The Open University

5 reasons why robots can’t replace teachers

25 July 2018

The world seems to be at your fingertips every second of the day. If you want to know something then you just look it up on the internet. We can find out facts about anything and everything instantly. So why do we still need teachers? We put the question to some of the team behind […]

The need to transform education is huge; online is an essential part of the solution

24 July 2018

Education – we value it as a measure of achievement and success. It encourages social mobility and provides us with the skills to develop, both personally and professionally. But is our education system outdated? CEO of the online social learning platform, FutureLearn, Simon Nelson, explores the power of online learning in transforming education. Online learning […]

From babel fish to skill pills – the future of technology in education?

23 July 2018

Martin Hamilton, a futurist at JISC – providing digital solutions for UK education and research – shares his thoughts on the future of technology in education as part of our #TomorrowsEd series… Remember the Babel Fish in the Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? Just pop one in your ear and it will translate […]

‘Open’ education – a celebration of knowledge sharing

7 March 2018

Education is all about sharing; sharing information and sharing knowledge. Open Education Week (Monday 5 – Friday 9 March 2018) is a celebration of the global Open Education Movement. Its goal is to raise awareness of the Open Education movement, which combines learning with modern technologies, such as the internet, so that anyone can share education resources and […]

How learning analytics can provide students (and teachers) what they want

2 February 2018

The words ‘analytics’ and ‘data’ might seem alien or even intimidating to most of us – unless you are a number-cruncher or a market analyst, why would they be of any use, right? However, Professor of Learning Analytics at The Open University, Bart Rienties, has spent much of his career researching how data can improve […]

English in Action project scoops top award for international impact

1 December 2017

English in Action (EIA), an inspiring OU-led project to transform English language teaching in Bangladesh has won a prestigious Times Higher Education Award for International Impact. The Award recognises projects which have had a significant, demonstrable impact on the world at large. “innovative and pragmatic “ The judges said that the programme was a “clear winner […]

7 creative ways teachers can get kids writing

14 November 2017

Professor of Literacy, Teresa Cremin, is working on a new research project to develop teachers’ skills as writers, in order to help develop the confidence and motivation of students. Here she shares seven ways that teachers can get their students into writing: 1. Clear time and space, and ‘just write’ Help children to turn off their […]

Take a first step into distance learning: free online course with BBC Learning English

9 October 2017

Want to be a distance learner? Don’t know where to start? The OU has teamed up with BBC Learning English to provide a free 10-week online course to teach you how to become a pro. Go the Distance includes animations, explainers, support from academics on writing techniques and interviews with students about their experiences of distance […]

Festive feast over? There is always room for another course.

26 December 2016

It’s Boxing Day and you have munched enough chocolate, pudding, and turkey to sustain you for another twelve months; however, there is always room for another course. If you are bored on Boxing Day and there isn’t anything of interest on TV – even though you have 846 channels – then dine on the OpenLearn […]

The Open University in Scotland, The Scotsman

Taking students on a ‘learner journey’

6 December 2016

This article is by Learning and Teaching Co-ordinator at The Open University in Scotland, Joan Thomson, and was originally published in The Scotsman. The “learner journey” is a concept which crops up in most of the literature on education policy. It’s not exactly the most user-friendly of phrases – I wonder how many students would recognise […]

OU News

Category: Education