You only need a few hours a week to study a short course with The Open University. Choose from a range of subjects that can help you build a new skill set, discover a new hobby, or give your career a boost through continued professional development.
Choose from: Business and management |
Chinese |
Communication and cultures |
Counselling and social care |
Creative writing |
Digital transformation |
Film, media and photography |
French |
German |
Italian |
Law |
Marketing |
Music |
Spanish |
Welsh
Business and management
We've short courses in analytical thinking, business design, budgeting, coaching, and strategy development which can benefit your business or the employees within your organisation.
Develop the analytical and problem-solving skills needed to contribute effectively in organisations.
Learn how and why people interact in different ways and how this contributes to the successful working of organisations.
Discover the essential elements of business agility and how it can improve performance, create efficient teams, and benefit organisations.
Discover the frameworks and tools to help you develop business agility in leadership, culture, people, strategy, and governance.
Learn the process of new business design and creation to deliver the right kind of value.
Consider your own approach to collaboration and explore collaboration within organisations.
Explore changes in the way we communicate in the digital era and the tools to make more effective communications.
Learn about the approaches and methodologies for sustainable business and how to implement a sustainable impact for positive change.
Reflect on your creative journey, and learn new tools, skills and approaches to add value to organisations.
Learn what ‘design thinking’ is, how it can create value and explore how it is used.
This is ideal if you've little or no coaching experience and want to use coaching to develop people, ensure wellbeing and enable performance.
Develop your people, their wellbeing and the organisation you work in using a coaching approach.
Develop the skills to reflect on your working life and contribute more effectively to your organisation's strategic direction.
This course will teach you what a strategy is, who can be a strategist and how to develop a strategic mindset.
Learn various techniques to develop teamworking skills and understand the challenges of teamworking in ever-changing environments.
This course deals with performance measures that can be calculated from information in published and audited financial statements.
Explore aspects of leadership and the importance of effective leadership in a digital era.
Learn how to use financial techniques in managerial decision-making and become more confident about dealing with finance professionals.
Discover the different aspects of managing change and planning for change – even when the nature of the change is unknown.
Learn about the importance of strategic monitoring and control systems to effective strategy implementation.
Discover why public policies and services have become so important and the relationship between policy and organisational life.
This course focuses on interactions in and around organisations, and the variety of environments that organisations network with.
Gain the knowledge and practical skills to turn your small business ambitions into reality.
In this course, you'll consider aspects of storytelling at the personal, organisational, and social levels.
Develop a general knowledge of financial reports and accounting concepts to understand the uses of financial statements.
Chinese
Discover a language and culture steeped in history and tradition with a short course learning Mandarin Chinese. Our short courses are suitable for beginners.
Start learning Mandarin Chinese on a short course that’s perfect for beginners (CEFR level A1).
Expand your Mandarin vocabulary by exploring topics like food and leisure activities (CEFR level A1).
Ideal for those with a grasp of beginners’ Mandarin to improve their skills (CEFR level A1).
Build positive, long-term business relationships using knowledge of Chinese culture and values.
Step up your basic knowledge of Chinese with our elementary course in Mandarin (CEFR level A1).
Take your Mandarin up a level with new topics such as feelings and opinions (CEFR level A2).
Develop your Mandarin vocabulary, including how to apologise formally and give presents (CEFR level A2).
Communication and cultures
Communication helps build connections and understanding of the world we live in, both now and in the future. Develop this key skill with a short course.
Explore Language Technology, a rising form of Artificial Intelligence, and its impact in our working lives.
Examine historical, ethical and social issues around Artificial Intelligence technology.
Improve your intercultural communication skills in the workplace.
Examine the role of languages and cultures in situations of crisis across the world, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Counselling and social care
Gain an introductory understanding or enhance your continuing professional development with our short courses in counselling and social care.
Develop an advanced understanding of how to work effectively with the therapeutic relationship.
Learn how to set up and offer safe and effective video- and phone-based counselling.
Advance your understanding of how to provide online counselling effectively and safely.
Enhance your understanding of trauma-informed counselling, including the importance of self-awareness.
Gain an introduction to social care and the role of paid and unpaid care work in today’s social care sector.
Creative writing
Whether you want to develop your writing skills professionally or just for fun, our creative writing short courses will support and inspire you on your creative journey.
Develop your creative writing skills as you explore poetry, fiction and scriptwriting.
Learn how travel writers bring their journeys to life and begin writing about a journey of your own.
Start to learn how integrating digital technology into all areas of your business can change how you operate and deliver value to your customers.
Learn how digital transformation works and the factors that impact an organisation’s successful transformation.
Understand the core building blocks that are essential for successful digital transformation.
Discover how to implement strategic initiatives and develop your organisation’s readiness to transform.
Drive the performance of digital transformation through measurement, innovation, iteration, and continuous improvement.
Learn how to use design thinking to improve decision-making, solve problems, and foster innovation as part of digital transformation.
