Informal learning

As part of The Open University’s mission to widen access to higher education, OUBS has developed a wide range of free and paid online learning resources – helping to bridge the gap between informal and formal learning.

OpenLearn: the home of free learning

OpenLearn is packed with fascinating free articles, videos, activities and short-courses from the Open University, covering a huge range of subject areas.

Highlights include a group of finance-related resources, activities such as how shops make us part with our money and free courses including:

• Effective communication in the workplace
• Entrepreneurship – from ideas to reality
• Social marketing
• Introducing the voluntary sector
• The business of football

Microcredentials

The Open University offers a range of professional development short courses, known as microcredentials. Created by leading OU academics and industry experts, microcredentials are studied entirely online and provide a flexible way to quickly gain in-demand specialist skills and knowledge. Courses are offered at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and cover in-demand subject areas, including Leadership and Management, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability, and Teacher Development and Inclusive Learning.

Find out more on our microcredentials hub page.

The Open University and BBC partnership

For half a century the OU has produced programmes with the BBC, starting with late night lectures (before the days of video and online learning) and evolving into today’s prime time TV and radio shows – designed to engage millions of viewers and listeners with entertaining, informative and educational content. High profile business-related programmes include The Decade the Rich Won, Inside the Supermarket, Flatpack Empire, and The Bottom Line.