Free online learning

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It doesn’t matter if you’re into art or zoology, or whether you have five minutes or 50 hours. We’ve got a huge range of free online learning to help you explore your passion. We publish courses, games, videos, podcasts, ebooks and much more on OpenLearn and other sites around the web.

OpenLearn Scotland hub

OpenLearn is a site of free online learning from The Open University. It gives you access to Open University course materials and expert opinion on topical issues. You'll find around 1,000 free courses, totalling 12,000 hours of learning.

Resources developed for Scotland include OpenLearn Scotland - a hub of free resources on the nation's history, society and culture.

Other Scottish or related resources on OpenLearn and OpenLearn Create:

Bespoke online portals to relevant OpenLearn content, developed by The Open University in Scotland for: workers who are at risk of redundancy; jobseekers and young people; community councils; and for the community learning and development workforce.
Carer Aware at University - a module for staff at all universities in Scotland, to improve support for students who are also carers.
Caring Counts - a self-reflection and planning course specifically for carers.
Caring Counts in the Workplace - a reflection and planning course for managers and policy makers.
Foundations for self-directed support in Scotland - funded by the Scottish Government to provide a broad grounding in personalisation to a wide range of people: service users, carers and those employed in health and social care.
Gaelic in modern Scotland – available in both English and Gaelic a free learning resource to raise awareness of Gaelic and encourage interest in learning the language.
Identifying and supporting additional support needs in early learning and childcare (ELC) - commissioned by the Scottish Government and produced in partnership with members of the OU's Early Childhood team.
Open Pathways to Higher Education - a guide for studying with informal OU learning and moving on to formal OU learning.
Race and place - a poem by Scots Makar (Scotland's national poet) and OU honorary graduate, Jackie Kay.
Scotland’s links with Caribbean slavery - an article by Scotland’s first Black professor, leading human rights and Open University honorary graduate, Prof Sir Geoff Palmer CD.
Sustainable Scotland - an introduction to different aspects of sustainability that impact on Scotland and the wider world.
The OU in Scotland has contributed to TV programmes made by The Open University, in collaboration with other broadcasters, including Gold Town, The Secret History of Our Streets: Scotland, History of Scotland, and Town with Nicholas Crane. There is more information on the OU BBC Partnership website.