The Open University

Space know-how helping to “sniff out” salad freshness

11 March 2019

Open University scientists are part of a UK team developing new technology which will be able to “smell” when fruit or vegetables are going off. It’s hoped the test could potentially save tonnes of waste. According to the UK waste advisory body WRAP, 1.2million tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables are wasted each year. A UK-based […]

International Women’s Day – women of the OU

8 March 2019

To celebrate International Women’s Day (8 March), we’re shining a spotlight on the women that have made a significant impact to The Open University over the past 50 years. Jennie Lee Jennie Lee was a Scottish politician and Minister for the Arts in Harold Wilson’s government of 1964–1970. She played a leading role in creating the […]

The OU has the highest number of students declaring a mental health condition in the UK

7 March 2019

On University Mental Health Day (7 March), The Open University has announced that it has the highest number of students declaring a mental health condition across the UK (6,025), and that proportion has increased year-on-year over the past 10 years. As a proud supporter of University Mental Health Day, it’s essential that as the debate about […]

Books are delightful as they are – don’t fall in the trap of competitive reading

5 March 2019

“My happiest times in childhood were spent reading the books of E. Nesbit, C.S. Lewis and Joan Aiken. Preferring to read in hidden corners where nobody could find me, I immersed myself completely in these stories and believed utterly in their magic, even attempting to enter Narnia via the portal of my grandmother’s wardrobe. As […]

Keep reading to children into their teenage years, urge experts

5 March 2019

Only 32% of British children under 13 are read to daily by an adult, for pleasure, down 9% since 2012, according to the annual reading habits survey by Nielsen Book Research. The research also reveals that most parents stop reading to their child by the age of eight. Teresa Cremin, Professor of Literacy and a […]

Malcolm Sweeting appointed as new Pro-Chancellor

4 March 2019

The Open University has appointed Malcolm Sweeting as its new Pro-Chancellor, replacing Richard Gillingwater, who completed his term of office at the end of 2018 after 4 years in the role. A wealth of experience Malcolm Sweeting is a leading international corporate finance lawyer, a partner of Clifford Chance since 1990 and was global senior […]

Meet the Expert: Martin Weller

4 March 2019

Last month, Martin Weller, Professor of Educational Technology at The Open University delivered his inaugural lecture to an audience of over 200. As part of the OU’s 50th anniversary celebrations, Martin examined the meaning of the term ‘open’ and considered what an ‘Open University’ would look like if we were to invent it now. Martin has […]

There are missing objects at the fringe of the solar system – new study puzzles astronomers

1 March 2019

Professor David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences at The Open University discusses a new method to help see the unseen bodies that are in the Kuiper belt. In the dimly lit spaces of our solar system beyond Neptune’s orbit lies the Kuiper Belt. This a region between about 35 and 50 times further from the sun than […]

OU launches social worker degree apprenticeship

28 February 2019

The Open University (OU) has launched its Social Worker Degree Apprenticeship, supporting more people into higher education and providing a new, flexible route into becoming a social worker. Employers in a social work setting – across England – are being encouraged to work in partnership with the OU to set up the apprenticeships to develop […]

From studying out of a suitcase to social justice campaigner

27 February 2019

Like all children growing up in the UK in the 1970s, Lynnette Thomas’ first interaction with The Open University was via early morning television. This was just the beginning of a lifelong relationship with the OU, which led to her becoming Deputy Director for the OU in Wales last June. The OU connection doesn’t stop […]

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