From maths to medicine, Africa to Waterloo: nine free online courses announced
Nine brand new free online courses are now live on FutureLearn and ready for you to join, while many more previous courses are getting ready to run again. Here’s our quick guide to them all.
Why Do We Age? The Molecular Mechanisms of Ageing
Why do we age? Is there a limit to human lifespan? Can we prolong our lives? Find out with this six-week course from the University Of Groningen.
You will study the current concepts and theories of ageing; learn about the molecular and cellular processes in ageing; and explore advanced experimental methods to study ageing.
Find out more and join the course now – it starts 1 June.
Childhood in the Digital Age
Delve into the lives of children, and discuss the potential benefits and limitations of technology in their lives, with this Open University course.
Over four weeks, you’ll ask: is social media changing the way that children form relationships? How is technology changing the way that children think? And how will it shape the classroom of the future?
Find out more and join the course now – it starts 8 June.
Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo
Mark the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and explore the Duke of Wellington’s archive, with this three-week course from the University of Southampton.
Waterloo was one of the key events of nineteenth-century history, but why was it fought, who was involved and what were consequences? Discover the answers in time for the 200th anniversary on 18 June.
Find out more and join the course now – it starts 8 June.
Begin Robotics
Explore the history and anatomy of robots – and test drive robots using exciting simulations – with this University of Reading course.
Over four weeks, you’ll find out what makes a robot a robot and ask whether we can create “thinking” machines – robots with basic instincts, and the ability to learn and co-operate with one another.
Find out more and join the course now – it starts 15 June.
The Genomics Era: the Future of Genetics in Medicine
Learn about the growing role of genomics in healthcare, for patient diagnoses and treatment, with this five-week course for health professionals.
The first FutureLearn course from St George’s, University of London, it will introduce you to the new genomic technologies that are revolutionising medicine and help you understand the role of clinical geneticists.
Find out more and join the course now – it starts 15 June.
Numeracy Skills for Employability and the Workplace
Improve your mathematical confidence and gain the skills to pass employers’ numeracy tests, with this course from Loughborough University.
Over three weeks, you’ll refresh or improve your understanding of specific numeracy skills such as percentages, ratios, averages and currency conversions, and find out how to interpret numerical data and understand statistics.
Find out more and join the course now – it starts 15 June.
Africa: Sustainable Development for All?
This course – the first on FutureLearn from the University of Aberdeen – is designed for anyone with a passion for humanity, human rights and sustainable development.
Over six weeks, you’ll assess progress in achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals and discuss whether the UN’s post-2015 sustainable development agenda can be achieved in sub-Saharan Africa. 
Find out more and join the course now – it starts 22 June.
Real World Calculus: How Maths Drives Formula One and Launches Angry Birds
This three-week course from the University of Leicester approaches maths from a different angle, looking at real world activities, to uncover the basic elements of calculus.
You’ll use these examples to grasp differentiation, integration and the fundamental theorem of calculus, and get tips from people who use maths everyday – from economics to engineering, biology to geography.
Find out more and join the course now – it starts 29 June.
Soils: Introducing the World Beneath Our Feet
Soils are a vital part of our planet’s functioning, but all too often we take them for granted.
This four-week course from Lancaster University will help you learn about soils, the variety of life they contain and how humans impact this fragile system.
It’s ideal for anyone with an interest in biology, geography or environmental science.
Find out more and join the course now – it starts 6 July.
Returning courses
Finally, many previous courses will run again in June and July 2015, covering a wide variety of subjects. Some of them are part of our new FutureLearn Choices collection.
Starting in June
- Begin Programming: Build Your First Mobile Game
- The Secret Power of Brands
- Ebola: Symptoms, History and Origins
- Good Brain, Bad Brain: Basics
- Introduction to Forensic Science
- Archaeology of Portus: Exploring the Lost Harbour of Ancient Rome
- Hadrian’s Wall: Life on the Roman Frontier
- Preparing for Uni
- Developing Your Research Project
- Discover Dentistry
- How to Succeed at: Writing Applications
Starting in July
