Study skills
Studying can be daunting. These free courses will refresh your study skills and prepare you for success.
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level 1: introductory icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Diagrams, charts and graphs
Diagrams, charts and graphs are used by all sorts of people to express information in a visual way, whether it's in a report by a colleague or a plan from your interior designer. This free course will teach you how to interpret these tools and how to use them yourself to convey information more effectively.
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Education & Development
Using Turnitin effectively: building integrity into your writing
This short online course introduces you to Turnitin and demonstrates how it can be used formatively to enhance your learning and strengthen your understanding of academic integrity. Academic integrity is a fundamental principle of honest education and assessment, reflecting your commitment to producing and submitting work that is authentically ...
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level 3: advanced icon
History & The Arts
Introducing music research
Introducing music research provides you with insights into the wide variety of possibilities for studying music at postgraduate level. In this free course you will explore diverse musical topics through four themes: inclusions and exclusions, practice, technology, and community. You will encounter music from different times, places and genres ...
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Education & Development
Building confidence in using online forums
Learn about the benefits of online learning forums, with strategies for participating more fully.
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Health, Sports & Psychology
At a crossroads: navigating work and/or family alongside study
Balancing the demands of studying with family or employment responsibilities can be difficult. This interactive explores different challenges, including lack of understanding and support from family members and employers, time pressures, and dealing with the emotional side of navigating work, family and study. Based on the real-life experiences ...
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level 3: advanced icon
Languages
Grammar matters
Grammar matters because, combined with vocabulary choice, it is our main way of making meaning. This free course introduces you to one approach used to understand how meanings relate systematically to different aspects of grammar and shows how this deeper understanding can be applied to make everyday communication more effective.
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level 1: introductory icon
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Education & Development
All my own work: exploring academic integrity
Are you currently studying? This free course, All my own work: exploring academic integrity, is designed to help you build confidence in producing your own work for academic purposes. You will explore what plagiarism is and how to avoid it, and learn how and when to reference. The course also includes an interactive to work through, which will ...
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level 1: introductory icon
Health, Sports & Psychology
Supporting university students with a mental health condition
There is an increasing prevalence of university students who need mental health support and university staff benefit from training on this topic. This course explores this phenomenon, drawing on an Open University study on how staff (tutors) can support students with a mental health condition, and considers both what staff and institutions can ...
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level 1: introductory icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Introduction to algebra
This free course is an introduction to algebra which builds on the idea of using letters to represent numbers. Section 1 looks at finding, simplifying and using formulas and includes useful tips on learning algebra. Section 2 introduces some of the terminology used in algebra and techniques such as evaluating and checking equivalence of ...
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level 1: introductory icon
Education & Development
Revision and examinations
Do you get stressed at the thought of an examination? Does the idea of revision fill you with dread? This free course, Revision and examinations, will provide a host of tips to help you improve your revision and examination techniques and enable you to manage your time effectively by creating a timetable for your revision.
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level 2: intermediate icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Building motivation and resilience in research
Facing setbacks and demotivation in research? Progress is rarely linear, and challenges like failed experiments or rejected proposals are a natural part of the journey. This course is designed to help you stay motivated, handle setbacks constructively, and turn obstacles into opportunities. This course equips researchers across all fields and...
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Languages
Write it right: seven common writing mistakes
Tutors told us about common writing mistakes which can impact the grades students receive for their Open University assignments.
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