This free badged course (which learners can start at any time) begins by placing thinking tools in their historical context and concludes with an examination of their future and relation to artificial intelligence. During the course, you’re introduced to a wide variety of digital thinking tools. You will apply these tools in many practical activities and case studies, solving problems that involve finding and evaluating information, performing calculations and drawing reasoned conclusions.
The Data Management and Analysis module addresses some of the key concepts required for the traditionally important area of data management, and the increasingly important area of data analytics. You’ll gain a practical, legal and ethical understanding of how to access, query and manage data collections, using traditional relational databases and contemporary NoSQL approaches. Using real-world datasets, standard software packages and data visualisation techniques, you’ll learn how to organise and analyse data collections to answer questions about the world, as well as developing an appreciation of user needs surrounding data systems.
This module provides an opportunity to sample some of the key areas in computing and information technology. You will be introduced to three topics as tasters for your future studies and career: robotics, networking, and Linux. Studying these topics will enable you to develop essential skills for future employment in the computing and IT industry. You will be applying what you learn by developing a portfolio to demonstrate your skills and understanding in these areas. By studying this Open University Stage 1 module you can begin to explore where your future career ambitions or interests might lie.
Data plays an important role in almost all private and public sector employment. The need to understand how to use data to inform decision making in many occupations has never been more important. This qualification equips you with the key skills to explore and analyse complex data sets, and to solve practical problems using applied mathematics, statistics and computing. You’ll gain a good grounding in mathematical and statistical methods, which provide a foundation for data analysis; together with the essential computing skills needed to use them to solve practical problems, including elements of machine learning and artificial intelligence. You’ll also gain experience of using statistical software packages.
You will learn about algorithms and abstraction in this free course, which you can start any time, and encounter some applications of computational thinking in various disciplines, ranging from biology and physics to economics and sport science.
Have you ever wanted to try out simple coding? Want to understand the basics of what it entails? This short course introduces you to the skills, concepts and jargon of coding.
Large enterprises depend heavily on the smooth operation of their network infrastructures. This is why networking professionals are vital to every organization and those with networking skills can land a great job and set their sights on a rewarding career! This third course in the 3-course CCNA series describes the architectures and considerations related to designing, securing, operating, and troubleshooting enterprise networks. It covers wide area network (WAN) technologies and quality of service (QoS) mechanisms used for secure remote access along with the introduction of software-defined networking, virtualization, and automation concepts that support the digitalization of networks. Recommended preparation: CCNA: Switching, Routing, and Wireless Essentials or possessing equivalent knowledge.
Picture yourself as a security professional with the mission to protect your company’s data from theft, damage or disruption. Potential harm can come from a variety of sources. And the risk can quickly scale to a high-consequence event where you’ll have to react using the right knowledge. CCNA Security prepares you for tasks like these by developing the skills needed to design, implement and support security for network devices and ensure their integrity. Start building your expertise today and become an in-demand security professional tomorrow! Recommended preparation: CCNA: Introduction to Networks and CCNA: Switching, Routing, and Wireless Essentials or equivalent knowledge.
This free course provides an introduction to the Internet of Everything. The Internet of Everything is the networked connection of people, process, data and things. As more people, data and things come online, we need to develop skills and technological processes to harness the vast amounts of information being generated by all these connected people and things.
This course will teach you how to write your own computer programs, one line of code at a time. You'll learn how to access open data, clean and analyse it, and produce visualisations. You will also learn how to write up and share your analyses, privately or publicly.
This free online course will help you to understand online security and start to protect your digital life, whether at home or work. You will learn how to recognise the threats that could harm you online and the steps you can take to reduce the chances that they will happen to you.
This is the first of two OU level one modules that introduce you to key concepts in computing and information technology (IT), such as digital technologies, programming and networking. This module will equip you with a comprehensive toolbox of relevant knowledge, understanding and skills and introduce you to issues encountered in computing and IT, including the profound social and ethical challenges posed by these technologies. You will also develop your key skills including communication, numeracy and digital and information literacy (DIL). This will give you a firm basis for further study, especially Introduction to Computing and Information Technology 2 (TM112).
