The Open University

Join the OU for its first Open Research Week

18 March 2025

The OU is set to host its first Open Research Week from 24th to 28th March. The week is an opportunity for anyone, anywhere, to learn about our ‘real world’ applications of our openly available data, outputs and citizen science platforms and to help others in the research community to do research better. Communicated through webinars, videos […]

OU celebrates neurodiversity week

18 March 2025

To mark neurodiversity week, 17th -23rd March, The Open University has created a hub of resources on its free online learning platform, OpenLearn, designed to educate and inspire neurodivergent learners, allies, educators, and employers. The OU has a long history of teaching neurodivergent learners, such as those with ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, autism, dyspraxia, Tourette’s syndrome, […]

Five vampire books to read if you enjoyed the film Nosferatu

13 March 2025

Oscar-nominated film Nosferatu has rekindled the love of all things spooky in this new version of the 1922 classic that manages to mix elements of Frankenstein and The Exorcist (1973), deftly demonstrating that vampire films can go in new directions. So too can these five contemporary vampire novels, which play with conventions as well as […]

New Professor of Education, Policy and Practice

11 March 2025

In 2018, there were only 25 Black women professors in the UK, compared to 12,500 white men (WHEN, Women’s Higher Education Network). Today, that number has risen to 74, with the promotion of Dr Carol Azumah Dennis, SFHEA, to Professor of Education, Policy and Practice, within The Open University’s Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language […]

Criminologist’s joy that funding will highlight a dark part of Lancashire’s history

5 March 2025

An Open University criminologist Dr David Scott could never have imagined that a walk in the park with his new rescued dog five years ago would lead to unearthing a massacre in Lancashire that the world forgot. Now, he’s just secured £170,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to commemorate the bicentennial of a bloody […]

BBC’s Forensics: The Real CSI shows the specialised work of police and forensic teams investigating a violent crime

28 February 2025

The Open University has once again teamed up with the BBC for another episode of Forensics: The Real CSI that shows the work of police forensic teams investigating a woman’s death. The episode, titled ‘Murder in a Brothel’, airs at 9pm on Sunday, 2 March, on BBC Two and iPlayer, and will be available on […]

Radio series Rare Earth returns for a new season

28 February 2025

Tune in weekly from today (Friday 28th February) to listen to the OU/BBC radio series, Rare Earth, return for its fourth season hosted by environmental journalist Tom Heap and physicist Helen Czerski. Listeners can tune in live on Fridays at 12pm or listen later through BBC Sounds. The new series takes us from the deepest […]

OU appoints new Executive Dean for Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

26 February 2025

The Open University (OU) is delighted to welcome Professor Michael Fernando who will be taking over as the university’s Executive Dean for Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in April 2025. Professor Fernando joins the OU from his most recent role as Dean of the School of Engineering and Computing at the University […]

Students offered the opportunity to win a MacBook

25 February 2025

Students from The Open University and beyond are being given the opportunity from Santander to win one of ten MacBooks to assist in their studies. The computers are available in a prize draw being offered by Santander Universities, a global philanthropic organisation working in the higher education sector. Any UK student aged 18 or over, […]

Russia’s militarisation of young Ukrainians risks long-term peace: academic comment

21 February 2025

While decisionmakers in Europe and the US wrestle with a roadmap to lasting peace in Ukraine an Open University academic says they need to understand the future threat posed by Russian militarisation of young people in occupied territories. As we approach the third anniversary of the war, Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody says Russia is attempting to […]

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