
Society, Politics & Law
STiP@50 Celebrations
STiP@50 celebrates fifty years of distance learning at The Open Univeristy along with Systems Thinking. Find out more about systems thinking in practice with these podcasts and videos.

Science, Maths & Technology
Mastering systems thinking in practice
This free course, Mastering systems thinking in practice, provides a primer for someone wanting to take the postgraduate qualifications in Systems Thinking in Practice. It will help you develop new ways of thinking about and approaching situations that cross multiple discipline and skill boundaries. You will learn to think more holistically ...

Money & Business
Systems explained by Humberto Maturana
In May 2021, Humberto Maturana, a Chilean Biologist, died aged 92. In these videos he explains the differences between information transfer within biological and non-biological systems.

Science, Maths & Technology
Systems Thinking: Diagramming Tutorials
Explore a range of systems diagrams and learn how to draw them - from spray, rich picture, systems map, influence, multiple cause and sign.

Digital & Computing
Managing complexity: a systems approach
Do you need to change the way you think when faced with a complex situation? Managing complexity: a systems approach, is a free course that examines how systemic thinking and practice enables you to cope with the connections between things, events and ideas. By taking a broader perspective complexity becomes manageable and it is easier to accept...

Digital & Computing
Managing complexity: A systems approach – introduction
Do you need to change the way you think when faced with a complex situation? This free course, Managing complexity: A systems approach introduction, examines how systemic thinking and practice enables you to cope with the connections between things, events and ideas. By taking a broader perspective complexity becomes manageable and it is easier...

Digital & Computing
Systems diagramming
Please note: This course contains a Flash activity which is no longer playable. It is being updated. This course can still be studied, but you may like to postpone your study for now if you would rather have the full experience.

Science, Maths & Technology
Strategic planning: systems thinking in practice
Strategic planning: systems thinking in practice is a free course introducing core ideas of systems thinking in practice for managing and improving complex situations. The ideas correspond with three core activities of, firstly, understanding inter-relationships, secondly, engaging with multiple perspectives, and thirdly, reflecting on boundary ...

Digital & Computing
Systems engineering: Challenging complexity
This free course, Systems engineering: Challenging complexity, examines system engineering and why it is important. You will learn to identify and evaluate the importance of relationships within the process and assess the relative importance of stakeholders. You will also be able to classify a systems engineering project in terms of the balance ...

Digital & Computing
Successful IT systems
Information technology (IT) systems are a critical part of our world, in business and the public and voluntary sectors. They are often highly complex and interconnected combinations of technology, organisations and people. Success and failure of IT systems can be seen in many different settings. Many are highly successful; others fail, sometimes...

Money & Business
Systems thinking: a select glossary
Get to grips with the terms which drive systems thinking.

Nature & Environment
Environmental management and organisations
It is believed that environmental management requires action at all levels and by organisations of all types and sizes. However it is not always clear what we mean by environmental management and the role that organisations do and could play. This free course, explores the different interpretations and viewpoints involved by using system ...