🌍 Free Online Courses 🎓 OpenLearn by The Open University: 952 Free Short Courses 📚

At Youth Works Hub, we reviewed the OpenLearn free course catalogue from The Open University. It lists 952 free short courses across 9 subject areas, at 3 levels and from 1 hour to more than 24 hours of study, available online with no start or end date.

What OpenLearn Is

OpenLearn is a free learning platform, delivered by The Open University as part of its Royal Charter commitment to support the wellbeing of the community. Whether it is a five minute exploration or a 24-hour expedition into learning, OpenLearn offers it for free. The platform reaches over 6 million learners a year, and besides the free courses it hosts topical and interactive content, videos and online games.

Some courses are based on Open University course materials, while others are written specifically for OpenLearn. The courses always focus on a specific area of learning: some cover academic subjects, whilst others help you develop skills needed for study or work.

952 Courses Across 9 Subject Areas

The catalogue shows 952 free courses in total. A course can belong to more than one subject, so the subject counts below add up to more than 952:

📖 Education & Development: 429 courses.

🩺 Health, Sports & Psychology: 234 courses.

🔬 Science, Maths & Technology: 206 courses.

⚖️ Society, Politics & Law: 153 courses.

💼 Money & Business: 146 courses.

🏛️ History & The Arts: 145 courses.

🗣️ Languages: 77 courses.

🌿 Nature & Environment: 69 courses.

💻 Digital & Computing: 41 courses.

Three Levels of Study

OpenLearn has 3 levels of study for courses. If you are new to higher education, the recommended starting point is a free course at an introductory level.

🌱 Level 1 Introductory: 485 courses, for those new to a subject, covering the basic and essential concepts across a range of subjects.

📈 Level 2 Intermediate: 274 courses, if you have some familiarity with a subject area but want to know more.

🎓 Level 3 Advanced: 190 courses, for a more critical understanding of a subject and to take your learning further.

How Long a Course Takes

The suggested study time is shown on each course:

⏱️ 1 - 3 hours: 100 courses.

🕓 4 - 9 hours: 391 courses.

🕙 10 - 24 hours: 434 courses.

🏔️ 24+ hours: 27 courses.

Courses have no start and end date. You can start right away or at a time that suits you, work through at your own pace, and spend as long as you like on a course.

Languages of the Courses

The catalogue includes 910 courses in English, 38 in Welsh and 4 in Ukrainian. The language filter also offers Dutch, Estonian, French, German, Greek, Italian, Lithuanian, Macedonian and Spanish.

Badged Courses

Badged courses are a separate group of 84 courses. Each includes a formal assessment: complete it and pass to earn a verified digital Open University badge that you can share or add to your CV. Your badge and Statement of Participation can be downloaded from your OpenLearn Profile, and the majority of the badged courses are CPD accredited.

⏳ Badged courses are 24 hours in length and require you to read every page of the course and pass the compulsory online quizzes.

🏷️ Badges do not carry formal credit but show interest in a subject and commitment to your career, and can be shared on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

🎯 Examples of subjects among the badged courses include cyber security, entrepreneurship, working in teams, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and understanding autism.

Statement of Participation

On successful completion of a free course you can access and download a free Open University Statement of Participation as a PDF, to use alongside your digital badge if the course offers one. To receive it you must:

📖 Read the course Introduction and Guidance.

📝 Be enrolled on the course.

✅ Read every page of the course and submit any quizzes within it.

📬 Wait up to 24 hours: you are notified by email, and it also appears in the Achievements section of your My OpenLearn Profile.

Free courses do not carry any formal credit towards a qualification, and completing one does not make you an Open University student or give you an open.ac.uk email address.

How to Join a Course

You do not need to create an account to view the courses, but creating one is free and lets you enrol on courses and track your learning. Anyone can use the site; to create an account you must be aged 13 or over.

🧾 Create an OU account using the button in the top right hand corner.

🔑 Follow the "Sign in to return to the page you were on" button and sign in with your new username and password.

📚 Enrol on as many free courses as you like. Your profile then displays the courses you have completed and keeps track of your progress.

▶️ Start from the Introduction under "Course content", then move through the course using the left hand navigation or the "Next" and "Previous" buttons.

What an Account Gives You

📊 A course progress bar that gives an overview of how far you are through each course.

🗂️ A My OpenLearn profile with a record of your learning, including Statements of Participation and badges you have earned.

🔖 The option to return to where you left off, through the "In progress" list and the Activity Record.

📥 The option to download Statements of participation and badges as they are awarded.

Study Support and Formats

🧑‍🏫 OpenLearn does not provide a tutor. Many pages have a Comments section where logged-in users can connect with other learners, but this is no longer available on the free course pages.

📄 Alternative formats of course material are available on each course page through the Download this course box: Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, Amazon Kindle and ePub.

🎧 Most audio and video comes with a transcript, and some audio and video files can be downloaded where the rights allow.

📱 OpenLearn works in any web browser on PC, Mac or a mobile device such as a tablet.

Where to Take Your Learning Next

Free courses are not formally accredited, but The Open University points to two possible routes into studying an Open University qualification: an Access module and a Making your learning count module. To take an Open University qualification and have the support of a tutor and sit examinations, you need to register for an Open University course.

Copyright and Reuse

In the free courses in which The Open University owns copyright, the materials are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share-Alike licence. Use must be non-commercial, you must cite The Open University and retain the name of any original authors, and any derivative works must be shared on the same terms. Educators are encouraged to use OpenLearn content in the classroom.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many free courses does OpenLearn have?

The catalogue lists 952 free short courses. They cover 9 subject areas, 3 levels and study times from 1 hour to more than 24 hours.

Do I need an account to take an OpenLearn course?

You do not need an account to view the courses. A free account lets you enrol on courses, track your progress and receive a Statement of Participation or digital badge. To create an account you must be aged 13 or over.

Are OpenLearn courses really free?

Yes. All the courses are free to study, and a Statement of Participation is free on successful completion. Some courses also offer a free digital badge.

Do OpenLearn courses give university credit?

No. The Statement of Participation and digital badges do not carry any formal credit towards a qualification, and OpenLearn does not give you any Open University qualifications.

What do the course levels mean?

Level 1 is introductory, for those new to a subject. Level 2 is intermediate, for those with some familiarity. Level 3 is advanced, for a more critical understanding of a subject.