The Open University

Adult Safeguarding Week: how the OU supports staff and students

15 November 2021

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Here at The Open University (OU) during the 2020-2021 academic year we supported nearly 1000 students during their studies who needed support. We also processed over 400 reference requests for students who had completed their degrees with the OU and wanted to move into areas of work such as teaching, or […]

Entrepreneurs’ Day: turning an idea into a moneyspinner with help from the OU

15 November 2021

The Open University is celebrating Entrepreneurs’ Day by highlighting the achievements of others and showing how, with OU support, wishful thinking could turn into reality. Plenty of individuals with brilliant ideas, or a hobby, harbour a desire to turn them into a business. In fact according to an OU-commissioned survey, three in ten young women […]

Lifelong learning: Proving the power to transform lives at any age

10 November 2021

Achieving career change, aiding self-belief or keeping up an active mind – just some of the many reasons our students give us for taking up study as we celebrate Lifelong Learning Week. We’re joining forces with the Learning and Work Institute to promote the value of lifelong learning, something that’s very much part of our […]

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 […]

Professor Stephen Lewis to lead inaugural lecture on dynamic climates

9 November 2021

On Tuesday 9 November The Open University will host an inaugural talk by Professor Stephen Lewis, Head of School, Physical Sciences, marking the first on-campus event with an audience since the beginning of the pandemic. Over 40 people are expected to attend, though those at home can also register to watch the event live online. […]

Project to monitor trees from space receives new funding

9 November 2021

A satellite which will classify and monitor trees from space is among climate change and security projects that have just received new funding from the UK Space Agency. TreeView is one of 11 projects which have been awarded a share of over £7M of funding to put into action the latest advances in space innovation. […]

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 […]

Highlights from week one of COP26, as told by the Open University observers

8 November 2021

COP26 has been bringing together parties from across the world to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The event started on Sunday and runs through to 12 November, described as the ‘last hope’ for humanity to avoid climate change devastation. More than 80 universities […]

OU/BBC – Countryfile Plant Britain Autumn Special

5 November 2021

A BBC Countryfile Plant Britain autumn special airs this weekend promising a fascinating look at how trees and hedgerows help in combatting climate change, boosting wildlife and our own wellbeing. And there’s a guest appearance from Dr Philip Wheeler, Senior Lecturer in Ecology at the OU. Countryfile has been reporting on rural, agricultural, and environmental […]

New research highlights the economic cost of climate change inaction

4 November 2021

Different countries face different risks and opportunities as the world switches from fossil fuels to renewable energy, researchers say. Green policies have traditionally been seen as costly to countries who implement them, while other nations can do nothing and “free-ride” – leading to global inaction on the climate crisis. However, the research team – led […]

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