The Open University

OU calls for “urgent action” to address fall in part-time students in England

12 January 2018

The OU is renewing its call for urgent action by the UK Government after new figures showed a further year-on-year fall in the number of part-time students in England. Figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) revealed a 14 per cent drop in the number of people starting undergraduate courses in England between 2015/16 […]

7 gifts an OU student might love

20 December 2017

This one’s for all OU students. Something to casually link to; share on Facebook with an *ahem*; or go old school and print out and highlight for your nearest and dearest. Or just place near a chimney and hope! We know how hard our students work. You’re awesome, and you deserve an awesome Christmas too. […]

OU degree led Carolyn to dream job working with forgotten apes

15 December 2017

Inspired by the great female primatologists that have gone before her, OU graduate Carolyn Thompson has always had a passion for apes. Despite being told by her careers advisor at school to pursue a different path because she “did not have a good grasp of maths and science,” she persevered, and thanks to the OU […]

The OU appoints new director in Wales

12 December 2017

The OU has appointed a new director of The Open University in Wales. Louise Casella will join the OU in Wales in the New Year, and will be responsible for the University’s provision across Wales. Louise joins the OU with considerable strategic leadership experience in higher education, including senior roles in Wales. She currently works as an […]

Five amazing advances in research at the OU in 2017

12 December 2017

From the welfare of working animals and supporting gender equality in India, to forecasting space weather and levitating water on Mars, it has been an amazing 12 months for research at the OU. Here are five that will knock your Christmas socks off. 1. Improving the welfare of working animals The OU Animal-Computer Interaction (ACI) Lab, […]

Navigating fake news, learning in minutes and active participation: the big trends for education over the next decade

7 December 2017

With ‘fake news’ named the word of the year for 2017, experts expect that it will remain a problem throughout the next decade, with one of the biggest trends for education predicted to be helping students identify trustworthy sources and distinguish ‘fake news’ from facts. ‘Navigating post-truth societies’ is named as one of the top […]

“Online study worked for me – I doubled my salary”

6 December 2017

Five years ago, Ryan Peddie from Newcastle was working as an IT Manager – but when his company started to face financial difficulties and approached a stage of restructuring he realised his job could be in jeopardy. He took stock of his career and decided to shift his horizons and ambitions into a career in […]

Open University renews learning agreement with Unison

6 December 2017

The Open University has renewed its learning agreement with UNISON to benefit workers across the UK’s public services. UNISON’s relationship with The Open University first began in 1997. Since then around 7,000 public service employees who belong to the union have enrolled upon a wide range of accredited courses, right up to degree level. Many […]

2017 degree ceremonies: it’s been memorable

4 December 2017

Our 2017 degree ceremony schedule drew to a close a couple of weeks ago at Gateshead, and what better note to end on than this photo of Matthew who was so happy he could fly! Matthew, a steelworker and now proud owner of a BA (Honours) in English Language and Literature, said: “When I left […]

#Iwas social media campaign wins second award

30 November 2017

A campaign celebrating the stories of the OU’s diverse student community won a UK-wide social media award. The #Iwas campaign was announced as winner of the Best User-Generated Content category in the The Drum’s Social Buzz Awards. In October the campaign won Best Audience Engagement Campiagn category at the UK Social Media Communications Awards. The campaign […]

OU News

Category: University news