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Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London, England

Carers pay the heavy price of failing legislation

5 July 2016

A year on from the introduction of the Care Act 2014, a review by the UK’s largest charity for unpaid carers has found that the new act has made little or no difference to the 5.4 million carers in England. The review commissioned by the Carers Trust, led by former care minister Paul Burstow, involved […]

OBE for eminent OU professor

11 June 2016

Professor Eileen Scanlon has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours list for services to Education. This is the latest accolade for her work, which has also seen her receive the inaugural Regius Professorship in Open Education. Professor Scanlon, Associate Director of Research & Innovation in the Institute of Educational Technology at the OU, […]

The Big C booklet produced by Open University academics to support BBC TV series The Big C and Me.

5 ways to make a difference to someone living with cancer

2 June 2016

Two and a half million people are living with cancer in Britain. But what is the impact on a patient once they receive the diagnosis and how do they, and their families and friends, cope with everything the disease then throws at them? The Big C and Me is a BBC/Open University co-production delving into […]

Why alcohol makes you feel warm – and other strange effects it has on the brain

26 May 2016

Alcohol: why do we drink it? People have been consuming alcohol for at least 10,000 years. And when drinking water was rather risky, alcohol seemed a much safer bet. Amaldus of Villanova, a 14th-century monk, even wrote that alcohol “prolongs life, clears away ill humors, revives the heart and maintains youth”. Today people will give […]

Does air pollution increase the risk of stillbirth?

26 May 2016

New research suggests pregnant women exposed to air pollution – like car emissions or industrial waste fumes – could face an increased risk of stillbirth. But an Open University statistics expert says that’s not necessarily the case. “I don’t think these new findings should be a serious cause for concern for individual pregnant women – if […]

‘It’s crucial’: 6 reasons why you should embrace learning at work

19 May 2016

Combining the ability to learn and work has been a positive – and in some cases life-changing – experience for many Open University students. We asked these OU graduates to explain why ‘learning while earning’ has worked for them… 1) You already have the perfect study space – your office! Rob Clark graduated with a MSc in […]

Wooden cross in a graveyard. Image credit: Thinkstock

The complex issues of death and dying

10 May 2016

The only certainty in life is death. Visiting academic in Health and Social Care, Carol Komaromy, researched the complex issues of death and dying, covering topics like the place of grief in society and how people cope with death depending on their gender or profession. To mark Dying Matters Awareness Week, from 9th to 15th May, […]

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, […]

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

Category: Education, languages and health