Looking to learn something new or grow your skills with free online courses? With a taster course, you can sample university-level education before committing to a short course, microcredential or even postgraduate study.
UTS Open offers free online courses to give you a taste of a subject, bring you up to speed on important concepts, contribute to career success through professional development and help you decide if you want to pursue further study in that field or change and learn new skills.
These courses take up to three hours to complete, are self-paced and are delivered entirely online. Whether you want to use your mobile or desktop, you’ve got complete flexibility to learn when and how you want, commitment-free.
Here are our 10 most popular free online learning courses, that you can start when you’re ready, and finish in your own time:
Problem Solving
There are always problems to be solved, whatever your industry. In fact, every business is created to solve a particular problem. That’s why being a strong problem solver is one of the most valuable key skills to develop.
This introductory personal development course will teach you three problem-solving tools and methodologies that you will be able to take away and use for virtually any problem. You’ll also learn a fourth specific to business growth to incorporate into your business strategy, usable with a variety of business models.
Get Ready for Blockchain
Blockchain solves many critical issues for online transactions - something we all engage with almost daily. Among other benefits, it helps promote trust, reputation and transparency in transactions.
This introductory course features teaching from our academic and industry experts on what blockchain is and, in particular, its decentralised and distributed trust model. You’ll also learn the difference between public and private blockchains and about concepts like trust protocol, immutability, transparency and consensus.
Modern Slavery
Modern slavery is still very real and happening right now, all over the world, even in Australia. It happens across many different industries and even in private homes.
This introductory course will teach you about each of the types of modern slavery: human trafficking, child labour, forced marriage and labour, slavery, servitude and more. You’ll be given examples and real-world stories, alongside an all-important understanding of how you can make a difference in your daily life.
Journey through Data
Data is everywhere, and it’s always telling a story. If you keep your mind open and let your curiosity lead you, you never know what you might find.
This introductory course takes you through a practical data set example, exploring your assumptions and thinking about how data like this may have been collected originally. You’ll be able to journey through the data’s story and investigate its variables and how they relate to each other.
Measuring Social Impact: Part 1
Not-for-profits are everywhere and provide life-changing services for the betterment of the world. But how do you measure the success of a not-for-profit if you can’t use profit?
This introductory course will teach you how to measure the social impact and success of a not-for-profit, so you can understand your own social impact and that of organisations around you.
Systems Thinking: Reality is Messy
The complex challenges of today all require a completely unique approach, making it a challenge for change-makers seeking to create a better future. Systems thinking is a way to think about these situations.
This introductory course will teach you the fundamentals of systems thinking, giving you a tool to understand how you can recognise complexity. You’ll also learn the difference between complicated situations and complex situations or projects.
Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurial skills are vital in an ever-changing world of disruption and technological advancement. Entrepreneurship fuels businesses, innovation and social change, whatever you’re aspiring towards.
This introductory course will give you insight into how startups really operate, the key stages of entrepreneurship and the different career pathways that can lead you on a journey of entrepreneurship yourself, whether you’re just getting started or already running your own organisation.
Ethical Leadership
In a complicated world of inequality, ethical leadership involves making the ‘right’ decisions for society and individuals. This involves creating structures that are both inclusive and effective.
This introductory course will help you understand how to be an effective leader who drives positive change with essential strategies and skills. You’ll learn the seven characteristics of ethical leaders and how to develop them, as well as develop a better understanding of yourself and what drives you to create change.
Facing up to Frailty
Frailty is an inevitable part of life, or is it? What if it doesn’t have to be?
This introductory course explores how facing up to frailty can help aged and disabled people live happier, healthier lives in their own homes for longer. You’ll hear from people with experience of frailty, as well as health professionals and researchers, all discovering ways to identify and manage frailty.
Writing an Abstract
Condensing your work into a concise, effective abstract is one of the more useful communication skills worth having, not just for students and academics, but for anyone, especially in the digital age.
This introductory course will teach you the ‘moves’ for effective abstract writing by analysing examples and applying them yourself in practice. You’ll also be able to submit your completed abstract to our tool, AcaWriter, for feedback.
Looking for a taster course in another study area? Have a look at all our free online courses on offer and find your next course today.