Linux is a pervasive computer operating system, used on over 490 of the top 500 supercomputers, web servers, internet servers, routers, smartphones and desktop operating systems and this is not the limit of its uses. From network engineers to software developers, there is a need for Linux technical skills and understanding. In this course you will learn about the fundamentals of Linux and discover the principles of managing this operating system. The course uses an inbuilt virtualised Linux host and gives you many opportunities to practice on a real system from the comfort of your web browser.
View a selection of courses offered by The Open University relating to 'Computing and IT'
This module builds on Introduction to computing and information technology 1 (TM111) and prepares you for further study of computing and IT modules.
Free learning resources are core to our social mission, but we are also aware that the return on investment in this area is a very important by-product in terms of reputation building, brand recognition, new market opportunities, technology innovation, partnership formation and, most significantly triggering new student registrations. We have aligned the systems that we use for core student provision with those for our public OER provision. Therefore, as we invest and develop our student systems, the public systems also benefit (and vice versa). We aim to ensure this mutual benefit approach is also applied in our work in developing and delivering systems to support others in free learning. We are also keen to ensure that any software or hardware systems have support communities that will remain at available, affordable, at scale and resilient.
new study released yesterday by the Department for Education and Institute of Fiscal Studies has analysed what getting a degree means for both men and women from particular universities. The data was sourced from an analysis of salaries at the age of 29. The study found that women who study maths at Oxford and men studying economics at Bristol get the biggest increase in earnings from going to university. Source: The Commentator
A group of people on the Civil Service Fast Stream development programme have built an online tool to teach their fellow government employees to code. The Learn to code site – which is currently in open beta phase – has been constructed as a step-by-step service, and currently covers six different modules: getting started; learning how the web works; building webpages; adding interactivity; web services; and databases. Source: Public Technology.net
Execs from 18 organisations will inform the £20m government-backed group’s mission to boost digital skills. "With UK companies crying out for digitally-adept graduates with high levels of technical proficiency, the board will help communicate specific requirements to ensure the next generation are equipped with the skills they need to thrive in the workplace." Source: IT Pro
The Open University in Milton Keynes is at the heart of a £40 million drive by the Government to help train more computer scientists. It is leading one of the five main themes – on university learners – being addressed at the new Institute of Coding. Source: Business Weekly
Professor John Domingue, Director of the OU’s Knowledge Media Institute, discusses developments in technology which he sees impacting on education in the long and short term as part of our ‘future of education’ campaign.
The education system should not be expected to 'anticipate the range of specialist skills' needed in 20 years time. Developing children’s interest in Stem subjects and increasing apprenticeships is vital for addressing the UK’s “alarming” cybersecurity skills gap, a major new report has said. Source: Tes. For teaching
Last January Prime Minister Theresa May pledged £20 million to the creation of an Institute of Coding that would train the next generation of digital specialists. Her government’s pledge of £20 million was matched with another £20 million from companies such as IBM, Microsoft and Cisco. At the time of the announcement, Universities Minister Sam Gyimah said: “A world-class pipeline of digital skills are essential to the UK’s ability to shape our future,” and that the “Institute of Coding will play a central role in this.” Source: CBR - Computer Business Review
According to a report by Tech Nation, over 50 percent of the UK's digital tech businesses say they are facing a shortage of skilled workers. What can we do about it? A new organisation, the Institute of Coding (IoC), plans to do something about it. ZDNet talked to the director of the Institute, Rachid Hourizi, to see where his organisation plans to begin. Source: ZDNet
Dr. Rachid Hourizi, director, Institute of Coding also commented saying: “These findings illustrate that data scientists and their associated digital skills are very much in demand, both in government and industry. Unfortunately, the fact remains that as a nation we are not producing the numbers of qualified candidates that we should be, a trend which must be reversed immediately.” Source: GR - The Global Recruiter
With computing only added to the curriculum four years ago, how has this happened? Source: CBR - Computer Business Review
Two Welsh universities are to receive £1.2m towards expanding coding in schools, colleges and communities. Source: BBC News
If Da Vinci were alive today, he would be learning to code says Decoded's Kathryn Parsons Source: Evening Standard
Web 3.0 could revolutionise the way higher education is delivered, but will it be used as a force for good, asks Martin Hall