The Open University

International Migrants Day – OU research sheds light on the realities and barriers

17 December 2021

As organisations across the world mark the United Nations’ International Migrants Day (18 December) the OU shares stories by staff and students of their experiences and the lives of migrants. Earlier this year Sarah Crafter, Professor of Cultural-Developmental Psychology at The Open University won EU funding for a research project aiming to enhance the lives […]

Creative initiative for healthcare staff proves to be a winner

14 December 2021

A pilot scheme, giving NHS healthcare workers a chance to try creative writing as a potential support for wellbeing during the pandemic, has won national recognition. The programme, designed for an NHS Trust, involved writing workshops that gave participants prompts and exercises which encouraged them to be expressive about their life, work and feelings through […]

New theory about alien life subject of latest bitesize video for BBC Ideas

8 December 2021

A brand new short film is now available to view on the award-winning BBC Ideas website called Are We Thinking About Alien Life All Wrong? With the OU’s Dr Mark Fox-Powell providing academic consultancy, Professor Brian Cox explains the ‘panspermia’ theory – how alien life could spread around the Universe. This new theory, which has […]

OU Nursing graduate Kombe working in Clydebank

‘I started as a GP’s receptionist, now I’m an award-winning nurse’

8 December 2021

Before he was an award-winning nurse, Kombe Mwarandu was working as a receptionist at his local GP surgery. He shares how achieving his Adult Nursing degree from The Open University in Scotland has enabled him to achieve his career dreams and give back to his community. “Before joining The Open University I didn’t have a […]

Looks really can be deceiving, OU research finds

2 December 2021

A new hairstyle can make all the difference they say, and newly published psychology research shows that our hair could make even more of an impact than we realise. A study among nearly 400 people in the UK and China found they struggled to match faces in pictures if they were from a different race […]

Killer in the Car Park – Forensics: The Real CSI returns

1 December 2021

The programme that gives viewers unique access to the work of forensic scientists is making a return to our screens. Forensics: The Real CSI is co-produced by The Open University and the BBC and the series continues with series 2 (episode 7) Killer in the Car Park, which airs Monday December 6 at 9pm on […]

Reducing the stigma of HIV this World AIDS Day

30 November 2021

World AIDS Day on 1 December is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV. Established in 1988, ‘rocking the red ribbon’ shows support for people living with HIV and commemorates those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. Dr Tom Witney recently carried out research for The Open University to […]

Disabled Veteran John studies for his Open University degree

‘My OU degree is giving disabled veterans like me a new future’

29 November 2021

Veteran John Owens was at the top of his military career when a stroke left him hospitalised and facing an uncertain future. With support of The Open University’s Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund, he’s now working towards a new chapter in his ongoing recovery. After facing his own challenges, John, from Kilmarnock is determined to show […]

RAF image courtesy of Crown Copyright 2011

‘I’m giving back to other disabled veterans thanks to an OU scholarship’

29 November 2021

Veteran Roger Lees spent his military career literally putting his life on the line to protect others. So when the constant strain of combat missions left him unable to serve, he was left feeling lost and unsure what his future would hold. With the support of an Open University scholarship, Roger originally from Birmingham, now […]

Paddy and Christine McGuinness explore autism in new BBC/OU programme

26 November 2021

On Wednesday 1 December, a new programme, Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism, co-produced by the BBC and The Open University (OU) starts on BBC1 at 9pm. In this one-off documentary, Paddy and his wife, who have three children that have been diagnosed with autism, meet other parents, experts and people on the autism spectrum to discover […]

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