The Open University

Senior managers continue to hire clones of themselves

12 December 2017

Nearly a third (29%) of senior managers hire people just like them, according to new market research from the OU. This means that people from different social and educational backgrounds are being held back in their careers… Employer bias still rife when hiring new staff The study found that employer bias is still rife in […]

The speculum finally gets redesigned – by women

12 December 2017

The vaginal speculum – that creepy looking metal device used to examine the vagina and cervix – has remained largely unchanged since the 19th century. But a team of female designers in San Francisco is looking to give the unfriendly implement a new design. In an interview with Wired, the designers described the hazards of […]

A glass of whisky could help you get your head around deep time

11 December 2017

The Scottish geologist James Hutton made a proposal in 1788 that, at the time, was extraordinarily controversial. He described Earth as a “beautiful machine”, constantly subjected to long-term decay and regeneration, that could only be understood over many millions of years. This may not sound that contentious, but the challenge this posed to humanity’s sense […]

Navigating fake news, learning in minutes and active participation: the big trends for education over the next decade

7 December 2017

With ‘fake news’ named the word of the year for 2017, experts expect that it will remain a problem throughout the next decade, with one of the biggest trends for education predicted to be helping students identify trustworthy sources and distinguish ‘fake news’ from facts. ‘Navigating post-truth societies’ is named as one of the top […]

“Online study worked for me – I doubled my salary”

6 December 2017

Five years ago, Ryan Peddie from Newcastle was working as an IT Manager – but when his company started to face financial difficulties and approached a stage of restructuring he realised his job could be in jeopardy. He took stock of his career and decided to shift his horizons and ambitions into a career in […]

Open University renews learning agreement with Unison

6 December 2017

The Open University has renewed its learning agreement with UNISON to benefit workers across the UK’s public services. UNISON’s relationship with The Open University first began in 1997. Since then around 7,000 public service employees who belong to the union have enrolled upon a wide range of accredited courses, right up to degree level. Many […]

7 amazing things digital wearable devices are helping us do

5 December 2017

For the past 15 years Professor Blaine Price has sported every smartwatch and digital health wearable device imaginable, earning him the nickname of ‘Inspector Gadget’ at home. He has always been active but found that since coming to the UK, he had gained a little bit of weight. Using his personal data from the past […]

Scientists solve mystery of missing methane source in Amazon Rainforest

4 December 2017

Environmental scientists from the OU have discovered that trees growing in the Amazon floodplains surrounding the Amazon River emit as much methane (CH4) into the atmosphere as all of the world’s oceans. These trees growing in seasonal wetland areas of the Amazon contribute between 15.1 and 21.2 million tonnes of CH4 to the atmosphere every […]

2017 degree ceremonies: it’s been memorable

4 December 2017

Our 2017 degree ceremony schedule drew to a close a couple of weeks ago at Gateshead, and what better note to end on than this photo of Matthew who was so happy he could fly! Matthew, a steelworker and now proud owner of a BA (Honours) in English Language and Literature, said: “When I left […]

English in Action project scoops top award for international impact

1 December 2017

English in Action (EIA), an inspiring OU-led project to transform English language teaching in Bangladesh has won a prestigious Times Higher Education Award for International Impact. The Award recognises projects which have had a significant, demonstrable impact on the world at large. “innovative and pragmatic “ The judges said that the programme was a “clear winner […]

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