All our free courses
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Badge icon
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.
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Languages
Machine translation in language learning and teaching
In this free course, you will learn to implement freely available online machine translation tools (OMT) such as Google Translate or DeepL into your language learning or teaching. The course is aimed at learners and teachers of all languages and levels. It introduces the uses of AI in language learning and provides activities and examples of ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Education & Development
An introduction to artificial intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents great opportunity, but also significant disruption for modern societies and cultures. This free online short course investigates the historical, ethical and social issues surrounding this technology. It is aimed at people interested in understanding where this technology has come from, the kinds of ...
free course icon
level 2: intermediate icon
History & The Arts
Who gets to be a human? Religion in colonial histories and Indigenous resistance
The global challenge of growing inequalities is intricately linked to the distinction made between those historically regarded as human and those who have not been. The division between ‘civilised’ and ‘non-civilised/primitive’ played a vital role in justifying the colonisation and enslavement of those who were deemed ‘lesser human’, ‘other ...
free course icon
level 2: intermediate icon
Health, Sports & Psychology
Effective writing in professional social work practice
This free course, Effective writing in professional social work practice, will introduce you to the importance of writing in professional social work. It will develop your understanding of the different ways that writing forms an integrated part of professional practice in the UK. People are at the centre of writing in social work practice, ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
History & The Arts
Exploring Ovid’s big ideas
In this free course, Exploring Ovid’s big ideas, you will find out why Ovid’s work is still so relevant today. You will meet characters from ancient myth like Actaeon the hunter who was turned into a stag, and Ta’aroa the ancient Pacific Islander god who lived in a shell. And you will discover how ancient stories still give us new ways of ...
free course icon
level 3: advanced icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Practising systems thinking in practice (STiP)
This free course provides a postgraduate level introduction to systems thinking in practice, or STiP. Systems thinking in practice itself has a long history and has developed from many different disciplinary traditions and used many different techniques and approaches, but all based on viewing complex situations as systems. The ideas about ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Languages
Introduction to Spanish
Learn how to talk about your work and your working day. You will learn vocabulary for different professions, say what your job is, and how you go to work. This course is an extract from the L106 Introduction to Spanish Studies (beginners) course. Whether you are a complete beginner or have some knowledge of Spanish you could give it a go and ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Badge icon
Money & Business
Working in teams
This course will help you consider your experience of working in teams and the different roles you play in them. It will increase your confidence in marketing this key skill to employers as well improve your ability to perform well in teams you are currently part of.
free course icon
level 2: intermediate icon
Money & Business
Fundamentals of cost accounting and environmental management accounting
This course is designed to provide you with a solid understanding of the principles and practices of cost accounting. Cost accounting enables managers to understand the true costs of products, services and processes in order to help them make informed decisions, control costs and improve the overall performance of the organisation. Throughout ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Society, Politics & Law
Expert evidence and forensic science in the courtroom
This free course gives an overview of the law of expert evidence, including practice and procedure, the duties and liabilities of experts, the question of how non-experts can adjudicate between the views of experts, and the increasing mathematisation of scientific evidence. The various issues are finally brought together in a case study of one ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Health, Sports & Psychology
Coaching neurodivergent athletes
This course is designed to improve the knowledge and understanding for anyone working with neurodivergent athletes in sport and exercise settings or with an interest in coaching neurodiverse athletes. Within the sport and exercise sector this may include those in coaching roles, as well as fitness instructors, personal trainers and wider ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Languages
Beginners’ Chinese: a taster course
Learn about Mandarin Chinese as a tool for communication and gain insights into Chinese society and culture. This free course, Beginners’ Chinese: a taster course, provides a brief introduction to the Chinese language, its scripts and sounds, and how words are formed. You will hear short conversations where people greet each other and introduce ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Data analysis: hypothesis testing
Making decisions about the world based on data requires a process that bridges the gap between unstructured data and the decision. Statistical hypothesis testing helps decision-making by formulating beliefs about the world, including people, organisations or other objects, and formally testing these beliefs. In this free course, you will ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Data analysis: visualisations in Excel
Evidence comes in the form of qualitative or quantitative data about the world around you. It is not always obvious, however, how to structure, aggregate, analyse or interpret the data to help you make decisions. In this free course, you will look at how to use data to make decisions in a systematic way using Microsoft Excel. Microsoft Excel ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Badge icon
Money & Business
Diversity and inclusion in the workplace
Do you feel concerned about a lack of diversity in your workplace? Is this something you want to address? Perhaps you’d like to feel more informed on a personal level before taking it further organisationally? This free course introduces you to the benefits and complexities of developing and supporting a diverse and inclusive workforce. It ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Science, Maths & Technology
The gut microbiome: balancing the body
This free course introduces the composition and functions of the human gut microbiome and explores how the gut microbiome interacts with different parts of the body. It explores how the gut microbiome can be altered by factors related to the human host (such as genetics, age, and the menopause) and through lifestyle factors (such as diet, ...
free course icon
level 1: introductory icon
Badge icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Understanding dyslexia
Dyslexia is a neurodivergent condition affecting over 10% of the population. It is often linked to reading and writing challenges, but also gives rise to strengths like creativity and problem-solving. Each individual experiences dyslexia differently. Despite its prevalence, it remains under-recognised globally. With proper understanding and ...