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
The making of individual differences
How do we become individuals? This free course, The making of individual differences, looks at how genes and the environment interact making each of us unique. Looking at the period between conception and birth you will examine the issues of nature or nurture to see which has the greatest impact.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Discovering chemistry
Chemistry lies at the centre of our modern life, playing a part in areas as diverse as the development of new drugs and materials, analysing our environment through to more mundane activities such as washing your clothes and making your tea. But to truly understand the role chemistry plays you need to have a sound grasp of a number of ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Working on your own mathematics
This free course, Working on your own mathematics, focuses on your initial encounters with research. It invites you to think about how perceptions of mathematics have influenced you in your prior learning, your teaching and the attitudes of learners.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Software development for enterprise systems
Enterprise systems are software applications that automate and integrate all many of the key business processes of an organisation. With some understanding of software development, in this free course, Software development for enterprise systems, you will learn about current development practices for this type of system and develop relevant ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Systems thinking: Understanding sustainability
This free course, Systems thinking: Understanding sustainability, introduces ways in which systems thinking can help support processes of decision making among stakeholders with different, often contrasting, perspectives on sustainable development in order to generate purposeful action to improve situations of change and uncertainty. You will be...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Achieving public dialogue
There are a wide range of interactions between 'science' and 'the public'. Examples range from visiting a museum, or indulging in a science-related hobby, to reading a newspaper article about a breakthrough in the techniques of therapeutic cloning. Many of these interactions could be said to be 'passive'. This free course, Achieving public ...
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Nature & Environment
Studying mammals: The insect hunters
From pygmy shrews to armadillos, a wide range of mammals survive on a diet made up largely of insects. Many of these have fascinating adaptations suited to catching or rooting out their prey. In this free course, Studying mammals: The insect hunters, you will learn about these adaptations, along with survival strategies for when food is scarce. ...
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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
Basic science: understanding experiments
This free course, Basic science: understanding experiments, introduces you to science-based skills through simple and exciting physics, chemistry and biology experiments.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Collisions and conservation laws
This free course, Collisions and conservation laws, begins by explaining elastic and inelastic collisions and then goes on to show how collisions may be quantified using the conservation of linear momentum and of kinetic energy. Interactive animations are used to illustrate this behaviour and video examples discuss collisions in the world around...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Everyday maths 1
This free course, Everyday maths 1, is designed to bring your learning to life, inspiring you to improve your current maths skills or helping you to remember any areas that you may have forgotten. Working through the examples and interactive activities in this course will help you to, among other things, run a household or make progress in your ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Understanding antibiotic resistance
Antibiotic resistance is a serious threat, compromising our ability to treat infections and increasing the risk of routine surgery. Resistant infections are increasing due to overuse of antibiotics and this has resulted in the emergence of 'superbugs' (bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics). This free course, Understanding antibiotic ...