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OpenLearn
Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
What it is
OpenLearn is a free web learning platform delivered by The Open University. It provides courses, articles, quizzes, interactive games, videos and audio covering many subjects. The site describes its short courses as requiring between 1 and 24 hours of study, and its listed Free courses plan costs nothing. After finishing a course, learners can download a Statement of Participation, while some courses also provide a digital badge. These courses do not count as formal credit toward a qualification. Anyone can view general content, but creating an account requires being at least 13. A free account supports enrolment, progress tracking and activity-record downloads. Materials can be reused through formats such as IMS Common Cartridge, HTML and Moodle. OpenLearn says its tools are open source and its main learning environments use Moodle and Drupal. The service is web-based, with offline learning and degree programs listed. It was founded in 2006 and is headquartered at Walton Hall in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.
For and against
For
- Free courses with no trial required
- Short courses take 1–24 hours
- Statements and some digital badges
- Free account tracks progress
- Materials support LMS reuse
Against
- Courses provide no formal qualification credit
- Account creation requires age 13 or older
- Website is only partially WCAG 2.2 AA compliant
The verdict
OpenLearn combines broad free learning content with short courses, progress tracking and downloadable records. It is a practical option for informal study, though its courses do not provide formal qualification credit.
Who it suits
OpenLearn suits people supplementing formal study, exploring future learning or pursuing personal interests. It also fits learners seeking free, self-paced web courses and downloadable participation records.
Plans and prices
Free courses
Nearly 1,000 courses · free to study · no formal credit toward a qualification
Read 8 Oct 2026 · open.edu
On the record
- Accessibility
- OpenLearn reports that its website is partially compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA and notes accessibility issues in some legacy images and interactive activities.open.edu · read 8 Oct 2026
- Access requirement
- Anyone can access general site content, but users must be at least 13 to create an account.open.edu · read 8 Oct 2026
- Account features
- A free account lets learners enrol, track progress and download activity records from their profile.open.edu · read 8 Oct 2026
- Badges and statements
- After completing a course, learners can download a free Statement of Participation, and some courses also award a digital badge.open.edu · read 8 Oct 2026
- Course credit
- OpenLearn courses do not carry formal credit toward a qualification.open.edu · read 8 Oct 2026
- Course length
- OpenLearn describes its short courses as ranging from 1 to 24 hours of study.open.edu · read 8 Oct 2026
- Integrations and reuse
- Course materials are available in formats including IMS Common Cartridge, HTML and Moodle for sharing through other learning management systems.open.edu · read 8 Oct 2026
- Learners
- The site says it serves people supplementing formal study, exploring future learning, or learning for personal interest.open.edu · read 8 Oct 2026
- Learning content
- The site offers courses, articles, quizzes, interactive games, videos and audio across a wide range of subjects.open.edu · read 8 Oct 2026
- Open source
- OpenLearn says its software tools are released as open source and its main learning environments use Moodle and Drupal.open.edu · read 8 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- The FAQ says OpenLearn uses Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics and states that it does not release collected information to third parties.open.edu · read 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- For content problems, OpenLearn directs users to email [email protected] with details of the issue.open.edu · read 8 Oct 2026
- What it does
- OpenLearn is a free learning platform delivered by The Open University.open.edu · read 8 Oct 2026
