The Open University

TV cameras return to Cornwall to explore its fishing life

18 January 2021

The beauty of Cornwall and the fishing tales of generations of fishermen are captured in a brand new six-part BBC/OU co-produced series this month. Cornwall: This Fishing Life is back for a new series where the past 12 months have seen the impact of two hugely challenging issues for this far flung county: Brexit and […]

6 top tips for honing productivity

14 January 2021

It can be difficult staying productive at the best of times, especially in the middle of a pandemic – so we asked our community of OU students – and a tutor – to share their top tips for honing productivity. Here’s what they came up with… 1. Find the right time to study Everyone works […]

How an obscure 1909 novella that foretold the internet can guide us through the latest lockdown

12 January 2021

Dan Taylor, Lecturer in Social and Political Thought at The Open University writes for The Conversation about how literature can provide us with guidance about living through lockdown. For most people the latest national lockdown means uncertainty: precarious jobs and incomes, concerns about the safety of loved ones, and – for many parents – the difficulty […]

OU-funded research to tackle social isolation in hospice settings

12 January 2021

It’s no secret that Covid-19 is having a devastating impact on the lives of patients in care homes and hospices. The threat of the virus has forced providers to keep patients isolated from loved ones for their own safety, but this has led to a decline in mental health, an increase in anxiety and even […]

Pandemic prompts rise of creative ambition, OU survey finds

8 January 2021

Six in ten of us took up something creative in 2020 Most popular activity was reading for pleasure (30%) Nearly 20% found ways to learn a new subject Turning to study proved popular among those aged 18-34 Results reveal motivation to give things a try in lockdown Reading, writing, DIY or watching online videos, it […]

New report highlights trends in online and blended learning

7 January 2021

‘Enriched realities’ and ‘Using chatbots in learning’ are two of the top ten new approaches to learning and teaching in this year’s Innovating Pedagogy report from The Open University. The ninth edition of the report launched in January 2021 was produced by leading educational researchers at the OU’s Institute of Educational Technology (IET), in collaboration […]

Return of ‘The Truth About’ spotlights Covid concerns

5 January 2021

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the OU/BBC partnership and New Year kicks off with a return of the series ‘The Truth About’’, with three special episodes focusing on issues around coronavirus. This popular and informative co-production starts on Wednesday 6 January at 9pm on BBC One with The Truth About Boosting Your Immune […]

OU academic named in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours

31 December 2020

Mark Brandon, Professor of Polar Oceanography, at The Open University has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year 2021 Honours for services to Polar Science. Mark has been at The Open University for 20 years and has been Professor of Polar Oceanography since 2018. He is also the Associate Dean of Enterprise and […]

2020: an award winning year for OU/BBC TV and Radio

21 December 2020

It’s been another award-winning year for OU/BBC co-productions. Our co-produced content received four nominations at the BAFTAs, with Blue Planet Live winning the ‘Live Event’ category, BBC Ideas won a Webby and we had five nominations at the Broadcast Awards. Here we look back at some of the highlights of the OU/BBC co-productions from the […]

Game your way into a new cyber career

21 December 2020

Most would agree that cyber security is no child’s play, but an Open University (OU) course is keen to borrow the latest gaming techniques to teach adults new skills in the field. OU tech experts have developed a new, FREE course teaching the basics of cyber security to beginners using game-based assessments, making the subject […]

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