The Open University

Could ‘Bidenomics’ be the white knight to save UK Plc?

17 August 2023

Our economy is broken in many places and it’s not behaving the way it should but it’s not beyond repair – we need more investment, in traditional industries as well as new tech, and a British ‘Bidenomics’ could be the answer. That’s the verdict of Alan Shipman, Senior Lecturer in economics at The Open University, […]

‘The OU creates a space where you can be yourself’

16 August 2023

Political activist and psychology student Emma, 19, shares why they think The Open University (OU) is a smart choice for school leavers who want to get ahead in all aspects of their life. “I wasn’t in a great place before I discovered the OU. I’d had a tough time in the last couple of years […]

Education project transforms lives for girls and young women in Zimbabwe

16 August 2023

The Open University is one of six partners in a successful initiative that has supported the learning of more than 13,400 out-of-school adolescent girls in Zimbabwe. For the past five years the project has helped the girls, who are disproportionately affected by gender inequality, to improve their learning outcomes and assist their transition into formal […]

Backs of seated students at an OU graduation ceremony

The Open University’s National Student Survey scores – 2023

15 August 2023

The results of the National Student Survey (NSS) 2023, commissioned by the Office for Students (OfS) have been published, with The Open University (OU) receiving scores higher than the sector average for academic support, teaching, organisation and management, assessment and feedback, learning resources, and learning opportunities. The OU has continued to perform extremely well for […]

Nearly 1 in 2 school leavers in England have reconsidered going to university, as cost of living soars

9 August 2023

New survey from The Open University shows that 49% of 18–19-year-olds in England have reconsidered going to university in the last year, due to rising living costs 71% say they would consider distance learning if it meant saving money The Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr) estimates that studying with the OU could potentially […]

‘Everything has fallen into place since I discovered the OU’

7 August 2023

Committed health practitioner Aoife, developed the confidence and self-belief she was lacking during her time at The Open University (OU). At 22, Aoife reflects on how she grew as a person and transformed her career. “School wasn’t easy for me for lots of reasons. I experienced some bullying, which really knocked my confidence,” Aoife says. […]

Police in hi-visibility jackets policing crowd control at a UK event

The Open University renews contract with North Yorkshire Police to continue delivering specialist learning to police recruits

4 August 2023

The Open University (OU) Department for Policing has agreed a new contract with North Yorkshire Police (NYP) to continue delivering a suite of blended learning qualifications that equip officers with the skills required to meet the demands of twenty-first century policing. The OU/NYP partnership have developed four education pathways to support routes into policing; the […]

OU Lecturer wins National Teaching Fellowship for outstanding impact on student outcomes and teaching

3 August 2023

After a highly competitive process, Derek Jones, Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Design at The Open University has received a National Teaching Fellowship (NTF) from AdvanceHE. The award recognises his contribution to the development and improvement of design education at national and international levels. The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) celebrates and recognises individuals who have […]

Victorian science-fiction writer’s indelible link with NASA and New Year’s Eve

3 August 2023

From New Year’s Eve to NASA rockets the ‘countdown’ is common language today but it was an overlooked late 19th Century science fiction writer who first introduced it. Academic Adam Baldwin from The Open University (OU) says the ‘countdown’ is normally credited to film maker Fritz Lang in his 1926 film The Girl in the […]

First images taken by the Euclid space telescope are released

1 August 2023

The European Space Agency released the first images taken by the Euclid space telescope’s VIS instrument, which was built by an international team including scientists from The Open University (OU). The black and white engineering images depict stars, star clusters and galaxies, captured by the array of 36 visible light detectors in the VIS camera. […]

OU News