The Open University

The Big C booklet produced by Open University academics to support BBC TV series The Big C and Me.

5 ways to make a difference to someone living with cancer

2 June 2016

Two and a half million people are living with cancer in Britain. But what is the impact on a patient once they receive the diagnosis and how do they, and their families and friends, cope with everything the disease then throws at them? The Big C and Me is a BBC/Open University co-production delving into […]

Does air pollution increase the risk of stillbirth?

26 May 2016

New research suggests pregnant women exposed to air pollution – like car emissions or industrial waste fumes – could face an increased risk of stillbirth. But an Open University statistics expert says that’s not necessarily the case. “I don’t think these new findings should be a serious cause for concern for individual pregnant women – if […]

‘It’s crucial’: 6 reasons why you should embrace learning at work

19 May 2016

Combining the ability to learn and work has been a positive – and in some cases life-changing – experience for many Open University students. We asked these OU graduates to explain why ‘learning while earning’ has worked for them… 1) You already have the perfect study space – your office! Rob Clark graduated with a MSc in […]

Homelessness in our towns and cities: policing disorder?

15 May 2016

Dr Daniel McCulloch, an Open University lecturer in criminology and social policy, on the complexities of policing homelessness – looking after the welfare of rough sleepers while trying to move them away from prime city spaces… Rough sleepers and the police often come into contact on our streets. Policing homeless populations is a complex […]

OU expert on ‘pregnancy, artificial sweetener and overweight children’ stats

13 May 2016

Research into women who consume diet fizzy drinks during pregnancy has revealed they’re more likely to have overweight children by the time they reach their first birthday. The study was conducted by a university in Canada with 3,000 women. But Professor Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics at the OU, says casual conclusions can’t be drawn […]

Man working on laptop, tablet and smartphone. Image credit: Thinkstock

Should the right to disconnect from work emails be law?

11 May 2016

Should the right to clock off from work emails out of hours become law? Should governments be responsible for regulating the right to disconnect? In France, President Francois Hollande’s Socialist Party is about to vote through a measure that, for the first time, will give employees the right to log off from work and enjoy, […]

Joe Smith, David Attenborough and Kim Hammond

Who is the next David Attenborough? You are

8 May 2016

“David Attenborough has left more tracks across the broadcasting landscape than any other human being, and his 90th birthday is a good moment to reflect on what makes him special,” says Dr Joe Smith, OU Professor of Environment and Society, who is leading a research project entitled Earth in Vision, exploring environmental change through the […]

David Attenborough in Life in Cold Blood

Happy 90th birthday to Sir David Attenborough

8 May 2016

Today, Sir David Attenborough – Britain’s best-known natural history film-maker – celebrates his 90th birthday. With a career as a naturalist and broadcaster spanning six decades, Sir David was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Open University in 1980 and has been supporting our work ever since, endorsing projects like iSpot. In his speech, back […]

Podcast: UK election results summary

6 May 2016

The OU’s Dr Richard Heffernan, Interim Head of Politics and International Studies, caught up with OU News over the phone following results of yesterday’s (May 6th) UK elections. In this short podcast, he talks about local elections, the Scottish Parliament result and poll predictions…

Work life balance signpost. Image credit: Thinkstock

How do we manage work-life boundaries and whose responsibility is it?

6 May 2016

With digital tools and technologies making it all too easy for us to switch between home and work life with the touch of an app or the ping of an inbox, how do we manage the boundaries? And whose responsibility is it? Transferring from home to work life and back again was a longer process […]

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