Study skills
Studying can be daunting. These free courses will refresh your study skills and prepare you for success.
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Education & Development
Making social media work in Higher Education
This free course explores the potential of social media as a space that can be used in higher education/University to enhance educational experiences. It examines how students can take advantage of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp to engage and connect with other fellow students and their lecturers. While, also examining the ...
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Society, Politics & Law
Reading and note taking – preparation for study
Reading and note taking are two essential study skills. How do you read? This free course, Reading and note taking preparation for study, will introduce you to different techniques to help you to alter the way you read according to the type of material you are studying. You will also learn the techniques behind successful note taking and how to...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Working with charts, graphs and tables
When you come across information represented in charts, graphs and tables, you'll need to know how to interpret this information. This free course, Working with charts, graphs and tables, will help you to develop the skills you need to do this. For further study, there's another course titled 'More working with charts, graphs and tables' which ...
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Digital & Computing
Presenting information
Tables and charts are a great way to present numerical information in a clear and concise form. This free course, Presenting information, explains how to use the Windows calculator to carry out basic operations and calculate percentages. You will then learn how to use charts and tables to represent and interpret information.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Starting with maths: Patterns and formulas
Patterns occur everywhere in art, nature, science and especially mathematics. Being able to recognise, describe and use these patterns is an important skill that helps you to tackle a wide variety of different problems. This free course, Starting with maths: Patterns and formulas, explores some of these patterns, from ancient number patterns ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Learning, thinking and doing
How do we learn? Understanding how is the key to learning more effectively. This free course, Learning, thinking and doing, looks at the three main categories of theories: the acquisitive, constructivist and experiential models of learning. There is no right way to learn but developing an active approach will ensure that you are open to new ideas.
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Education & Development
Extending and developing your thinking skills
Diagrams, mind-maps, tables, graphs, time lines, flow charts, sequence diagrams, decision trees: all can be used to organise thought. This free course, Extending and developing your thinking skills, will introduce you to a variety of thinking skills. Asking and answering questions is at the heart of high-quality thinking. Questions naturally ...
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Education & Development
Introducing multidisciplinary study at The Open University
This free course, Introducing multidisciplinary study at The Open University, provides an overview of the materials and resources there are to support you if you’re studying or thinking about studying an Open qualification (Degree, and/or Masters) with The Open University. It provides useful background information to the qualifications and helps...
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Society, Politics & Law
Reading evidence
What is active reading? It is reading with the aim of understanding and grasping something. While studying this free course, Reading evidence, you will be focusing on the variety of methods for presenting and organising qualitative and quantitative evidence in the form of numbers and text. You will learn how to understand the ways in which ...
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Time management and study
Whether you’re a full or part-time student, studying is likely to mean adding another commitment to your life. Having a lot to balance can sometimes affect our wellbeing and leave us feeling overwhelmed.
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Education & Development
How can I cope with exam stress?
The exam period brings with it extra challenges - but if you manage your stress, you can make it through. Teena Clouston has some tips, and you may turn your papers over now.
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Applying to study for a PhD in psychology
This free OpenLearn course is for psychology students and graduates who are interested in PhD study at some future point. Even if you have met PhD students and heard about their projects, it is likely that you have only a vague idea of what PhD study entails. This course is intended to give you more information.
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