Explore the role of data, artificial intelligence (AI), and the principles of data science for digital transformation.
Develop your ability to innovate by generating creative ideas and putting them into action.
Film, media and photography
Delve into the fascinating world of film, media and photography with a short course, including some exciting new courses written in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI).
Trace the history of documentary film in Britain using the collection held by the BFI National Archive.
Discover the cultural impact of the cinematic landscapes of Spain, Argentina, and Chile.
Gain an introduction to the basics of video sound editing through practical exercises using a Digital Audio Workstation.
Broaden your photography skills with a course produced with The Royal Photographic Society (RPS).
Explore film’s fascinating relationship with the environment, from its fossil-fuel reliant past to potentially, eco-friendlier future.
Discover how the relationship between media, politics and society impacts your everyday life.
Learn how a filmmakers’ choices help create their characters, narratives and ‘story-worlds’.
Learn the basics of video editing through a series of practical activities using Adobe Premiere Pro.
French
From food to fashion, discover the French language and culture in your own time with a short course delivered through bite-sized blocks perfect for beginners.
Kick-start your learning journey with this introduction to French designed for beginners (CEFR level A1).
Continue to build your French skills for communicating in everyday situations (CEFR level A1).
Enhance your knowledge of French to prepare for further language study (CEFR level A2).
Start to understand and produce more complex language with an elementary course (CEFR level A2).
Explore exciting new subjects in French, such as employment and studying (CEFR level B1).
Learn to talk about your health and improve your grammar by using different tenses (CEFR level B1).
German
Say ‘ja’ to learning one of Europe's most widely used languages with a German short course ideal for beginners.
Discover key German phrases and the cultural diversity of German-speaking countries (CEFR level A1).
Study new topics like food, seasons, and time to build up your German vocabulary (CEFR level A1).
Further your German knowledge by learning to give your opinion on new and varied topics (CEFR level A2).
Learn to express your opinions and start mastering everyday situations in German (CEFR level A2).
Step up your German language-learning by taking on more complex conversations (CEFR level B1).
Hone your German language skills with our third elementary level short course (CEFR level B1).
Italian
Learn to read, write, and speak Italian while immersing yourself in the lifestyle, cuisine, historic cities, art, and culture of Italy. These courses are suitable for beginners.
A perfect 'aperitivo'! Learn Italian starting with simple topics such as reading menus (CEFR level A1).
Build on your study and learn to talk about time, work, transport, and holidays in Italian (CEFR level A1).
Delve further into Italian language and culture by exploring geography, food and festivals (CEFR level A2).
Step up your progress in Italian with new vocabulary and key expressions (CEFR level A2).
Develop your Italian skills, including talking about the past and childhood (CEFR level B1).
Explore more complex topics in Italian, including social media and Italian migration (CEFR level B1).
Law
This course is designed for individuals seeking to learn more about the UK’s immigration law and practice as a qualified immigration adviser at Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) Level 1.
Explore the skills and knowledge expected of an OISC Level 1 Immigration Adviser.
Marketing
Whether you're new to digital marketing or need some specific help with your marketing campaigns, we've a range of short courses for you.
Build core digital marketing skills and knowledge to plan and implement first-class digital campaigns.
Gain the practical skills to create effective online content that engages your audience and delivers business objectives.
Learn how to build high-performing email marketing campaigns, from targeting the right audience to email analytics and analysis.
Gain the skills to create, manage and optimise successful online display advertising campaigns that deliver results.
Unlock the skills needed to make effective use of search engine optimisation and paid search in your marketing campaigns.
Accelerate your social media marketing skills across a range of channels, measure your success, and optimise your approach.
Learn how to plan and build an effective digital marketing strategy using PR Smith’s SOSTAC® framework.
Learn to use web and channel analytics to plan, implement and optimise effective digital marketing campaigns.
Music
Broaden your understanding and appreciation of music, from how it is created, the equipment used, to the impact in our everyday lives and on society as a whole.
Discover the history of computer audio and music from the earliest computers to modern technology.
Explore the relationship between music, identity, and culture through the work of the country musician and songwriter Dolly Parton.
Learn about the cultural context and diversity of a variety of different sound systems.
Spanish
Over 500 million people worldwide speak Spanish. You too can learn one of the globe’s most popular languages with a short course perfect for beginners.
Discover one of the world’s most widely spoken languages with a short course (CEFR level A1).
Learn to talk about time, your daily and weekly routine, work, interests and hobbies (CEFR level A1).
Begin conversing in this popular language using new topics to build your vocabulary (CEFR level A2).
Build on your beginners’ Spanish with new topics, including sport and grammar (CEFR level A2).
Advance your Spanish language skills with new topics, situations and phrases (CEFR level B1).
Develop your Spanish further, including learning to use the past tense (CEFR level B1).
Welsh
In a few hours of study, a short course can open your world to other cultures. Discover hidden histories and forgotten traditions from around the world.
Learn basic Welsh language skills while exploring key aspects of Welsh culture.