The Open University

Swedish philanthropist, founder of the Sutton Trust and two national journalists honoured at degree ceremony

16 September 2016

The Open University has honoured four leading figures in UK society for the exceptional contributions they have made. Martin Lewis OBE, former editor of The Guardian Alan Rusbridger and philanthropists and social justice activists Sir Peter Lampl and Dr Sigrid Rausing all received honorary degrees from The Open University. Personal finance champion Well known personal […]

Silhouettes of Business People. Image credit: Thinkstock

Social mobility must focus on adult learners too, says OU Vice-Chancellor

15 September 2016

Social mobility is certainly the hot potato where the May Government is concerned. But is the new Prime Minister really looking in the right places? asks OU Vice-Chancellor Peter Horrocks. Theresa May’s aspirations for education policy – her recent announcements on more grammar schools and allowing universities to support state schools – show a boldness that […]

Scotland and the Battle for Britain

9 September 2016

Former BBC political editor Andrew Marr, born in Glasgow, presents Scotland and the Battle for Britain, a two-part documentary exploring Scotland’s political transformation during the historic events of recent years. Produced in partnership with The Open University, the programmes look at the impact of the Scottish referendum on independence, the success of the SNP in last […]

BBC Inside Science features OU academic on water on Mars

1 September 2016

The quest to discover whether life exists, or has existed, on the Planet Mars has been one of the driving forces of space science research for decades. In a special interview with BBC Inside Science, co-produced by The Open University, Senior Lecturer at The Open University, Dr Matthew Balme, introduces us to his collaborative research, which has […]

Open University and KPMG to provide degree apprenticeships programme

18 August 2016

Following the Government’s plan to introduce the Apprenticeship Levy in England, from April 2017, The Open University and KPMG have announced a partnership to enable employers to identify and fulfil future training needs. The partnership has been designed to offer employers a high quality, scalable and accessible service and includes three initial higher level apprenticeships […]

Clearing 2016: OU’s firm university offer, open to everyone

17 August 2016

Across the UK young people are receiving their A-Level results, entering the clearing process and deciding what to do next. Some will take the decision to leave home and head to university. Others will be looking for alternatives to traditional university, and here’s where The Open University can help. With a strong mission that higher […]

OU Business School pioneers Europe’s first MOOCs for academic credit

11 August 2016

The OU Business School is the first business school in Europe to offer credits for its courses through MOOCs on the FutureLearn platform. Starting from 15 August, learners could earn 30 credits towards a BA Business Studies or 15 credits towards an MBA. A route to formal qualifications The suite of eight undergraduate courses (Business […]

Students continue to rate The Open University highly

10 August 2016

OU top for assessment and feedback in National Student Survey The results of the National Student Survey (NSS) have been published today by HEFCE, with students continuing to rate The Open University (OU) highly. The OU achieved an overall satisfaction rating of 89%, putting it in joint 28th place out of UK Universities. Although the […]

Don’t ignore part-time study

4 August 2016

A report by the Department for Education into widening participating in higher education found that the percentage of state-educated pupils going on to universities and colleges in 2013/14 fell to 62%, from 66% in the previous year. Leading figures from across the education sector are calling on the Government for an urgent review and action […]

Open University responds to review of Research Excellence Framework

29 July 2016

The independent review of the process for assessing university research and allocating public funding has been published by Lord Nicholas Stern outlining proposals to protect and strengthen the UK’s leadership in world-class research. The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is run every 5 to 6 years and requires UK universities, that conduct research, to submit their top research […]

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Category: Around the OU