The Open University

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 […]

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 […]

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Category: Education, languages and health