The Open University

The Open University is a finalist in awards that champion social mobility

1 August 2022

The Open University has become a finalist in the ‘University of the Year’ category in the sixth annual UK Social Mobility Awards (SOMOs). The awards recognise and celebrate UK organisations in their efforts to improve social mobility, both within their workforce and beyond. It’s organised by societal change charity, Making The Leap. SOMOs were the […]

Three reasons concrete doesn’t live up to its environmental claims

1 August 2022

Dr Alice Moncaster, is a Senior Lecturer in general engineering at The Open University and here she gives her take on why concrete isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be in terms of the environment. Up to 8% of all global anthropogenic human-made emissions are due to just one material, cement. And our use […]

Student Katelyn Owens shares her 'life-changing' OU journey

“The OU saved my life. Now the sky’s the limit!”

1 August 2022

“Everybody takes a different path in life. You just have to find what’s right for you.” That’s the advice from 23-year-old Katelyn Owens who, after transferring to numerous universities and battling a substance use disorder has regained confidence and taken back control over her life. BA (Hons) Criminology & Sociology student Katelyn, now living in […]

‘Alternative’ weddings could become legally binding – report

29 July 2022

An Open University academic’s research has helped pave the way for the possibility of ‘alternative-style’ weddings becoming legally binding in England and Wales. Celebrants from non-religious belief organisations, such as humanists, already conduct legally binding weddings in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. If you attended a really personalised wedding-style ceremony this year, it was probably conducted […]

OU PhD student helps to unearth Jurassic marine world in farmer’s field

29 July 2022

The discovery of an incredible prehistoric site containing the remains of animals that lived in a tropical sea has been made by chance in a farmer’s field in Gloucestershire. Contained within hardened limestone concretions in clay, the three-dimensionally preserved remains of ancient marine reptiles, fish, squids, rare insects roughly 183-million-year-old have been revealed for the […]

OU drives forward new skills routes with transport and logistics sector

28 July 2022

A new partnership between The Open University and The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK (CILT(UK)) has been announced to develop strategic and leadership skills within the sector. The OU’s Business School already delivers an established MBA (Master of Business Administration) qualification and has a global network of more than 100,000 alumni […]

Woman holding a phone with the words true and false on the screen

New BBC Ideas collection co-produced by the OU helps navigate modern life

26 July 2022

A brand new collection for BBC Ideas has launched today on BBC iPlayer, which includes five short films that are co-produced by The Open University. ‘Navigating Modern Life’ is a collection of films to help guide you through the challenges of everyday living – from sharpening up your critical thinking to making sense of statistics. […]

‘The OU is such a good choice for learners around the world’

26 July 2022

Kepa Zugazaga Beaskoetxea is a 41-year-old Open University graduate from Spain, who says he would choose the OU again in a heartbeat – and he plans to. Having just graduated from his BSc (Hons) Open Degree, Kepa is now hoping to do an OU MA in Education to help him realise his new dream of […]

The OU to grow its curriculum through acquisition of the Open College of the Arts (OCA)

25 July 2022

Following positive discussions with the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), the Open University (OU) is pleased to announce an agreement has been reached that will see the OU acquire the Open College of the Arts (OCA). The OU was set up in 1969 to bring life-changing learning that enriches society to millions who otherwise […]

Moving the Maasai: Tanzania is repeating Kenya’s colonial past

22 July 2022

Lotte Hughes, Honorary Associate at The Open University writes for The Conversation about the Massai community being forcibly moved from their homes in Nairobi. Images of distressed members of the Maasai community being forcibly moved from their homes, beaten and harassed by police and the army in northern Tanzania in June set social media alight […]

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