-what matters. The question 'What should constitute our prime focus of attention' can prompt different responses. We consider two points of contrast in differing focuses on what matters: 1 a distinction between nature and the environment 2...
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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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Nature & Environment
School activities: Evolutionary tree of mammals
This introduction to the evolution of mammals considers Darwin's observations on mammals and how he noticed that species fell into natural groups. This free course, School activities: Evolutionary tree of mammals, looks at evidence from fossils and DNA to examine which mammals are most closely related to whales.
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Nature & Environment
Climate change: transitions to sustainability
Human societies have to take urgent action to end their dependences on fossil fuels. We have to alter the whole path of our development and decision making in order to make our societies both environmentally adaptable and sustainable. This free course, Climate change, takes on the task of trying to chart some of the ways in which it might be ...
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Nature & Environment
‘Land grab’: an environmental issue?
This free course, ‘Land grab’: an environmental issue?, explores how environmental problems are entangled with economic and political issues and offers tools for making sense of the complexity that results. The case of land grab illustrates how everyday issues such as food prices are caught up in connections that link different places, different...
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Nature & Environment
The environmental impact of teaching and learning
This free course, The environmental impact of teaching and learning, discusses the impact on the environment of carbon based teaching and learning in Higher Education Institutions. It introduces a suite of innovative tools and resources which have been designed to help assess and identify ways to reduce these impacts.
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Nature & Environment
Introducing environmental decision making
Many of the decisions we make have implications for our environment, particularly those concerning natural resources and waste. Taking account of environmental factors in decision making can be both complex and challenging. This free course, Introducing environmental decision making, considers decisions in their broader contexts and advocates a ...
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Nature & Environment
Operations, technology and stakeholder value
The management of processes or operations is the very essence of any kind of business enterprise, and it is critically important that they are designed and managed well. This free course, Operations, technology and stakeholder value, uses case studies and models to illustrate the importance of effective operations management and outlines the ...
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Nature & Environment
Logframe planning
As a way of thinking about projects, Logical Framework Analysis helps to focus on some key questions during the project design process. This free course, Logframe planning, improves your understanding of and practice with the structure of the logframe matrix using an animated overview with voice-over commentary followed by interactive questions ...
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Nature & Environment
Working with our environment: an introduction
Global warming: are we responsible? Is our environmental impact damaging the planet? This free course, Working with our environment: an introduction, examines the use of ozone-depleting technology, the impact of fossil fuel use and explores how the development of technology can influence the direction of a society. From the Industrial Revolution...