Free course: An introduction to design engineering (OpenLearn)

Key facts

• From The Open University's free OpenLearn site (UK). Not a Mereka course.^[1]
• Free, about 10 hours of study, Level 1 (introductory).^[1]
• Start straight away with no sign-up. A free account (age 13 or over) saves your progress and gets you a statement of participation.^[1][2]
• The statement is not a qualification and carries no credit.^[2]
• Last updated in June 2018, so some examples are a few years old.^[1]

What you'll do

The course shows how engineers borrow ideas and methods from design thinking^[1]. Its four parts cover where designs begin, what inspires design engineers, what drives a design, and designing for people^[1]. By the end you should be able to describe how human variation (people's different sizes, strengths and needs) affects a design, and use some basic design engineering methods on real problems^[1].

No Mereka Academy course covers engineering or the skilled trades yet, which is why this one comes from another provider^[3].

What it costs and how to start

It is free, and you can open the first section right now without signing up^[1]. To save your progress and get a statement of participation at the end, make a free OpenLearn account; you must be 13 or over to have one^[2]. There are no start dates. The course is in English. It was first published in January 2017 and last updated in June 2018^[1].

Who it suits

You, if you liked the designing part of the Engineering & Skilled Trades taster as much as the building, or you notice when a tool, chair or app is awkward to use. It suits anyone weighing mechanical, product or mechatronics engineering, at a polytechnic, a TVET college or university. It needs no maths beyond SPM.

What this means for you

• Ten hours is short enough to finish in two weekends and long enough to tell you whether design problems hold your attention.
• It complements the library's other OpenLearn engineering courses: those focus on how things are made and powered, and this one on who they are made for.
• The statement of participation shows interest, not ability. Do not list it as a qualification.
• It does not explain how to train as an engineer or technician in Malaysia. For that, read the library's TVET pathway guide and Build & Engineer lab.

Your next step

1. Open the course and read the first section this week: An introduction to design engineering(opens in a new tab)
2. Pick one object at home that is hard for someone in your family to use, such as a tight jar lid or a high shelf, and sketch a fix using the course's "designing for people" ideas. Bring the sketch to your 30-day check-in with the programme team.

Availability and age check

Catalogue and cost observations are dated 23 October 2026. Re-check the provider page before starting, and stop if a payment or unavailable course appears. The linked Mereka Connect agreement sets a minimum age of 16^[4]. It is not an Academy-specific registration policy; check the current Academy terms and any guardian-permission step before enrolling. Use the verified direct sign-in link below if the ordinary login screen omits the Mereka option. External courses use their own accounts and terms.

Access checked 24 October 2026: sign in to Academy with your existing Mereka identity(opens in a new tab). On first use, choose your country and continue; no second password is needed. The ordinary Academy login screen may omit the Mereka button, so use this link or the course button. External course providers use separate access rules.

Availability note, 24 October 2026: some Academy pages kept loading after sign-in during our check. If this happens, keep your work here and use an open-reading alternative or contact the First Move team. Do not enter another password or pay to get past a loading page.