The Open University

8 Days: To the Moon and Back – OU/ BBC co-pro told through the eyes of the astronauts

10 July 2019

The Apollo 11 mission – when humans first set foot on the Moon – stunned the world to become an unforgettable global phenomenon. 8 Days: To the Moon and Back, co-produced by the BBC and The Open University’s Broadcast and Partnership Team airs on Wednesday 10th July at 9pm on BBC Two and follows the […]

“The OU completely changed my life”

10 July 2019

Science was the one subject Ray Barber loved since he was a boy. Working as a college technician with no qualifications, he embarked on an OU degree and his life took an amazing turn; which he credits to the qualifications he gained with the OU. He’s since travelled the world with his work, including a […]

The Open University and Sport England unveil free sport coaching course

8 July 2019

The Open University and Sport England have partnered to deliver a free online course to educate and develop sports coaches, officials, instructors and activity leaders. Available on the OU’s free learning platform, OpenLearn – ‘Coaching Others to Coach’ launches on 8 July and can be studied by anyone at any time. Developed in consultation from […]

Cori Gauff in action on the tennis court

Cori Gauff: the support network behind 15-year-old who beat Venus Williams

5 July 2019

Candice Lingam-Willgoss, The Open University, writing for The Conversation. Until recently, it seems likely that only dedicated tennis fans had heard of Cori Gauff: the second youngest winner of the Junior French Open in 2018, she was one to watch – but it’s unlikely anyone predicted just how fast her star would rise. Yet the […]

OU first for Assessment and Feedback – National Student Survey results

4 July 2019

The results of the annual National Student Survey (NSS) have been published with The Open University ranked first for Assessment and Feedback with a score of 85%. Overall satisfaction has stayed at its strong score of 87%, keeping the OU in the top 20 of all UK universities, with a ranking of 17th amongst 139 […]

Panel speakers at The Open University's event on lifelong learning and digital skills.

Lifelong learning should be a reality, not a slogan

4 July 2019

“Lifelong learning can no longer be a slogan. It has to be a practical reality.” That was the message fronted by Andy Haldane, Chief Economist of the Bank of England, at an event held to champion the importance of digital skills and access to education. The event, one in a series of talks organised for […]

Never too old to learn: what will you do at 91?

3 July 2019

An inspirational 91-year-old woman from Bromley, London has been named as a finalist in the Festival of Learning Awards 2019. Sylvia Rowbottom was forced to leave school during the Second World War, aged 16, but made a pledge to herself to return to education when we got the chance, no matter how long it took. […]

Libra, Iran and the potential end of cryptocurrencies as we know them

3 July 2019

Robert Herian, The Open University, writing for The Conversation Facebook’s new cryptocurrency, libra, is being heralded as the moment that cryptocurrencies and blockchain, the technology that supports them, become truly mainstream. A notable rise in the price of bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies in the run up to the libra announcement on June 18, and […]

OU’s Lunar scientists take a look at living on the Moon

1 July 2019

A team of UK scientists, led by The Open University, are revealing research which brings the possibility of living on the Moon much closer. The Living on the Moon! exhibit at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition (1-7 July), created by a consortium of 5 UK institutions, brings together lunar research from the past 50 […]

How yoga conquered Britain: the feminist legacy of Yogini Sunita and Kalaish Puri

20 June 2019

Suzanne Newcombe, The Open University writing for The Conversation. From fairly obscure beginnings in the mid-20th century, the practice of yoga in Britain has become a massively popular pastime. It’s hard to find official figures for just how many people practise yoga regularly, but it’s thought that between 300,000 and 500,000 people regularly take part […]

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