Archive for the ‘Curriculum’ Category

Parliamentary interest in OU

Wednesday, July 31st, 2013

During a Lords debate of 24 July 2013 the contributors mentioned the OU’s experience and dynamism in regard to part-time education. Lord Rees of Ludlow noted that while across the nation numbers applying to be part-time students had fallen by 40% over the previous year, ‘the OU has to some extent bucked the trend’. He also called it ‘excellent news’ that the Open University had established FutureLearn. Baroness Garden of Frognal called FutureLearn ‘an exciting development’. Baroness Brinton commended the OU’s recruitment campaign and called FutureLearn ‘groundbreaking’, adding that ‘the key is the OU’s expertise in distance learning, which has been critical to getting this off the ground. These courses, and the way in which students interact with each other as well as with staff across the various institutions, is the learning environment of the 21st century’.

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Towering over the challenges

Friday, March 30th, 2012

The OU has long been in a league of its own. Many have seen it as rising above the others in a manner comparable to the way the inspirational tower associated with Blackpool is clearly far above the flat countryside of the Ipswich Town tractor boys. (more…)

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Happy birthday languages at the OU!

Thursday, September 29th, 2011
1993 Centre for Modern Languages workshop

Twenty years of teaching foreign languages at the Open University was marked on 29 September by an afternoon of celebrations at Walton Hall.

Following an introduction and video message from the Vice‐Chancellor of the Open University, Martin Bean, there were a few words from Pro‐Vice‐Chancellor Prof Alan Tait about ‘Languages at the Open University’ and a talk ‘ Language skills and the UK’s future growth prospects’ from Dr Adam Marshall of the British Chambers of Commerce.

Prof Marie‐Noëlle Lamy recalled ‘How it all began – the founding of the Centre for Modern Languages’. This was followed by messages from OU and external colleagues and from partners and students. Margaret Nicolson spoke about ‘The nations and regions: then and now’ and Dr Regine Hampel about ‘Research and scholarship in the Department of Languages’.

Staff from the Department of Languages then presented a few learning applications, including interactive learning on the move, technology for sharing, and technology for developing speaking skills at a distance before Dr Uwe Baumann considered ‘The next twenty years’. There followed a reception and opportunity to try out some of the technology.

The plans to teach languages at the OU were a long time in gestation.  (more…)

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