The Open University

OpenLearn win prestigious education award for its resilience during the pandemic

10 November 2021

OpenLearn, the free learning platform delivered by The Open University, has been named as a winner in the Open Education (OE) Global 2021 Open Education Awards for Excellence, due to its impressive response to the Coronavirus pandemic. The team won the Open Resilience Award which recognises the exemplary leadership and open educational practices implemented during […]

Ed Balls standing behind an elderly lady with a walker

Ed Balls lifts the lid on the care crisis in new BBC/OU co-production

8 November 2021

A new two-part programme, Inside the Care Crisis with Ed Balls airs on Monday 8 November on BBC Two at 9pm. Co-produced by the BBC and The Open University (OU), the series investigates the real-world impact of the care crisis, with presenter Ed Balls living and working from St Cecilia’s in Scarborough, a typical family-run […]

Our sense of wellbeing has been in decline for years – here’s how to turn it around

18 October 2021

Written by Paul Anand, Professor of Economics at The Open University. People’s sense of wellbeing took a dive in the first year of the pandemic, according to new data published by the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS). As lockdowns took effect and people grew fearful about the future, their life satisfaction fell by an average of […]

Sarah Everard murder: the problem with the government’s plan to make women ‘feel’ safer

4 October 2021

Written by Lisa Lazard, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at The Open University, Tanya Beetham, Lecturer in Psychology, Teesside University, Emma Turley, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, CQUniversity Australia, Lois Catrin Donnelly, Associate Lecturer in Psychology, University of Worcester, and Lucy Thompson, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University. The murder of Sarah Everard has damaged public […]

Joe Biden’s pledge of support reassures Syria’s embattled Kurds

4 October 2021

Written by Cengiz Gunes, Associate Lecturer, Faculty of Social Science at The Open University. The hasty and badly organised US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August prompted fears among Washington’s other allies about the durability of US friendship. Kurdish troops in northeastern Syria, facing multi-pronged opposition from Islamic State fighters as well as the Assad regime and the […]

Liz Truss: three areas where the new foreign secretary will have the most influence

17 September 2021

Written by Jamie Gaskarth, Professor of Foreign Policy and International Relations at The Open University. In naming her as the new foreign secretary, Boris Johnson has handed Liz Truss a bewildering array of global problems and relationships to manage. Foreign secretary is a difficult role, quite distinct from other posts in government. Many occupants are […]

Russia’s state broadcaster RT going all-out to boost legitimacy of rigged Duma election

17 September 2021

Written by Precious Chatterje-Doody, Lecturer in Politics and International Studies at The Open University and Ilya Yablokov, Lecturer in Journalism and Digital Media, University of Sheffield. Russia goes to the polls on September 19 to elect a new Duma – the country’s legislature. Russian elections are not known for their unpredictability – United Russia, the […]

OU graduate Lea shares her story from homeless student to proud businesswoman

‘My degree gave me hope when I was homeless’

11 August 2021

At the start of her Open University (OU) journey, Lea was homeless and suffering with her mental health. She’s now completed a Social Sciences undergraduate degree and a Master’s in Psychology with the OU, is living independently and has started a business to help others in the community to feel less alone. Lea shares how […]

Amazons and warrior princesses on screen – the legacy of Xena 20 years on

18 June 2021

Written by Dr Amanda Potter, Visiting Research Fellow, at The Open University . Xena the warrior princess, played by Lucy Lawless, captivated audiences around the world for six series with her high kicks, sword skills and distinctive war cry. The series followed her as she fought her way through armies, monsters and gods, alongside her […]

OU alumna and published author, Eva Verde

OU creative writing student to published author

14 June 2021

Eva Verde has always enjoyed writing but kept her dream of being an author a secret, until studying Creative Writing at The Open University (OU) made her dreams a reality. Eva tells us about her journey from OU student to published author. I’ve been writing since I can remember, but it wasn’t until I […]

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