The Open University

The filter bubble isn’t just Facebook’s fault — it’s yours

5 December 2016

Following the shock results of Brexit and the Trump victory, a lot of attention has focused on the role that Facebook might have played in creating online political ghettos in which false news can easily spread. Facebook now has serious political influence thanks to its development from a social networking tool into a primary source […]

Top trends to disrupt education over next decade

1 December 2016

New findings in a report from The Open University outline future trends which will impact on education and teaching. The Innovating Pedagogy report says that the productive failure, formative analytics and design thinking are amongst the stand-out developments for the sector over the next 10 years. Success and failure analysed Mike Sharples, Professor of Educational […]

We must challenge the culture of silence about child sexual abuse in football

25 November 2016

Professional footballers, including the former Crewe Alexandra player Andy Woodward, have been speaking out recently about their experiences of sexual abuse as children. They include alleged victims of football coach Barry Bennell, who was sentenced to nine years in prison in 1998, and are waiving their right to anonymity. The NSPCC said a special hotline, […]

‘Understanding vision impairment is more imperative than ever’

22 November 2016

Older people with Vision Impairment (VI) from Black and Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups in England are less likely to access vital support services than those from White British backgrounds, a recent study by The Open University (OU) has concluded. The research, commissioned by the national sight loss charity, Thomas Pocklington Trust, interviewed 50 older […]

Teacher delivering material in a classroom

OU and Save the Children announce new partnership to raise education standards in India

8 November 2016

As part of the UK government’s trade delegation to India, The Open University and Save the Children (the leading child rights organisation in India), have announced a new partnership to deliver the TESS-India (Teacher Education Through School-Based Support) project from November 2016. Since 2012, the project has been funded by DFID (UK Department for International Development). […]

Illustration of training swimmers in a swimming pool

‘Super-human’ athletes are at risk from the post-Olympic blues – here’s why

23 August 2016

As nations all over the world welcome their Olympic athletes home, many of us will take a moment to reflect on the whirlwind of psychological pressure, physical strain, elation and disappointment, which they have just experienced. But whether they’re revelling in the glory of hard-won medals, or recovering from heartbreaking defeats, Olympic athletes won’t have […]

Why are Olympic athletes copping so much abuse? It all comes down to gender

16 August 2016

Every four years, the Olympic and Paralympic Games burst on to our screens, showcasing a rich variety of sports, athletes and cultures. For those not lucky enough to be in Rio this year, social media has made it possible to to share jokes, news, triumphs and disappointments with other viewers from around the world. But […]

Fitbits for older people: OU researches wearable technology

10 August 2016

Could wearable fitness trackers like Fitbits – currently seen as trendy accessories for the young – play a key role in improving the health of older people? This is what Open University researchers aim to discover, in a year-long study following people over 55 using a range of digital wearable health-monitoring technologies. The research will […]

Making young children give everything to football is a bad idea – here’s why

2 August 2016

As a result, they are taking on players very young. British clubs commonly take advantage of the fact that they can sign players on schoolboy terms from the age of nine. And the clubs invite even younger children to their development centres and have been known to scout five-year-olds. When a youngster signs for a […]

You teach me and I’ll teach you Pokémon

25 July 2016

With the global success of Pokémon Go, the world has been introduced to the next generation of augmented reality experiences on their mobile phones. Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Education and Technology (IET), and author of Augmented Education, Dr Rebecca Ferguson, considers augmented reality as a tool to support learning; could augmented reality, with its power to engage […]

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Category: Education, languages and health