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 8 different subject areas. Our courses are available to start right away.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Approaches to software development
This free course, Approaches to software development, presents an engineering approach to the development of software systems – a software engineering approach. The course pays particular attention to issues of software quality, in terms of both product (what is built) and process (how we build it).
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Nature & Environment
Energy resources: tidal energy
The rise and fall of ocean tides result from the combined gravitational pull on water by the Moon and, to a lesser extent, the Sun, which exerts a force on water directed towards the two astronomical bodies. These gravitational effects combine with centrifugal forces that result from the Earth and the Moon orbiting each other. All of which ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Systems practice: Managing sustainability
This free course, Systems practice: Managing sustainability, introduces ways in which systems thinking can help support processes of decision making amongst stakeholders with different, often contrasting, perspectives on sustainable development in order to generate purposeful action to improve situations of change and uncertainty. You will learn...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Introducing vectors for engineering applications
Applied mathematics is a key skill for practicing engineers and mathematical modelling is an ever-increasing field within engineering. This free course, Introducing vectors for engineering applications, covers one aspect of a Level 1 engineering module, the application of vectors and vector algebra, using examples inspired by engineering ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Learn to code for data analysis
This free course will teach you how to write your own computer programs, one line of code at a time. You'll learn how to access open data, clean and analyse it, and produce visualisations. You will also learn how to write up and share your analyses, privately or publicly.
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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
Theories in technology evaluation
This free course, Theories in technology evaluation, is devoted to exploring and analysing the theoretical and political nature of evaluation and assessment. It introduces theories and paradigms that play important roles in how we design, conduct and use evaluations and assessments, and deals with the thorny issue of participation in evaluation.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Nutrition: vitamins and minerals
Both vitamins and minerals are essential in the diet in small quantities. Learn about the two main vitamin groups and the major mineral elements. This free course, Nutrition: vitamins and minerals, looks at the two main groups of vitamins: the fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K; and the water-soluble vitamins, the B group and vitamin C. It also...
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Education & Development
Take your teaching online
In this free course, Take your teaching online, you will gain knowledge fundamental to delivering effective teaching online. You will hear about the experiences of real educators, be introduced to cutting edge research, and understand the ideas and tools that shape how we teach and learn online. You will also learn useful methods that will ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Understanding cardiovascular diseases
Your heart beats around 100,000 times every day and, in that time, pumps about 23,000 litres of blood around your body. But what happens when it doesn't work as well as it should? This free course, Understanding cardiovascular diseases, explains what happens in cardiovascular disease, when the heart's performance is affected, how the normal ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Modelling object-oriented software – an introduction
How do you model a software system? This free course, Modelling object-oriented software an introduction, will help you to work through the processes necessary to produce a conceptual model, by analysing the requirements document to identify classes and associations appropriate for modelling the system domain, together with their respective ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Moons of our Solar System
In this free course, Moons of our Solar System, explore the many moons of our Solar System. Find out what makes them special. Should we send humans to our Moon again?