The Open University offers 900+ free online courses via their OpenLearn platform. And these include free certificates of completion, and sometimes, badges.
Having completed a bachelor’s degree with the Open University, I (Manoel) can attest to the quality of their teaching, which extends into OpenLearn’s free courses across a wide variety of subjects, ranging from arts and language to science and technology.
In this Class Central article, we discuss OpenLearn, their free online course offerings, and how you can earn free certificates and badges.
- Platform
- Courses
- Free Certificates: How to Earn One
- More Free Certificates
- Questions about OpenLearn and The Open University
- A Selection of OpenLearn Courses by Subject
Platform
Launched in 2006, OpenLearn is the OpenCourseWare (OCW) platform of the Open University, the world’s first distance-learning university and one of Europe’s largest academic institutions, founded in 1969 following a push by the UK government to make higher education more accessible.
OpenLearn takes the form of a catalog of open educational resources (OER), including articles, podcasts, videos — and more than 900 free online courses.
Since the platform focuses on openness, you don’t actually need to create an account to access the learning materials. That said, if you do create an account, you’ll be able to save your progress, and upon finishing a course, you’ll unlock a free certificate of completion.
Courses
OpenLearn offers a wide variety of courses, as you can see above.
All the courses are on-demand, meaning they don’t have specific start and end dates. And they’re released under the Creative Commons license, meaning you can freely use the course materials in non-commercial contexts.
These can be broken down into three levels (introductory, intermediate, and advanced) and a range of subjects. Click on the shortcuts for a selection of courses. The full OpenLearn catalog can be found here:
Courses interleave readings, video, and audio materials, and they supplement them with auto-graded assignments, such as quizzes comprising multiple choice questions, as you can see above.
You can find the full list of free OpenLearn courses here. While most courses are in English, 39 courses are in Welsh and 4 in Ukranian.
Free Certificates: How to Earn One
The online courses offered on OpenLearn include a free certificate of completion like the one above. And some courses also include a free badge.
Here’s how to take a course on OpenLearn and earn free certificates and badges:
- Create an OpenLearn account here
- Find an an OpenLearn course here
- Enroll and finish the course.
As you work your way through the course materials and assignments, you’ll tick items off your course to-do list, and upon reaching 100% completion, you’ll unlock your free certificate.
Questions about OpenLearn and The Open University
Is The Open University free?
No. The Open University’s degree programs are paid, like most universities. OpenLearn, its free learning platform, doesn’t require enrollment, though a free account lets you track progress and claim your Statement of Participation.
Does OpenLearn give free certificates?
Yes. Completing any OpenLearn course earns a free Statement of Participation, and select badged courses also earn a free digital Open University badge.
Are OpenLearn courses accredited or recognized?
OpenLearn courses are free and not formally accredited by the Open University, and completing them doesn’t count as university enrollment. The majority of badged courses do carry separate accreditation from the CPD Standards Office, which learners can use as evidence of CPD activity depending on their employer’s or professional body’s requirements.
Can I get a free bachelor’s degree through OpenLearn?
No. OpenLearn courses are free standalone courses, not degree programs. Earning an Open University degree requires enrolling in and paying for a formal program.
A Selection of OpenLearn Courses by Subject
Personal Growth & Lifestyle
- The importance of interpersonal skills from The Open University ★★★★★(12)
- Developing your skills as an HR professional from The Open University ★★★★☆(12)
- Data analysis: visualisations in Excel from The Open University ★★★★☆(8)
- The business of football from The Open University ★★★★★(7)
- Critical criminology and the social sciences from The Open University ★★★★☆(5)
People & Society
- Investigating psychology ★★★★★(20)
- Public health approaches to infectious disease from The Open University ★★★★☆(17)
- IT in everyday life from The Open University ★★★★★(16)
- Learning to teach: mentoring and tutoring student teachers from The Open University ★★★★★(12)
- Forensic science and fingerprints from The Open University ★★★★☆(12)
Health & Wellness
- Microbes – friend or foe? from The Open University ★★★★☆(10)
- Drug development process: combating pain from The Open University ★★★★★(9)
- Birth of a drug from The Open University ★★★★☆(6)
- Exploring issues in women’s health from The Open University ★★★★☆(5)
- Exercise and mental health from The Open University ★★★★★(3)
STEM
- Introduction to cyber security: stay safe online from The Open University ★★★★★(19)
- Introduction to bookkeeping and accounting from The Open University ★★★★☆(7)
- Understanding operations management from The Open University ★★★★★(5)
- An introduction to electronics from The Open University ★★★★☆(5)
- Discovering chemistry from The Open University ★★★★★(5)
Creative
- Retail marketing from The Open University ★★★★★(4)
- An introduction to music theory from The Open University ★★★★★(3)
- Dance skills from The Open University ★★★★★(2)
- Social marketing from The Open University ★★★★★(1)
- Marketing communications as a strategic function from The Open University ★★★★★(1)
Business
- Information security from The Open University ★★★★★(19)
- Project governance and Project Management Office (PMO) from The Open University ★★★★★(11)
- Human resources: recruitment and selection from The Open University ★★★★★(7)
- Fundamentals of accounting from The Open University ★★★★★(5)
- Collective leadership from The Open University ★★★★★(4)
Technology
- Learn to code for data analysis from The Open University ★★★★☆(1)
- Software development for enterprise systems from The Open University ★★★★★(1)
- Diagrams, charts and graphs from The Open University ★★★★★(1)
- The database development life cycle from The Open University ★★★★★(1)
- More working with charts, graphs and tables from The Open University ★★★★★(1)
More Free Certificates
If you don’t find what you need in the course lists above, browse Class Central’s catalog of 250K courses or visit our thematic collections:
- Massive List of Thousands of Free Certificates & Badges
- Medical Education Platforms with 800+ Free Certificates & CME Credit
- 2000+ Free Developer and IT Certifications
- 470+ Hours of Free LinkedIn Learning Courses with Free Certification
- 450+ Free Google Certifications
- Harvard Computer Science Courses with Free Certificate.
You can find all the Class Central free certificate articles here.
Pat updated the latest version of this article.
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