The Open University

BBC/OU Co-Pro unveils the undiscovered life in sewage

18 March 2021

A fascinating look into the world of sewage and how scientists are searching for ways to upcycle human waste comes to our television screens this week. The Secret Science of Sewage a BBC/Open University co-production, explores the biology, chemistry, and history of feces – looking inside the tanks of one of the UK’s largest and […]

Arrows pointing in opposite directions stating 'true' and 'false'

OpenLearn film ‘The Language of Lying’ wins this year’s MEDEA Award

2 November 2020

‘The Language of Lying‘ commissioned by The Open University’s OpenLearn team and produced by Hamlett Films has won the MEDEA Award 2020. The annual awards recognise and celebrate the very best in educational media from across Europe, with the aim of championing producers, designers and teaching staff of inspiring and innovative media-rich learning resources. Created […]

National roll out for successful OU and Jobcentre Plus scheme to upskill jobseekers

13 October 2020

An initiative between The Open University (OU), the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and Jobcentre Plus (JCP) to tackle the common skills gaps among jobseekers is to be rolled out nationally following a successful pilot programme. Thanks to the pilots success the DWP have appointed the OU as a National Partner with a focus […]

Lift in visitors to OU’s one-stop-shop for free learning

23 March 2020

The Open University has seen a huge spike in visitors to its free online learning platform OpenLearn to access its health, wellbeing and educational content in a time of huge societal need. The popular online site is The Open University’s home of free learning, offering a chance for anyone to explore relevant topics, from teaching […]

‘Tis the Season for studying – the free OpenLearn courses to keep your mind active this festive break

23 December 2019

It’s been a big year for The Open University’s free learning platform, OpenLearn. With over 8.9m visitors to the site in the past 12 months, more people than ever are using its wealth of free courses, interactives, videos and articles to expand their knowledge. To coincide with the OU’s 50th anniversary, OpenLearn launched its 50th […]

Blue Planet Live: BBC/OU series celebrates marine life characters

24 March 2019

An exciting week of programmes, delving into the depths of marine life around the globe – begins on Sunday 24 March, in a series co-produced by the BBC and The Open University. Blue Planet Live will aim to assess the state of the world’s seas, following three different marine hotspots: Mexico, Bahamas and the Great […]

Free functional skills courses launched by OU with Further Education Colleges

8 February 2019

A new scheme to bring free Level 1 Functional Skills courses to tens of thousands of people via online learning has been launched by the OU in partnership with Further Education (FE) Colleges in England. It will help people develop basic skills in English and Maths by studying on the OpenLearn platform, and they can […]

OpenLearn hits 60 million visitors

18 October 2018

That’s 60 million people who have benefitted from OpenLearn’s mission to make informal learning freely available and accessible to people around the world, regardless of their prior educational record, or financial situation. Launched in 2006, OpenLearn is the home of free learning from The Open University. The site currently averages 44,000 visitors a day, across […]

OU launches plastic waste initiative with BBC

28 July 2018

Following the impact of Blue Planet II, The Open University (OU) and the BBC have launched an online platform, which brings together programmes and resources to help us understand plastics, the impact they have on the environment, and top tips to reduce our reliance on single-use plastics. Plastics Watch brings together engaging and interactive content […]

‘Open’ education – a celebration of knowledge sharing

7 March 2018

Education is all about sharing; sharing information and sharing knowledge. Open Education Week (Monday 5 – Friday 9 March 2018) is a celebration of the global Open Education Movement. Its goal is to raise awareness of the Open Education movement, which combines learning with modern technologies, such as the internet, so that anyone can share education resources and […]

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