OpenLearn Scotland launches

The Open University will today throw open a window on Scottish society, culture and history, available to everyone, anywhere in the world, for free.

Designed to take Scotland to the wider world, The Open University is launching OpenLearn Scotland, a new collection of free online learning resources. Covering Scottish history, literature, politics, society, environment, technology, education, law and social care, it offers an interactive learning facility on Scotland and its place in the world, both past and present.

Featuring written, video and audio resources from The Open University’s renowned course materials, OpenLearn Scotland also offers an opportunity to sample learning at higher education level for free. Backed by the latest technologies, OpenLearn Scotland can help develop confidence in learning online, while building new skills and knowledge.

Peter Syme, Director of The Open University in Scotland explains: "The launch of OpenLearn Scotland is an exciting development for The Open University and has two key objectives. The first is to open up the OU's archive of learning resources related to Scotland to provide an accessible facility people from home and abroad can use to find out more about our country. We hope this will complement the package of events and activities planned for Homecoming Scotland in 2009.

"Secondly, OpenLearn Scotland is the latest development in our ongoing programme of activities to engage new learners in new ways. With modules available from introductory to advanced level, we believe there is something there for people whatever their learning background. We hope it will become an essential learning resource for schools, colleges and libraries, as well as offering a new way for all kinds of people to try out learning without commitment."

Modules available on OpenLearn Scotland vary in length from 3-15 hours of learning and include: an introduction to the law in Scotland; Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s Sunset Song; the poetry of Sorley MacLean; Robert Owen and New Lanark; the Tay Bridge disaster; Lennox Castle Hospital; and science in the Scottish Enlightenment.

OpenLearn Scotland is also a gateway to hundreds of other learning resources available on The Open University’s award-winning OpenLearn website. With inbuilt state-of-the-art learning support and social networking tools, OpenLearn is a door to a worldwide learning community.

The OpenLearn Scotland website is at http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/scotland.

Editor's Notes
OpenLearn Scotland is a new part of The Open University's free content website, OpenLearn. OpenLearn was launched in October 2006 with the support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. It makes freely available to the public almost 5% of The Open University's course content. Since its launch over two million people in 160 countries have visited the OpenLearn website.

The Open University is Scotland’s largest provider of part-time higher education with over 14,000 students located in virtually every community in Scotland.