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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Science, Maths & Technology
Microelectronic solutions for digital photography
The human eye is a fascinating and complicated device, but how do digital cameras capture images? This free course, Microelectronic solutions for digital photography, examines one of the humanmachine interfaces that link optical information to the electronic world. You will learn how the components within a digital camera capture images for ...

Science, Maths & Technology
General principles of cellular communication
Learn about how cells sense and respond to extrinsic stimuli, a capacity that allows them to communicate with each other and to respond to changes in their environment. This free course, General principles of cellular communication, explains cell signalling pathways in general terms and identifies some of the universal characteristics of ...

Science, Maths & Technology
Cell signalling
This free course, Cell signalling, explains the general principles of signal transduction and specifically, how even the simplest organisms can detect and respond to events in their ever-changing environment.

Science, Maths & Technology
Analytical science: secrets of the Mary Rose
This free course, Analytical science: secrets of the Mary Rose, teaches you about the analytical techniques that are used in the research and investigation of historical objects using the case study of the Mary Rose. It covers the use of sonar to locate shipwrecks, and the analysis of the artefacts found on the ship, and the crew and their remains.

Science, Maths & Technology
Working mathematically
This free course, Working mathematically, is aimed at teachers who wish to review how they go about the practice of teaching mathematics, those who are considering becoming mathematics teachers, or those who are studying mathematics courses and would like to understand more about the teaching and learning process.

Science, Maths & Technology
Group theory
This free course consolidates and builds on group theory studied at OU level 2 or equivalent. Section 1 describes how to construct a group called the direct product of two given groups, and then describes certain conditions under which a group can be regarded as the direct product of its subgroups. Section 2 describes the key properties of the ...

Science, Maths & Technology
What are waves?
This free course, What are waves? explains what waves are. It describes different types of wave as well as their properties. You can listen to the song of a humpback whale and learn about the process of echolocation which is used by dolphins to locate their food. You will also conduct your own online research into how bats use echolocation to ...

Society, Politics & Law
Getting started with SPSS
Handling statistical data is an essential part of psychological research. However, many people find the idea of using statistics, and especially statistical software packages, extremely daunting. This free course, Getting started with SPSS, takes a step-by-step approach to statistics software through seven interactive activities. No statistics ...

Science, Maths & Technology
Visualisation: visual representations of data and information
Modern society is often referred to as 'the information society' - but how can we make sense of all the information we are bombarded with? In this free course, Visualisation: visual representations of data and information, you will learn how to interpret, and in some cases create, visual representations of data and information that help us to ...

Science, Maths & Technology
Proteins
In this free course we explore proteins and how they are the 'doers' of the cell. They are huge in number and variety and diverse in structure and function, serving both the structural building blocks and the functional machinery of the cell. Just about every process in every cell requires specific proteins. The basic principles of protein ...

Science, Maths & Technology
Gene testing
This free course, Gene testing, looks at three different uses of genetic testing: pre-natal diagnosis, childhood testing and adult testing. Such tests provide genetic information in the form of a predictive diagnosis, and as such are described as predictive tests. Pre-natal diagnosis uses techniques such as amniocentesis to test fetuses in the ...

Science, Maths & Technology
The Moon
As the only planetary body everyone is familiar with seeing in the sky, the Moon has long been an object of fascination and speculation. This free course will teach you about the nearest planetary body to Earth: the missions to the Moon, the basic facts of its composition, the cratering on its surface, and the ancient eruptions that flooded many...