World of Spies: Keeping Secrets (FutureLearn)

Offered by Purdue University,
World of Spies: Keeping Secrets (FutureLearn)

Get a taste of spy training, and learn how you can keep your secrets safe with a course designed for 13-18 year olds. What does it take to be a spy? Strong critical thinking and communication skills, a firm grasp of logic, and a love of puzzles are all useful. This course will help you develop those abilities while exploring the exciting world of espionage. You’ll learn about code-making and breaking, encryption, logical thinking and more as you find out whether you would make a good spy.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

What topics will you cover?

  • Introduction to spying and the common United States agencies that collect intelligence
  • Reasons for encrypting information
  • Various ways information is encrypted
  • Using logical thinking and linguistic patterns to break encrypted messages without a key
  • How traditional decryption methods led to the modern day computer
  • Why protecting information is important
  • How information we provide in social media can compromise the safety of our personal information

-The effectiveness of modern day encryption

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Investigate reasons for encrypting information.
  • Compare various methods for encrypting information.
  • Apply logical thinking, linguistic patterns, and historical enciphering methods to encipher and decipher messages.
  • Evaluate weaknesses of various encoding and enciphering methods.
  • Debate the necessity and effectiveness of protecting information.
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Preparing for University (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of East Anglia

Preparing for University (FutureLearn)

Build the academic skills you need for learning at university and ease your transition from school learning to higher education. Develop writing, critical thinking, and analytical skills for university study. Learning at a university level requires enhanced critical thinking skills, as well as being able to hold a supported, substantive argument and critically analyse sources or data.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Programming Fundamentals (Coursera) Coursera
Duke University

Programming Fundamentals (Coursera)

Programming is an increasingly important skill, whether you aspire to a career in software development, or in other fields. This course is the first in the specialization Introduction to Programming in C, but its lessons extend to any language you might want to learn. This is because programming is fundamentally about figuring out how to solve a class of problems and writing the algorithm, a clear set of steps to solve any problem in its class.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Migration, Mobilities and Citizenship (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Bristol

Migration, Mobilities and Citizenship (FutureLearn)

Explore who counts as a ‘migrant’ to better understand the processes and experiences of migration. Develop critical thinking skills around the concepts of migration and mobilities. This two-week multidisciplinary course will enable you to develop all the critical thinking skills you need surrounding the twin concepts of migration and mobilities. You’ll explore contemporary human movements within their historical context, and will also cover the current global situation of COVID-19, as well as the relation of race and racism to migration.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Introduction to Calculus (Coursera) Coursera
The University of Sydney

Introduction to Calculus (Coursera)

The focus and themes of the Introduction to Calculus course address the most important foundations for applications of mathematics in science, engineering and commerce. The course emphasises the key ideas and historical motivation for calculus, while at the same time striking a balance between theory and application, leading to a mastery of key threshold concepts in foundational mathematics.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Desertification: Problems and Solutions (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Purdue University,Future Problem Solving,Gifted Education Resource Institute - GERI

Desertification: Problems and Solutions (FutureLearn)

What happens when fertile earth degrades? Discover the complex problem of desertification and consider potential solutions. Get an introduction to desertification and other related environmental issues. Desertification is when previously healthy or fertile land degrades and becomes desert. But how does this happen? And why is it a major issue for our world?

No sessions available
4 Weeks
Building Human Connection in a Digital World (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Samsung

Building Human Connection in a Digital World (FutureLearn)

Discover how technology can be used to reduce social isolation in our communities and enhance our human connections. Harness the power of technology to connect better with others on and offline. This course will help you to better understand how technology is changing the way we interact and reflect on ways we can use technology to reduce social isolation.

No sessions available
2 Weeks
How to Survive on Mars: the Science Behind the Human Exploration of Mars (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Monash University

How to Survive on Mars: the Science Behind the Human Exploration of Mars (FutureLearn)

Learn the basic science needed for humans to survive on Mars, with this free online science course. Mars has captivated the human imagination since the very earliest civilisations. It is the most explored planet in the solar system and that is unlikely to change. Getting to Mars is relatively easy, surviving on Mars will be the real challenge.

No sessions available
4 Weeks
Respecting Our Differences Online (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Samsung

Respecting Our Differences Online (FutureLearn)

Learn how technology can be used to share a diverse range of opinions and ideas, and amplify underrepresented voices online. Explore how our differences of opinion can bring us closer together. On this course, you’ll explore ways to make the online world safe for everyone and learn how we can use technology to celebrate our differences online.

No sessions available
2 Weeks
Engaging with Controversies in the Food System (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Reading,EIT Food,EIT

Engaging with Controversies in the Food System (FutureLearn)

Become more confident in making informed decisions about the food you eat by exploring different food controversies. Learn how to assess the reliability of different sources of food information. Consumers have never been confronted with so much food choice. Making a decision on what food to eat is affected by many factors, including media reports, diet research findings, and social media.

Jan 2nd 2023
3 Weeks
Understanding Maths and Logic in Computer Science (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Raspberry Pi Foundation

Understanding Maths and Logic in Computer Science (FutureLearn)

Improve your understanding and ability to teach maths and logic in computing while building elements of an escape room. Become more familiar with maths and logic in computer science. The mathematical aspects of computer science can be difficult to understand and teach. On this course, you will be introduced to maths and logic in computing in an engaging way.

Nov 1st 2021
3 Weeks
Making Sense of the News: News Literacy Lessons for Digital Citizens (Coursera) Coursera
University of Hong Kong,The State University of New York

Making Sense of the News: News Literacy Lessons for Digital Citizens (Coursera)

Never before has the need for News Literacy been more urgent. As news consumers are bombarded with a constant stream of fake news, propaganda, hoaxes, rumors, satire, and advertising — that often masquerade as credible journalism — it is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. While the public’s faith in the news media erodes, purveyors of misinformation have helped give rise to troubling cultural trends and alarming political movements.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks