History of the OU

 A big thank you to this weekend’s OUSA conference for including a presentation about the History of the OU project in their agenda. It was a great opportunity to meet students, many of whom have been studying with the OU for many years, and hear about their experiences. I hope that some of these will be written up and added to the new website as they would certainly add to our understanding of OU history.

As requested,  the slides from the presentation given at the conference are available here: OUSA 2011.

On Thursday 19 May 2011 at the Institute of Historical Research in London there will be a celebration, co-hosted with the British Association for Victorian Studies, to mark the 90th birthday of the distinguished historian, Asa Briggs. At this one-day colloquium, his contributions to Victorian studies and to the history of communication will be assessed. His role in the growth of modern universities will also be considered. Postscript: podcasts of the event can be found here.

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I’m contributing a paper about the history of the OU at this conference this week. There are a number of relevant strands and papers.  In addition to being the location for the social sciences history conference Chicago is where Al Capone committed crimes and where the adventures of the 1990s science fiction animation series  ‘Biker Mice from Mars’  occured.

However, my research will be centred on archives where papers relating to Harold Wilson and the ideas of a ‘University of the Air’ are lodged.  It should be a fascinating and useful experience  even if this focus fails to impress my nephew, a Biker Mice fan.

The final session of Opening Up The Open University, chaired by former Scottish Director Mr Peter Syme, focussed on the University’s openness to methods.

The first speaker was Professor of Telematics Chris Bissell who gave a whistle-stop tour of the development of home computing and computer-mediated communication at the OU. Prof Bissell pointed out that, as you would expect, the OU had always been ahead of the game when it came to using computers. Its national computer network was established in 1971 with three minicomputers in Newcastle, Walton Hall and the London Regional Office and students could log on at local study centres. (more…)

The second main session of Opening Up The Open University again offered a diverse range of persepectives on some of the ideas that have contributed to the OU’s history.

The first speaker was Professor Dave Harris from UCP Marjon who considered the OU’s impact on the HE sector. He explained the radical appeal of the OU and drew attention to the view of Brian Lewis, one of the first IET professors, that ‘irrelevant scholastic displays must be eliminated’ (1971). Prof Harris credited the OU with breaking down academic language into more simple, logical forms of communication, and highlighted the influence of individuals who moved on from the OU in introducing ‘managerialism’ to the rest of the sector. (more…)

OU target student?

Despite the project’s best efforts to encourage contributions from the University outside Walton Hall, the first session, chaired and introduced by Project Sponsor Professor David Vincent, concentrated more on how open the University had been to people, rather than to places. (more…)

Approaching 50 current and former staff and students gathered in the Library yesterday to discuss elements of the Open University’s history. Opening Up The Open University generated a lively debate on issues such as  how successful the University has been in being ‘open’, the relationship between technology and pedagogy, and the impact the OU has had on the world of higher education more broadly.

Those attending also took the opportunity to celebrate Jennie Lee’s 106th birthday, with a cake featuring her photograph. In true OU multimedia style, the day was peppered with audio and visual clips, including from the recently concluded Oral History Project. See other blog posts for more details.

There are still a handful of places available at next week’s workshop Opening Up The Open University workshop. For more details see here. 

There will be three plenary sessions – Open to people and places; Open to methods; and Open to ideas – reflecting the University’s mission, as set out by Lord Crowther in 1969.

Subjects to be addressed include the development of technology and pedagogy, the success of the University in widening participation and the role of the BBC. There will also be a contribution from the University’s Oral History Project.

A report of the event will be available on this blog next Thursday 4 November and we hope to explore here some of the discussions that take place in greater depth subsequently.

On Wednesday 3 November the History of The Open University Project is hosting a workshop to reflect on The Open University’s development and its place in and contribution to wider society. 

Contributors come from a range of disciplines and from both inside and outside the University. Subjects to be addressed include the development of technology and pedagogy, the success of the University in widening participation and the role of the BBC. There will also be a contribution from the University’s Oral History Project.

The workshop is open to all but limited by space. Those who wish to attend are asked to register in advance by email to history-of-the-ou@open.ac.uk by 27 October 2010.

More information is available here.

CALL FOR PAPERS STUDENTS, VOLUNTEERING AND SOCIAL ACTION: 1880-1990

Toynbee Hall, London | 25 November 2010 | 10.30-4.30 (more…)