The Open University

EU referendum: initial response from The Open University

24 June 2016

Following the vote to leave the EU, the Vice-Chancellor of The Open University, Peter Horrocks, has highlighted the important role the OU continues to play. While it will take some time for the full details and potential impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU to become clear, Mr Horrocks has written to staff : “Such […]

Former Zimbabwean refugee on the transforming power of education

24 June 2016

Alice Chigumira came to the UK in 2002 as a refugee from Zimbabwe where she’d worked for the Minister of Foreign Affairs for 12 years. She grew up during a time of social upheaval and distress, eventually forced out by political instability, to settle in Reading. As a widow with two small children, Alice adjusted […]

Images of the Micheal Young Building home of the OU Business School

Prestigious appointment for Executive Dean of OU Business School

23 June 2016

Professor Rebecca Taylor, Executive Dean of The Open University Business School, has been appointed Vice-President (academic) of the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD). The EFMD is an international membership organisation with over 800 members from academia, business, public service and consultancy across 81 countries. They provide accreditation services (including EQUIS) that aim to raise […]

Business woman resting her head on her desk. Image credit: Thinkstock

Is the productivity drive hurting employers as well as employees?

23 June 2016

Productivity is supposedly at the heart of any successful enterprise. We are told that we are in a global race to grab our share of the 21st century marketplace. Countries, nations and even individuals all must constantly enhance their performance if they are going to survive, let alone prosper. It is not without its cost. […]

Still deciding on the EU Referendum? Start with your own place in the world

22 June 2016

The question of whether Britain should remain in or leave the European Union has become one of identity. Does Britain see itself as part of this project or is it different? So it makes sense for anyone still undecided on which way to vote to ask themselves a similar question. In our research, we’ve found […]

Professor Jacqui Gabb with her research impact award

OU professor wins research impact award

21 June 2016

The OU’s Professor Jacqui Gabb has won a research impact award for work completed on the Enduring Love? project, a study into the way couples sustain their long-term relationships. The inaugural Evelyn Gillan Research Impact Prize was presented by the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships in memory of the centre’s late colleague Evelyn […]

OU urges focus on skills for older workers

21 June 2016

The Open University has issued a call to businesses to ensure their workforce has the skills they need to remain competitive throughout all stages of their careers. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today Programme, the OU’s Director of External Engagement Steve Hill told listeners that, with around a third of the UK workforce aged […]

Call for better digital information for refugees

20 June 2016

As the UK marks the start of Refugee Week (20-26 June), one of the OU’s leading academics has identified a serious gap in the provision of trustworthy, relevant reliable and timely news and information which could be putting lives at risk. Professor Marie Gillespie has been conducting research into this issue, and argues that the […]

Urban heat loss ‘major influence on climate change’, concludes OU study

20 June 2016

A study led by The Open University has concluded that man-made heat loss is one of the main contributing factors to national temperature variations. Published in the American Geophysical Union (AGU) journal, Earth’s Future, and developed in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, ‘From Urban to National Heat Island’ has established a strong correlation between […]

International Space Station experiment journeys back to Earth with Tim Peake

17 June 2016

British Astronaut, Tim Peake, returns from a six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS). We spoke to Lecturer in Ecology, Dr Karen Olsson-Francis, about an experiment supported by the OU that is on the journey with Tim back to Earth. What is the experiment that the OU has supported? “The BIOMEX (Biology and Mars […]

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