OU News

News from The Open University

online surveys

Where you ask the questions – BBC and OU launch new ‘citizen inquiry’ website

The Open University has partnered with the BBC for Tomorrow’s World to develop a new ‘citizen inquiry’ website – nQuire – where members of the public can take part in surveys and experiments about their everyday life and the world around them. The first survey focuses on the use of personal data, linking into the new […]

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Blackboard with maths formulas

Why are less than 10% of maths professors women?

Mathematics has long been dominated by male academics and scientists, but why? In her inaugural lecture, Professor of History of Mathematics June Barrow-Green explores the history of women in mathematics and the centuries-long struggle for women mathematicians to gain equality. Against the odds Professor June Barrow-Green, whose working life began in an art gallery, started […]

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Hawaii volcano

Lava in Hawai’i is reaching the ocean, creating new land but also corrosive acid mist

There is something special and awe-inspiring about watching new land form. This is what is now happening in Hawai’i as its Kīlauea volcano erupts. Lava is reaching the ocean and building land while producing spectacular plumes of steam. These eruptions are hugely important for the creation of new land. But they are also dangerous. Where […]

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British expats and french integration

Britons reluctant to appear part of a British expat community in France – Brexit could change that

In the wake of the UK’s Brexit vote, many migrants to Britain have been made to feel like unwelcome outsiders. At the end of a visit to the country in early May, the UN special rapporteur on racism, Tendayi Achiume, said there had been a growth in “explicit racial, ethnic and religious intolerance” since Brexit. […]

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Global teaching awards

“Exceptional institution” shortlisted for Global Teaching Award

The Open University is shortlisted for the 2018 Global Teaching Excellence Award, with praise from the judges for its unique teaching methods, huge reach and outstanding student support.  Described by judges as “an exceptional institution in many ways”, the OU is amongst 17 finalists from across the world, and the winner will be announced on […]

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Dr Gemma Ryan is passionate about teaching and nursing – so she does both

Dr Gemma Ryan is passionate about teaching and nursing – so she does both

Dr Gemma Ryan, is an Open University (OU) lecturer and registered adult nurse. Her passion for both means she takes the unusual step of juggling the two roles together – making her quite a rare entity. Here she explains how and why she combines the two and the benefits it brings to her students. What’s […]

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Doubt, depression, anxiety – just some of the problems plaguing the veterinary profession

Doubt, depression, anxiety – just some of the problems plaguing the veterinary profession

Mental health issues, alcohol and drug abuse, a high incidence of stress and suicide, excessive staff turnover rates, and a failure to adapt to the increasing demographic dominance of women. These are all serious challenges facing the veterinary profession in the UK. And they require urgent attention. Yet veterinary medicine often obscures the messy, complex, […]

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charity probation

Charities left out of pocket by probation scheme for ex-offenders

Governments generally like charities and voluntary organisations. Time and again ministers say they want to harness the voluntary sector to improve public services. In 2014, the British government said the sector would be “at the forefront of a new fight against reoffending”. But the reality is sharply different, according to our new research. We’ve found […]

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Girl with learning disability hugging child

Myths about learning disability – debunked!

For most of her clinical career, Sheila Counihan, Lecturer in Nursing in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, has cared for and supported people with learning disabilities. Sheila is qualified in Adult and Mental Health nursing with a Masters degree in Learning Disability Mental Health. She’s currently leading on the development of a […]

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Afghan interpreters: Belonging on the battlefield, exclusion from the nation?

Afghan interpreters: Belonging on the battlefield, exclusion from the nation?

Sara de Jong, co-lead of the ‘Justice, Borders, Rights’ research stream and Research Fellow of the Research Area Citizenship and Governance at the Open University, writes here about the plight of Afghan interpreters.  She currently conducts research on the claims for protection, rights and settlement by Afghans and Iraqis who have worked for western military forces and development organisations, as […]

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