The Open University

I befriend women detained at Yarl’s Wood: their life in immigration limbo is excruciating

12 March 2018

“Why am I still here?” This is the question I’m most frequently asked by detained women who I’ve befriended at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre in Bedfordshire. The centre is mainly for women, but also holds families with children over 18-years-old and has a short-term holding facility for men. For nearly two years, I’ve been […]

Sharenting: why mothers post about their children on social media

12 March 2018

On Mother’s Day, social media feeds are often full of celebration. Facebook reported that in 2017, Mother’s Day “drove more posts in a single day than any other topic on Facebook in the last year”. For some countries, Facebook even created a temporary emoji – the purple flower – so people could fully express their […]

It’s time to work together to make apprenticeships work

8 March 2018

With new statistics showing a lack of faith in the UK government’s apprenticeship target, the OU presses for joined up working to enable the scheme to succeed in this National Apprenticeship Week. A survey by the Chartered Management Institute found that nearly half of managers surveyed believed the UK government is unlikely to reach its […]

Homeless people could avoid life-saving services, if there’s a risk of deportation

8 March 2018

As the UK was hit by snow and freezing temperatures last week, more beds in shelters were made available, and people in England and Wales were advised to use the StreetLink app and helpline to report rough sleepers. The project sets out to ensure that no one in a wealthy country dies of cold because […]

‘Open’ education – a celebration of knowledge sharing

7 March 2018

Education is all about sharing; sharing information and sharing knowledge. Open Education Week (Monday 5 – Friday 9 March 2018) is a celebration of the global Open Education Movement. Its goal is to raise awareness of the Open Education movement, which combines learning with modern technologies, such as the internet, so that anyone can share education resources and […]

OU celebrates 20 years of teaching law

7 March 2018

The Open University (OU) is this year marking the 20th anniversary of welcoming its first ever in-take of law students. On the 7th February 1998, 861 students started the first ever Open University law course – W200 Understanding Law – which was delivered through a partnership with the College of Law. It was the first […]

Message to OU students from the Vice-Chancellor: Pension Strikes

6 March 2018

“The Open University, along with more than 60 others around the UK, is caught up in industrial action called by with the University and College Union (UCU) over future pension arrangements. “I very much hope that this long-running and complex dispute can be resolved in national negotiations, and I welcome the agreement by both sides […]

Open University welcomes tech pioneer Jacqueline de Rojas to Institute of Coding

6 March 2018

Jacqueline de Rojas CBE, President of techUK, has been appointed co-chair of the Institute of Coding (IoC) which brings together industry and academia in a co-ordinated effort to address the UK’s digital skills gap. The Open University is one of the key partners in the Institute of Coding, leading on graduate employability and the […]

Sexual violence may be in the Hollywood spotlight, but there are limits to speaking out

3 March 2018

The entertainment award season hits its peak with the 90th Academy Awards – the Oscars – on March 4 2018. Since the public outing of Harvey Weinstein as a serial sexual abuser, award ceremonies have become spotlights to display solidarity and declare time on sexual harassment and gender inequalities in and beyond the film industry. […]

Why nutritional psychiatry is the future of mental health treatment

2 March 2018

A lack of essential nutrients is known to contribute to the onset of poor mental health in people suffering from anxiety and depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and ADHD. Nutritional psychiatry is a growing discipline that focuses on the use of food and supplements to provide these essential nutrients as part of an integrated or alternative […]

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