All our free courses
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Nature & Environment
Studying mammals: Plant predators
From the mouse-deer to the elephant, plant eaters come in all shapes and sizes. But how do they manage to flourish on a salad diet? In this free course, Studying mammals: Plant predators, we will examine the special features that allow them to extract their nutrients from leaves, and see how some plants protect themselves from these predators. ...
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Children’s wellbeing and creativity
The course is based on selected content from the level 2 module KE207 Supporting children and young people’s wellbeing. The course will explain what wellbeing is and how creative activities may be used to support it with children and young people. Students will examine case examples related to dance, sport and art.
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Science, Maths & Technology
The metagenomics revolution: an introduction
Metagenomics, the study of genetic material directly recovered from biological and environmental samples, is revolutionising biomedicine and environmental science. This free course will help you to learn how metagenomics works and how it can be used in a wide range of applications such as studying microbes, diagnosing disease, and contributing ...
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Society, Politics & Law
Oedraniaeth a gwahaniaethu ar sail oedran
Mae’r cwrs hwn yn canolbwyntio ar oedraniaeth tuag at bobl hŷn, gan ystyried y stereoteipiau, y rhagfarnau a’r camwahaniaethu sy’n eu hwynebu, a’r effaith y gall y rhain ei chael.
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Society, Politics & Law
Ageism and age discrimination
This course will focus on the ageism targeted at older people, looking at the stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination they experience and the impact they can have.
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Society, Politics & Law
Bun-chùrsa mu bhith a’ dèanamh atharrachadh poilitigeach is sòisealta
Written in a moment of multiple crises – environmental, economic, political, social and health-related – ‘An Introduction to making political and social change’ gives you a grounding in some of the key citizenship skills and information you will need to intervene in the world as it changes around you. This free course explores how you can make ...
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Society, Politics & Law
Cyflwyniad i greu newid gwleidyddol a chymdeithasol
Ac yntau wedi’i ysgrifennu mewn cyfnod heriol - yn amgylcheddol, yn economaidd, yn wleidyddol, yn gymdeithasol ac o ran iechyd, mae ‘Cyflwyniad i wneud newid gwleidyddol a chymdeithasol’ yn rhoi sylfaen i chi ar gyfer rhai o’r sgiliau dinasyddiaeth a’r wybodaeth wleidyddol allweddol sydd eu hangen arnoch i ymyrryd yn y byd wrth iddo newid o’ch ...
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level 1: introductory icon
Society, Politics & Law
Introduction to making political and social change
Written in a moment of multiple crises – environmental, economic, political, social and health-related – ‘An Introduction to making political and social change’ gives you a grounding in some of the key citizenship skills and information you will need to intervene in the world as it changes around you. This free course explores how you can make ...
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level 1: introductory icon
Society, Politics & Law
You and your world: Introducing the social sciences
How can the social sciences help you think about the world around you? This free course introduces you to skills and knowledge that can help you question, understand and contribute to society. This course starts by acknowledging the ever-changing nature of society and social relationships and then asks you to think about your own place in ...
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History & The Arts
Start writing fiction
Have you always wanted to write, but never quite had the courage to start? This free course, Start writing fiction, will give you an insight into how authors create their characters and settings. You will also be able to look at the different genres for fiction.
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Health, Sports & Psychology
How places affect well-being
This free course looks at how where people live affects their well-being. This includes the kind of neighbourhood people live in, how places are organised and run, as well as the detail of the layout of buildings. You will learn about some of the ways that psychologists explain the links between places and well-being. This includes some of the ...
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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
Language in professional life
This free course explores English language use across a range of professions, drawing on audio and video interviews, video footage of different workplaces and short texts for analysis. Over the six weeks, you’ll look at how language is used in branding, English for academic purposes, organisational culture, health communication, speech and ...
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Money & Business
Leadership challenges in turbulent times
Welcome to Leadership challenges in turbulent times, a free course offered by the Open University. We are excited to join you on your journey to explore leadership in the turbulent times that we live in.
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Extreme endurance performances – who, what and why?
This free course explores what we mean by ‘extreme endurance performance’ and why increasing numbers of people are attracted to these events. What is it about extreme feats of physical activity that motivate people to participate in them, and where is the limit to what the human body is capable of achieving? This course examines the subject from...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Exploring cells with digital fluorescence microscopy
In this free course, you will learn about microscopy techniques, understand their differences and delve into the fascinating world of fluorescence microscopy. You’ll learn how to make proteins and structures fluorescent, and you’ll see why fluorescence microscopy is one of the most versatile techniques in cell biology. You can refresh your ...
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Health, Sports & Psychology
Exploring critical social work practice
What does it mean to be a critical social worker and how can adopting a critical approach improve outcomes for people that use services? This free course, Exploring critical social work practice will support you to question assumptions and navigate complexity as a critical social worker. Through practice scenarios and reflective activities, you ...
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Digital & Computing
Introduction to cyber security: stay safe online
Protect your digital life with this free course introducing the essentials of cyber security. Learn how to spot online threats, keep your information safe and understand key topics like malware, network security and identity theft — helping you stay secure at home, at work, and beyond.