The Open University

Flexible business communication - woman calling phone. Image credit: Thinkstock

Digital Brain Switch – how digital technologies are impacting work-life boundaries

6 May 2016

Digital technologies – smartphones, tablets and social media – are changing our relationship with work. The traditional clock on at 9am, clock off at 5pm work pattern is disappearing as the internet and our ability to be connected to it 24/7 allows us to work whenever and wherever we want. Is this a good thing? […]

How Ranieri’s Leicester City rode the perfect storm to Premier League success

3 May 2016

Was it the right players, the right manager, the right opposition or all of the above? OU sport and fitness lecturer Simon Rea on how Ranieri’s Leicester City rode the perfect storm to Premier League success… While it was deemed less likely than Elvis Presley being found alive or the Loch Ness monster finally being […]

Leicester City: the classic triumph of the football underdog

3 May 2016

The German philosopher Theodor Adorno once wrote: “Football implies the desire to suffer” and by and large that is probably the experience of most football fans most of the time. But once in a while comes the pure joy that Leicester City fans are currently experiencing. And this is why fans put themselves through it, […]

Belfast City Centre. Image credit: Thinkstock

Opinion: OU nation director on Northern Ireland Assembly election

30 April 2016

From the OU in Northern Ireland… The third opinion piece in our series of three from OU nation directors sees The Open University in Northern Ireland‘s John D’Arcy sharing his views on higher education’s contribution to the economy ahead of the Northern Ireland Assembly elections on May 5th… It has been a busy six weeks of tireless […]

Members of Open University staff holding up course books

OU awards for excellence in teaching and learning

29 April 2016

For more than 15 years The Open University has recognised and rewarded exceptional achievement in teaching and learning. Under the theme of Learning Now for the Future, the staff awards focus on innovation, promoting equality, supporting students, learning and teaching design, and developing students’ academic and learning skills. Each year, nominations are invited from across […]

Edinburgh city, Scotland. Image credit: Thinkstock

Opinion: OU nation director on Scottish Parliamentary election

29 April 2016

From the OU in Scotland… The second opinion piece in our series of three from OU nation directors sees The Open University in Scotland‘s Susan Stewart sharing her views on next week’s Scottish Parliamentary elections (May 5th) while taking stock of education policy in Scotland… With all of the party manifestos published and the Scottish Parliamentary election […]

Cardiff Bay in Wales. Image credit: Thinstock

Opinion: OU Nation director on Welsh Assembly election

28 April 2016

The UK goes to the polls on May 5th in the biggest set of elections outside a General Election in some time. As well as local council elections in England, Mayor of London election, London Assembly and the police and crime commissioner elections, the polls will also open for the Welsh Assembly, Scottish Parliament and […]

green landscape coming out of the pages of a book

11 tips to help you read outside your comfort zone

23 April 2016

Is your bedside table stacked with crime thrillers, romantic novels or dystopian literature? Never tend to mix your genres, safe in the knowledge that you like what you read? Perhaps you’re missing out, says the OU’s Dr Alex Hobbs, a tutor in the Faculty of Arts. Here she shares her top 10 tips for expanding […]

OU tops list of employer-sponsored degree providers

21 April 2016

The Open University has topped a table of providers of employer-sponsored degrees in a new report published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI). The report – Making a Success of Employer Education – was written by the Vice-Chancellor of London South Bank University (LSBU), Professor David Phoenix, and looks at the benefit of employer-sponsored […]

How does the language you use affect others?

19 April 2016

Stress – the focus of Mental Health Awareness Week – is a key factor in mental health, including anxiety and depression. How we talk about depression can have unintended consequences, says Dr Zsofia Demjen, a lecturer in English language and applied linguistics. Using phrases like “I’m so depressed” runs the risk of normalising serious issues […]

OU News