Open University History Society

The reversal of the traditional telling of the British presence in South Asia is being presented by Beyond the Frame: India in Britain, 1858-1950.

The joint project with the British Library and funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council celebrates the often overlooked story of the Indian presence in Britain.

It was launched in December at the offices of the British Council and the National Archives of India in Delhi (pictured above). 

Dr Florian Stadtler, OU Research Associate accompanying the tour with OU Professor Susheila Nasta and Penny Brook of the British Library said: “At the launch and during the school workshops it was clear the exhibition presented a little-known aspect of the history of the relationship between Britain and India.”
  
Some schoolchildren who visited said they had never been told in detail about Indians in Britain.

“It has always been about the British in India,” said one.

At a panel discussion in Kolkata British Deputy High Commissioner Sanjay Wadvani said the exhibition’s accompanying Asians in Britain website and database should be ‘required reading’ for anyone joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s South Asia team.

Beyond the Frame, which features extensive material on the part Indians played in trade, the military, politics and culture in Britain has now been seen in several cities across India and will continue to tour into February.

Reaction from the Indian press has been positive with coverage in many leading newspapers, magazines and websites.

 At the National Archive of India the exhibition panels with content from the former India Office Library were joined by the NAI’s own material – thought to be the first time the two have been displayed side by side. 

The OU-BL team were given a VIP welcome and the NAI entrance was garlanded with flowers in their honour.

Thought-provoking, enlightening and fun were just some of the words students used.

One said they had learned a lot of things they never came across in text books.
 
Another said: “I wasn’t interested in history before, but I am now.”

Registration is open for What have we learnt? Transmitting knowledge, facilitating learning c1960-2010 on 29 November, 10.30-15.30.

Location: The Open University Campus, Library Seminar Rooms 1 and 2, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes.

This is a one-day forum organised by the History of The Open University project.

It will bring together a range of experts to discuss different elements of the history of university teaching over 50 years.

The morning session will ask how have students been taught, looking at the move from traditional lectures and tutorials to the use of new technologies, a variety of pedagogies and the development of student-centred learning. 

The afternoon session will reflect on 50 years of the student experience, placing learners’ perspectives at the centre.

Speakers include:

• Prof John Beckett, University of Nottingham
• Dr Georgina Brewis, Institute of Education
• Prof Judith George, The Open University
• Prof Fred Gray, Sussex University
• Dr Janet MacDonald, Higher education consultant
• Prof Harold Silver, Author of Tradition and Higher Education
• Prof Malcolm Tight, Lancaster University,
• Dr Dan Weinbren, The Open University

The event is open to all but those who wish to attend are asked to register in advance as space is limited. 

To register please email history-of-the-ou@open.ac.uk by 22 November.

The Open University has come a long way since home experiment kits included sheep’s brains and postal strikes spelled chaos for students desperate for their course materials. Forty years later and it’s a different story - all students study with the help of a computer and can do so via mobile devices, using eBooks and audio tracks from iTunes U and even contribute to field work without leaving the living room.

Nothing like the OU existed before these pioneer students began their studies in 1971 and for many it changed their lives. The celebration aimed to recognise the achievements of those students who had faith in what the OU could provide.

“Our children helped us rip open the course materials when they arrived, they were often as excited as we were by the science experiments and always wanted to help us,” said Sylvia Gordon, one of the OU’s first ever students. Her husband Alan signed up for study a few years later and it became a real family affair with the kids particularly keen on the fruit fly experiment and teaching a goldfish to recognise colours, he said.

Sylvia was also delighted to be able to visit the OU’s Milton Keynes campus as part of the Pioneers Day: “It might be last chance I get to come here and it’s nice to see how it’s moved on and developed. I see it these days as an opportunity for a lot more people to study who would find the traditional route far too expensive.”

The Gordons were just two of the 250 guests treated to presentations on the changing student experience; the popular nature identification website iSpot; the OU online; international development work and history of the OU.

“You, the class of 1971, demonstrated to employers and the world at large that you had the knowledge and skills that were at least the equal of students from the older, conventional universities,” said Vice-Chancellor Martin Bean, as the day drew to a close over a champagne and strawberry reception.

The day concluded with the unveiling of a portrait of Jennie Lee. The painting was crafted by renowned portrait artist and OU honorary graduate June Mendoza, who has also painted the Queen’s portrait.

Below is the story of Pioneers Day as it unfolded, told via tweets, audio, images and video…