The Open University (OU) engages with people across Scotland and the world to develop their knowledge, acquire new skills and learn online.

The OU series at the Edinburgh International Book Festival 2020 includes events with authors Bernardine Evaristo, Ali Smith, Minna Salami, Lola Olufemi, Jo Sharp, and author and OU honorary graduate Val McDermid.

There is a wide range of free online learning related to these authors and their books available to explore on the OU’s free learning site OpenLearn, including content on World-Changing Women, Black History, and the short courses ‘Start Writing Fiction’ and ‘Writing What You Know’.

OpenLearn also includes a collection of free Skills for Life courses, offering vital skills development for a post-pandemic world, such as enhancing your work skills to boost employability, or sharpening your money skills.

The Open University offers a wide variety of formal modules and qualifications. Whatever your passion, there’s an Open University course for you. From creative writing, critical reading and literature, to science and technology, OU courses are designed to be enjoyable and rewarding.

No qualifications are required for most OU modules. With the OU in Scotland you can enrol for one module at a time, choosing whether to build up a qualification, and if your personal income is less than £25k, you might be eligible to study for free with a part-time fee grant.

As an OU student you’ll get lots of support from dedicated tutors. You’ll study at your own pace, wherever and whenever suits you best.

Find out more at www.open.ac.uk/scotland.