The Open University

Worried about someone you know becoming extreme in their political views? Academic research is here to help

14 August 2024

In the wake of rioting far-right activists causing mayhem throughout the UK, The Open University is sharing research that could help someone worried about a family member or loved one participating in similar future events. The findings can help assess if someone has extreme views and is the result of an OU psychology team currently […]

Every-day extremism – the impact of small negative comments: academic opinion

10 August 2024

An Open University academic who researches extremism ideologies plays a key role in a short film on the BBC’s Morning Live programme that features every-day extremism. It’s part of a series of six films made in partnership with The Open University and the BBC. Professor Kesi Mahendran (pictured) is a Professor of Social and Political Psychology at […]

The Open University picks up two prestigious teaching awards

8 August 2024

The Open University is celebrating after discovering it has won two prestigious teaching awards run by Advance HE – one being an individual award and the other a team success. Advance HE is a member-led charity that works in collaboration with partners across the globe to improve higher education for staff, students and society. It has […]

OU historian provides timely expertise to Channel 4’s Britain Behind Bars

1 August 2024

The Open University’s Head of History Rosalind Crone recently shared her many years of research into prison history to help make Channel 4’s Britain Behind Bars: A Secret History. The series airing on Sunday evenings at 9pm on Channel 4, and available to watch in full on My4, follows barrister and TV personality Rob Rinder’s […]

Changing your mind and the relevance of ‘confirmation bias’

10 July 2024

An Open University academic is behind a short film on the BBC’s Morning Live programme that featured a fascinating experiment before the General Election on ‘changing your mind’. Dr Jim Turner, Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the OU, is one of a team of OU academics who has inspired one of six short films […]

Five classic novels to read about Italy if you loved the BBC’s Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour of the country

12 June 2024

If you were thinking of jetting off to Italy this summer and laughed at the antics of this duo in the BBC programme Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour, Antonia Saunders, a research student at The Open University, has a book list you might want to explore. Since this pair traced the footsteps of romantic poet […]

Open University academics visit Westminster to share research

10 June 2024

A team of academics from The Open University visited the Houses of Parliament recently to showcase their research to decisionmakers and fellow academics to help inform policy development. On the guest list included Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, as well as others in academic institutions to hear about the research projects […]

Five books to read if you loved the Agatha Christie whodunnits

9 May 2024

If you’re a fan of Agatha Christie Dr Anthony Howell, Senior Lecturer in English at The Open University, and the author of the free OpenLearn short course on the Queen of Crime has picked out five brilliant detective-fiction novels by other authors. Here’s his list. Almost fifty years after her death Agatha Christie’s books and […]

Gaza campus protests: why understanding 1960s student demonstrations and police reaction is relevant today

9 May 2024

For anybody interested in the history of the 1960s, the ongoing protests at US universities have a peculiar resonance. Dr Sinead McEneaney, Staff Tutor and Senior Lecturer in History at The Open University, tells us why. In the past weeks, riot police have entered several college campuses at the behest of administrators to break up […]

‘Financial nutrition’ podcasts set to help transform your money outlook

7 May 2024

Two Open University academics on a quest to urge people to indulge in daily ‘financial nutrition’ have released a podcast series to provide exactly that. Their ‘Financial Five-a-Day’ podcast is a series of interviews with financial experts, who have excelled in their field. They share their expert tips to help ignite a rethink in the […]

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