The Open University

Celebrations as the OU wins ‘University of the Year for Teaching Excellence’ in Daily Mail awards

5 September 2024

The Open University is celebrating its win in the Daily Mail’s second ever university guide for picking up the award for ‘University of the Year for Teaching Excellence’. The win comes barely two months after the National Student Survey (NSS) showed the OU received scores higher than the sector average for teaching, organisation and management, […]

The UK’s suspension of some arms exports to Israel was highly political – here’s how to understand it

5 September 2024

Jamie Gaskarth, Professor of Foreign Policy and International Relations at The Open University explains the politics behind the UK’s suspension of the arms export licence. The UK government has announced it is suspending 30 arms export licences to Israel for military equipment used in operations in Gaza. The rationale for this decision was “the clear […]

BepiColombo’s most astounding images yet highlight fourth Mercury flyby

5 September 2024

The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission has successfully completed its fourth of six gravity assist flybys at Mercury overnight on 4/5 September, capturing images that include two special impact craters as it uses the planet’s gravity to steer itself on course to enter orbit around Mercury in November 2026. The closest approach took place at 22:48 BST […]

OU to host The Business Agility Conference UK

5 September 2024

This September, The Open University (OU) is to host an in-person event at its campus, Walton Hall in Milton Keynes, focusing on business agility and the theme of ‘Leading through Complexity’. The Business Agility Conference UK is a collaboration between the OU, The Business Agility Institute UK and The Cynefin Company. Pre-conference workshops are taking […]

Zelensky: BBC programme charts his journey from comedian to president at war

3 September 2024

A new OU/BBC three-part programme charting the journey of President Zelensky from young actor and entertainer to one of the most recognisable leaders on the planet airs on Wednesday 4 September. In the first episode of The Zelensky Story, being aired at 9pm on BBC Two, we see how the former comic actor went from […]

Mini lab designed by OU scientists secures NASA ride to the Moon

30 August 2024

A miniaturised laboratory created at The Open University (OU) will fly to the lunar South Polar region in the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Prospect package in search of volatiles, including water ice, as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. NASA has selected the commercial vendor for this flight opportunity in the 2027-2028 timeframe […]

Kyle looking aside from the camera, smiling with floral wallpaper behind him.

‘My confidence is the best it’s ever been, thanks to the OU’

29 August 2024

Hampered by low confidence, Kyle, 36, rejected the place he was offered at a campus university, despite his lifelong dream of achieving a degree. Now studying Arts and Humanities at The Open University (OU), Kyle shares how a promise to his late nan gave him the strength to fulfil his potential and unleash an insatiable […]

Unravelling the Mysteries of a Gassy Space Rock: Phaethon’s Dual Nature

28 August 2024

Phaethon is a celestial body that defies definition. It isn’t quite an asteroid but isn’t exactly a comet either. It has properties of both bodies, being rocky in composition – a trait of asteroids but behaving like comet because of gas emission and dust release as it nears the Sun. This curious mix of characteristics—part […]

OU research identifies key areas for improving trans healthcare in the UK

28 August 2024

A new study published today and led by The Open University (OU) has identified significant areas for improvement in the care for transgender adults within the NHS. The report, titled ‘Improving the integration of care for trans adults: ICTA a mixed-methods study’, has been published in the journal Health and Social Care Delivery Research by […]