The Open University

‘I’m unlocking a better future for me and my family’

13 June 2022

“It has been a lifelong dream to have a higher education degree,” says Ferny Suhandi, who is part-way through achieving her BSc (Hons) Social Psychology degree with The Open University. After believing higher education would never be accessible, Ferny, who now lives and studies in Cambodia, is determined to show the world what she can […]

Rishi Sunak’s £15 billion cost-of-living package and windfall tax: four experts respond

30 May 2022

Jonquil Lowe, The Open University; Adi Imsirovic, University of Surrey; Alan Shipman, The Open University, and Keith Baker, Glasgow Caledonian University Rishi Sunak, the UK chancellor of the exchequer, has unveiled a £15 billion package of measures to help households with the cost of living, after energy watchdog Ofgem announced it would probably be increasing […]

Woman's hand holding a piece of cloth with signatures written on it

New series of ‘Secrets of the Museum’ starts tonight on BBC Two

7 April 2022

A new series of Secrets of the Museum, co-produced by the BBC and The Open University airs tonight (7 April) on BBC Two at 8pm. In series three of the popular programme, viewers are treated to behind-the-scenes footage of London’s Victoria & Albert (V&A) museum’s vast collection. We meet the experts that work tirelessly to […]

Vivid and panoramic: series tells history of the British Isles through its art

5 April 2022

A rich feast of colour and imagery arrives on TV screens this month, showing the history of the British Isles as never seen before in a new OU/BBC series, The Art That Made Us. Lavish and comprehensive, the eight-part blockbuster, which starts on Thursday 7th April at 9pm on BBC2, spotlights art from all genres […]

“I poured my heart out onto the page writing about infertility for my Creative Writing MA”

21 March 2022

Samantha Holmes signed up for an MA in Creative Writing with The Open University as a distraction from the challenging IVF journey her and her husband were on. She used her writing to open up about their fertility battle, which she found cathartic, but which also raised awareness of infertility – a struggle faced by […]

Capitol assault: the real reason Trump and the crowd almost killed US democracy

6 January 2022

Written by Dr Evangelos Ntontis, Lecturer in Social Psychology at The Open University, Stephen Reicher, Bishop Wardlaw Professor in the School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, Alex Haslam, Professor of Psychology and ARC Laureate Fellow, The University of Queensland and Klara Jurstakova, PhD Candidate, Canterbury Christ Church University It was the moment that could […]

International Migrants Day – OU research sheds light on the realities and barriers

17 December 2021

As organisations across the world mark the United Nations’ International Migrants Day (18 December) the OU shares stories by staff and students of their experiences and the lives of migrants. Earlier this year Sarah Crafter, Professor of Cultural-Developmental Psychology at The Open University won EU funding for a research project aiming to enhance the lives […]

Drivers and hand-held mobile phones: extending the ban won’t solve the problem – here’s why

24 November 2021

Written by Dr Gemma Briggs, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at The Open University and Helen Wells, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Keele Univeristy. The laws around mobile phone use while driving are to be tightened under new UK government plans to make any use of a hand-held phone illegal. From 2022, mobile phone law will be extended […]

OU launches package of free FCDO approved safeguarding leadership courses

19 November 2021

The Open University (OU) has launched the first module in a package of free Safeguarding Leadership Training courses, aimed at those working in the international development sector. The three courses will help those working in development and humanitarian organisations to better understand the causes of harm, abuse, and exploitation and how to effectively prevent and […]

Handel brought to life – OU research inspires new album

17 November 2021

A new album of George Frideric Handel’s work is released this Friday 19th November, which draws inspiration from painstaking OU academic research. The album features a world-first recording of Handel’s Eight Great Harpsichord Suites, Chaconne in G major, overtures and operatic arias for the harpsichord, and will be premiered at the Foundling Museum, London, on […]

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