The Open University

OU researcher calls for national approach to end rough sleeping in bins

24 February 2020

Growing numbers of rough sleepers in the UK have given rise to people taking shelter in bins, which OU research finds is putting their lives in danger. An Open University (OU) environmental researcher is urging waste producers, homelessness services and waste operators to help put a stop to this life-threatening practice. Dr Toni Gladding, Senior […]

Open University Position Statement on USS Pensions and 2019/20 Pay Award

19 February 2020

The Open University (OU) is one of more than 340 higher education and related institutions across the United Kingdom that participate in the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). With effect from Thursday 20 February the University and College Union (UCU) has announced it is taking 14 days of strike action, spread over four weeks. This is […]

Why the most distant object ever visited looks like a snowman – flyby delivers results

17 February 2020

Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at The Open University writes for The Conversation about a new series of papers that help us better understand the solar system. Just over a year ago, courtesy of NASA’s New Horizons mission, we were treated to images of 2014MU69, a small object 6.6 billion kilometers from the […]

Ancient spells and charms for the hapless in love

14 February 2020

PhD Student at The Open University, Adam Parker writes for The Conversation about ancient love spells and charms. Valentine’s Days is not all love hearts and roses for everyone. For the hapless in love, the day can be a yearly reminder of failed romances, unrequited love and the seemingly unending search for the illusive “one”. Such […]

Infection disease expert discusses the coronavirus

14 February 2020

Cases of the coronavirus (Covid-19) are growing with more than 47,000 laboratory confirmed cases worldwide, nine of them in the UK to date. But what do we know about the virus and can the UK deal with an outbreak of this kind? Dr Helen Wimalarathna, an infectious disease epidemiologist, discusses the virus, the spread of […]

How to study with the OU: advice from students to students

13 February 2020

Our students work incredibly hard, committing to their studies while juggling a combination of life, illness, disability, work and family, and they somehow find time to fit everything in. If you’re just beginning that journey you might be feeling a little overwhelmed, wondering how you’re going to make it all work. So who better to […]

Hospital is back on our screens for another powerful series

12 February 2020

Hospital, the fly-on-the-wall series that documents the incredible work and hardship faced by seven hospitals in Liverpool, is back for its fifth series. Co-produced by the BBC and The Open University’s Broadcast and Partnerships team, over eight weeks the series follows the extraordinary work of some of the region’s 20,000 NHS hospital staff, as they […]

OU joins FutureLearn on microcredentials launch

11 February 2020

The Open University is among some of the most innovative universities in the world launching seven new microcredentials on its part-owned FutureLearn.com site, the leading social learning platform. This first suite of microcredentials includes six partners from the United Kingdom and Ireland, Australia and the USA. These founding microcredential partners joining forces in this exciting […]

Finding out the secrets of the museum

6 February 2020

An exquisite 18th century portrait, a colourful Dior dress and dozens of delightful curiosities. These are just some of the fascinating secrets revealed in a new six-part OU/BBC co-production that lets cameras go behind the scenes at the world-famous Victoria and Albert Museum. Starting on Thursday 6 February Secrets of the Museum begins on BBC […]

Pay attention to part-time, report demands

6 February 2020

The needs of part-time students have never been more pressing, a report by the OU and the Higher Education Policy Institute finds. The wide-ranging report from the HE thinktank and the OU considers the sharp decline in the numbers of part-time learners, hearing the views of the people themselves. Author Dr John Butcher presents Unheard: […]

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