The Open University

More secrets revealed at the museum

20 July 2021

Five-inch-tall little Tommy Tittlemouse is 111 years old and for 50 of those years he’s been on display and looked after by curators at the world-famous Victoria & Albert Museum. In the latest OU/BBC co-production and second series of Secrets of the Museum, we see the teddy bear undergoing a ‘condition check’ before being packed […]

‘If at first you don’t succeed, speak to your tutor!’

19 July 2021

“I discovered that having a ‘wobble’ is all part of the study process,” says Open University graduate Sacha Jenkyn, who tackled a few setbacks during her degree in Social Sciences with Economics. From overcoming assignment and exam struggles, to switching modules and finally finding her confidence, Sacha is proof that a few bumps in the […]

Five ways emojis have reflected COVID culture

16 July 2021

Written by Dr Philip Seargeant, Senior Lecturer in Applied Statistics at The Open University. Over the past decade, emojis have become an integral part of the way we communicate, and have attracted attention from scholars in subjects ranging from linguistics to psychology. Just as the pandemic has impacted so many other parts of everyday life, […]

Hand choosing happy smile face paper cut

OU ranked third in National Student Survey

15 July 2021

The results of the National Student Survey (NSS) 2021, commissioned by the Office for Students (OfS) have been published, with The Open University (OU) ranking third amongst 174 participating degree-awarding universities. This is a significant improvement from 17th in 2019, when the university last met the threshold for publication of its results. The OU maintained […]

The Open University’s future trends predictor reveals list of most in-demand jobs anticipated for major growth over next five years

13 July 2021

Business, sustainability and digital entrepreneurs have backed a new campaign from The Open University that highlights skills and jobs forecast to be of vital importance to the growth of the UK economy in the coming years. Centring around the nationwide skills gap in management & business and computing & IT and against a backdrop of […]

Impact of COVID-19 on weddings reinforces need for marriage law reforms

9 July 2021

Research by Dr Stephanie Pywell, from The Open University and Professor Rebecca Probert from the University of Exeter into the impact of COVID-19 on weddings has reinforced the need for marriage law reforms. Complications thrown up after events were cancelled due to the various lockdowns resulted in hundreds finding it difficult to reconvene, the research […]

New free-floating planet population spotted by “elderly” telescope

6 July 2021

Tantalising evidence has been uncovered for a mysterious population of “free-floating” planets, planets that may be alone in deep space, unbound to any host star. The results include four new discoveries that are consistent with planets of similar masses to Earth, published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The study, led by […]

UK scientists join NASA’s first steps back to the Moon – and onward to Mars

6 July 2021

A team of scientists from The Open University (OU) and RAL Space are collaborating with ESA and NASA to investigate the occurrence and behaviour of water on the Moon. Led by the OU’s Dr. Simeon Barber, the UK team has developed a sophisticated analytical instrument known as the Exospheric Mass Spectrometer (EMS) under a contract […]

Juggling a degree, family and the Forces

5 July 2021

Like many Open University students, Royal Air Force Police Corporal Abi Harding, 32, is no stranger to studying with a newborn baby on her lap. After becoming pregnant during the first year of her Sports, Fitness and Coaching degree, determined Abi has continued to juggle her studies, work life and has just welcomed her second […]

OU student entrepreneur Erin at home in Loch Lomond

The OU student entrepreneur tackling climate change on two wheels

1 July 2021

Erin Charters, 24, from Loch Lomond was inspired to start her electric bike hire business during an Open University (OU) module on renewable energy. The young entrepreneur and mum is using her degree in Environmental Science to power her business and spark sustainable change within her community. “I started Cycle Luss with the idea of […]

OU News