The Open University

The Open University’s scholarship fund supporting injured or disabled veterans is open for applications

22 March 2023

The Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund (DVSF) provides free education at The Open University (OU) for veterans injured or disabled during military service. There are 50 places available to start study in Autumn 2023. Since it launched in 2018 the fund has awarded 262 scholarships to study at the OU and has helped veterans from a […]

Wild Isles: starling murmuration in BBC documentary reveals as much about people as it does about birds

21 March 2023

Samuel Shaw is a lecturer in art history at The Open University and a self-confessed fan of the BBC/OU co production, Wild Isles. Here he talks about how fascinating and significant he finds the way humans look at nature – the art of birdwatching. I’m sitting on the sofa, watching starlings. There are thousands of […]

How to tackle diversity in social work courses in HEIs – academic comment

21 March 2023

Paulette Johnson is a social work academic and The Open University’s academic Lead for Access Participation and Success. Here she shares how the OU is tackling inclusivity within the sector from the inside out. As a former practising social worker, now academic helping to shape the lives of social-work students, I’ve spent 20 years gaining […]

Well, beat that! Drummer Roy Holliday, 96, collects accolade

20 March 2023

Drummer Roy Holliday has spent decades making people happy playing in bands with the great and good in major ballrooms throughout the country plus major venues in London including the Royal Festival Hall. Now, at the age of 96, with his drumming days long behind him, thanks to arthritic hands, the Milton Keynes resident is […]

Brickies is back for a second series

20 March 2023

Brickies – the real-life documentary that follows the trials and tribulations of a group of bricklayers – is back! Expect a lot of fun and laughter from the brickies as they get on with the serious business of getting on with the job but we see a different side, too: just how much the cost […]

Venus: proof of active volcanoes – at last

20 March 2023

Venus is almost the same size, mass and density as Earth. So it should be generating heat in its interior (by the decay of radioactive elements) at much the same rate as the Earth does. On Earth, one of the main ways in which this heat leaks out is via volcanic eruptions. During an average […]

Three ways the ‘back to work’ budget will affect your finances

17 March 2023

Jonquil Lowe is a senior lecturer in economics and personal finance at the OU and gives her verdict on the recent budget and three key ways it will affect your finances. In the 2023 spring budget, UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled a raft of measures designed to boost economic growth and productivity. To achieve this […]

Scientists identify 100 important questions facing plant science

16 March 2023

An international panel of scientists, including Dr Yoseph Araya of The Open University, have identified 100 of the most important questions facing plant science. The international initiative has identified key research priorities and highlights the importance of diversity, collaboration, and funding for plant research to tackle climate change, the biodiversity crisis and sustainable food production. […]

OU announces £3 million of support to help disadvantaged groups study during the cost-of-living crisis

15 March 2023

The UK’s largest university, The Open University (the OU), has today announced £3 million of support through a series of scholarships to support individuals most in need and disadvantaged in accessing higher education. The scholarships package is the largest ever announced by The Open University and comes at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is […]

A brief history of the UK’s Winchcombe meteorite

13 March 2023

Dr Martin D. Suttle is a Lecturer in Planetary Science at The Open University (OU): On 28 February 2021, for the first time in 30 years, a meteorite fell in the UK and was later recovered by scientists. Today, there’s an international effort to study this space rock and learn more about its place in […]

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