This free course, Critical criminology and the social sciences, will provide you with an insight into some of the main disciplines within the social sciences, focusing in particular on critical criminology. It will begin by outlining some of the defining characteristics of the social science disciplines of psychology, law, sociology and critical...

This free course introduces you to critical thinking as a tool for psychology. As you work your way through the course you will learn what critical thinking is, and why it is important to use in the study of psychology. In particular, it will help you to think about how to use it when doing independent research. This OpenLearn course is an...

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.

Learn about trust in the organisational context. This free course, Developing high trust work relationships, introduces the concept of trust, what it means to you and how it may affect your organisation.

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 ...

A 'normal' childhood depends on where you live and when you're born. Heather Montgomery wonders how some common British practices might look to other cultures.

Build your confidence online with this free course designed to help you thrive in the digital world. Explore key skills such as managing your digital identity, staying safe, finding reliable information, and maintaining digital well-being — all while developing a critical, reflective approach to life online.

Ever since the very beginning of humanity, tools have played a pivotal role in who we are and what we do. Tools for recording, processing and communicating information have a time-honoured history – from the clay tokens used in Mesopotamia to mechanical calculating machines. The invention of the digital computer has boosted the scale, speed and ...

This free course, Discovering disorder: young people and delinquency, will introduce two approaches to understanding juvenile delinquency. The psychological approach focuses on examining what makes some individuals, but not others, behave badly. The sociological approach looks at why some individuals and some behaviours, but not others, are ...

We have seen unprecedented numbers of refugees crossing borders over the last few years - what is life like for the children and young people making this journey?