The Open University

Top ten most popular free courses to indulge in on OpenLearn

26 December 2023

Since its launch in 2006 The Open University’s free learning resource website OpenLearn has received more than 112 million visits with many people going on to complete several of the hundreds of free courses available. Each year we collate which are the most popular – some are just a few hours long while others – […]

Image shows presenter Greg Wallace standing next to a production line of yorkshire puddings

New series of ‘Inside the Factory’ co-produced by The Open University

24 December 2023

In an exciting new venture, The Open University (OU) has teamed up with the BBC to co-produce the eighth series of the much-loved “Inside the Factory.” The first episode of the new series airs on BBC Two at 9pm on Wednesday 27 December and will be exploring the production of the Christmas dinner staple, Yorkshire […]

Watch this year’s Royal Institution Christmas Lectures: The Truth About AI

22 December 2023

Join Professor Mike Wooldridge for this year’s Royal Institution (RI) Christmas Lectures, as he tackles arguably the most important and rapidly-evolving field of science in the world today – artificial intelligence. Beginning on Tuesday 26 December, the first of three new Open University / BBC co-produced programmes The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures – The Truth […]

Interest rates have stopped rising, but 2023 hikes could still cause recession for some economies

20 December 2023

Alan Shipman is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at The Open University who says that even though interest rates have stopped rising the sting in the tail is there’s still a danger of recession for some economies. Central banks on both sides of the Atlantic kept their main interest rates unchanged for the fourth successive month […]

Putin’s four-hour Q&A is a valuable insight into the Russian president’s version of reality

19 December 2023

Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody is a Senior Lecturer in politics and international relations academic at The Open University and specialises in communication, misinformation and security, particularly in Russia. Here she gives her view on Vladimir Putin’s appearance at his annual press conference. Russian television audiences didn’t have much choice but to watch Vladimir Putin’s annual press […]

Open University graduate and falsely accused ex-prisoner, Andrew Malkinson, to guest edit Radio 4’s Today Programme

19 December 2023

Open University graduate and falsely accused ex-prisoner, Andrew Malkinson, who was released from prison in July 2023 after serving 17 years for a rape he did not commit, will appear as a guest editor on Radio 4’s Today Programme. Together with the Today team, Andrew has created a programme on 29 December that will look […]

Image shows group of attendees of the OU visit standing in front of the gold tree in the university library

Education Minister visits The Open University

15 December 2023

On a visit to The Open University in Milton Keynes, Universities Minister Rt Hon Robert Halfon MP met with students, apprentices, and alumni, as well as the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Blackman. The Minister was joined by the MP for Milton Keynes North, Ben Everitt. At a roundtable discussion, the Minister heard inspiring stories from […]

Bereaved mother’s honour for helping others

13 December 2023

Grief and trauma therapist Lucy Herd has been awarded an honorary doctorate from The Open University for devoting her life to ensuring grieving parents receive support from employers after the loss of a child. Jack’s Law, in honour of Lucy’s son who tragically died in 2010 just before he was two, has created a new […]

Image shows a table of shoes painted blue and red

Dr Anna Hopkins completes 16 Days of Activism to shed light on gender-based violence

11 December 2023

Anna Hopkins, Lecturer in Policing Organisation and Practice (POP) at The Open University is again raising awareness of the United Nations’ ‘16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence’ campaign. This year, Anna has organised a powerful and poignant shoe exhibition at the Gregson Centre in Lancaster and has also run over 80km to raise awareness […]

The disagreement between two climate scientists that will decide our future

11 December 2023

Robert Chris, The Open University and Hugh Hunt, University of Cambridge Getting to net zero emissions by mid-century is conventionally understood as humanity’s best hope for keeping Earth’s surface temperature (already 1.2°C above its pre-industrial level) from increasing well beyond 1.5°C – potentially reaching a point at which it could cause widespread societal breakdown. At […]

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