OU News

News from The Open University

#Iwas social media campaign wins second award

#Iwas social media campaign wins second award

A campaign celebrating the stories of the OU’s diverse student community won a UK-wide social media award. The #Iwas campaign was announced as winner of the Best User-Generated Content category in the The Drum’s Social Buzz Awards.  In October the campaign won Best Audience Engagement Campiagn category at the UK Social Media Communications Awards. The campaign […]

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Royal wedding

No Royal Wedding bank holiday: Why that’s probably a good thing       

With the feel-good factor of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement, many of us were crossing our fingers that we’d get an extra bank holiday in the Spring of 2018 to help them celebrate. But on average, a bank holiday costs the UK economy £2.3billion in lost economic output – so maybe we’ll all be […]

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Why a blockchain startup called Govcoin wants to ‘disrupt’ the UK’s welfare state

Why a blockchain startup called Govcoin wants to ‘disrupt’ the UK’s welfare state

The UK chancellor’s recent Budget reminded us that systemic problems continue to plague the government’s delayed roll-out of universal credit – a single monthly welfare payment that will replace six separate benefits. Philip Hammond also spoke of the UK government’s commitment to innovation, with the chancellor calling for a new tech startup to be founded […]

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How websites watch your every move and ignore privacy settings

How websites watch your every move and ignore privacy settings

Hundreds of the world’s top websites routinely track a user’s every keystroke, mouse movement and input into a web form – even before it’s submitted or later abandoned, according to the results of a study from researchers at Princeton University. And there’s a nasty side-effect: personal identifiable data, such as medical information, passwords and credit […]

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Bali volcano: expert comment

Bali volcano: expert comment

Professor David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences, gives his expert view on the emerging situation in Bali, as Mount Agung threatens a major eruption: “The volcano Agung might at last be delivering the large eruption that has been feared for several weeks.  Ash is rising to a height of about 30 thousand feet, and dispersing […]

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Here’s the truth about false accusations of sexual violence

Here’s the truth about false accusations of sexual violence

Senior lecturer in psychology Lisa Lazard looks beyond the recent headlines to probe why accusations of sexual harassment and violence provoke an air of suspicion. “Inflated statistics” Why didn’t these women speak up sooner? This was asked time and time again during the recent public furore around sexual harassment, violence and abuse. Underlying the question […]

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Durham castle

Universities challenged to abandon ‘Fortress Mentality’ to aid students

Universities must abandon their “fortress thinking” and awaken to the challenges of operating in a fully digital world, the vice-chancellor of The Open University has said. In a public lecture at the University of Durham, Peter Horrocks warned that too many universities still function according to parameters established in medieval times. He argued for greater […]

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Budget 2017: The expert’s view – investment in technology

Budget 2017: The expert’s view – investment in technology

The UK chancellor of the exchequer, Philip Hammond, has delivered his budget stating that the government will “invest over £500m in a range of initiatives from Artificial Intelligence, to 5G and full fibre broadband”. OU business expert Peter Bloom delivers his verdict on what, if any, impact this will have on innovation for UK business. […]

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Disabled

OU awarded £500,000 to support disabled veterans

The OU has been awarded £500,000 to support scholarships for disabled veterans, empowering former Armed Forces personnel to enhance their skills and fulfil their potential. Awarded by the UK Government, the contribution of £500,000 from the LIBOR Fund will support The Open University Disabled Veterans Fund. This will help tap a huge pool of talent by supporting former […]

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Mars

Scientists discover evidence of recent water flows on Mars

A team of scientists led by The Open University has discovered evidence of recent glacial meltwater on Mars, despite the widely-held view that the recent climate was too cold for ice to melt. Planetary scientists from the OU, in collaboration with University College Dublin, the University of Cambridge and the University of Nantes (CNRS), have […]

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