The Open University

Award-winning author and broadcaster is keynote speaker at OU global challenges festival

8 June 2023

Gary Younge is one of the headliners at a four-day hybrid festival staged at the OU to give voice to research into real-life global challenges and social justice to aid change. The former Guardian columnist, who is also a Professor of sociology at the University of Manchester, has made several radio and TV documentaries on […]

The Benefits of Writing Flash-Fiction for Busy Writers and Readers

8 June 2023

The OU is due to launch its forthcoming flash-fiction competition #OU50words. The multi-award-winning campaign invites those interested to write a piece of flash-fiction in no more than 50 words, in response to the university’s daily video writing prompt. To support the competition, OU academic Dr Emily Bullock shares the below content about the benefits of […]

Award success for entrepreneurial graduate

7 June 2023

Open University graduate and tech entrepreneur James Markey has won a prize at the Santander X Global Awards, Santander’s prestigious international university entrepreneurship competition with his company UNI SIM. The Santander X Global Awards brings together the best start-ups across Europe and South America to compete to win funding and support to help develop their businesses. […]

The Art of Brevity: 5 Benefits of Writing Flash-Fiction

6 June 2023

The OU is due to launch its forthcoming flash fiction competition #OU50words. The multi-award-winning campaign invites those interested to write a piece of flash fiction in no more than 50 words, in response to the university’s daily video writing prompt. To support the competition, OU academic Dr Samuel Sargeant shares the below content about the […]

Flash Fiction: Literature’s Delinquent Offspring

6 June 2023

The OU is due to launch its forthcoming flash fiction competition #OU50words. The multi-award-winning campaign invites those interested to write a piece of flash fiction in no more than 50 words, in response to the university’s daily video writing prompt. To support the competition, OU academic Gwyneth Jones shares the content below about ‘Literature’s Delinquent […]

Award-winning 50-word flash fiction competition returns!

5 June 2023

Back by popular demand, our multi-award-winning flash fiction competition #OU50words is returning to The Open University’s social media channels. Every day for seven days (starting on Monday 12 June) we’ll be sharing a different storytelling prompt designed to inspire you to forge a 50-word, fictional footpath. We invited award-winning photographer Laura Jones from Atmospheric Images to spend […]

Lovers of detective-fiction have the chance to study Agatha Christie’s writing for free

1 June 2023

If you ever wanted to know the secrets of writing detective fiction, The Open University is staging a free short course of the work of 20th Century whodunnit queen Agatha Christie. According to Guinness World Records, Christie is the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies. Now […]

FIFA Safeguarding Diploma scores success

30 May 2023

The FIFA Guardians Safeguarding in Sport Diploma, which was developed with experts including academics from The Open University, to strengthen and professionalise safeguarding standards in football, is proving to be a soaring success with almost 90 learners from 70 countries attending the first ever in-person residential workshops. In a milestone moment for the programme, the […]

Springwatch – the wildlife lovers’ favourite – returns to our screens

26 May 2023

A new series of the BBC’s popular Springwatch is about to make its annual appearance on our screens and this time it’s produced in partnership with The Open University and comes from a brand new location – the RSPB Arne Nature Reserve in Dorset. Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan, Iolo Williams and Gillian Burke return to […]

Open University wins two broadcast accolades

23 May 2023

The Open University has won the Broadcast Award at the prestigious Learning on Screen Awards for the OU/BBC co-production, AIDS: The Unheard Tapes. The BBC2 documentary brought to life the voices of infected gay men and their friends, using actors who lip-sync to original voice recordings. The judges praised the entry for its “inventive and […]

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