The Open University

Universities challenged to abandon ‘Fortress Mentality’ to aid students

23 November 2017

Universities must abandon their “fortress thinking” and awaken to the challenges of operating in a fully digital world, the vice-chancellor of The Open University has said. In a public lecture at the University of Durham, Peter Horrocks warned that too many universities still function according to parameters established in medieval times. He argued for greater […]

Fixing the broken market in part-time study

16 November 2017

Open University says part-time students ‘learning while earning’ need direct funding A new report by The Open University, “Fixing the Broken Market in Part-Time study”, published on the website of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), says the collapse in part-time higher education is a symptom of a broken market It says part-time higher education can support […]

Budget 2017: Government must “jumpstart” its support for learn and earn

13 November 2017

The Open University has joined forces with the Institute of Directors (IoD) to call on the Government to use the upcoming Budget announcement to “jumpstart” support for lifelong learning in the UK. In a joint letter to Chancellor Philip Hammond, OU Vice-Chancellor Peter Horrocks and the IoD’s Director General Stephen Martin, urged him to recognise that […]

Girl holding head against a school blackboard

Education does not start – or end – at school, says OU Vice-Chancellor

10 November 2017

Imagine not doing well at school. Imagine being told you’ll amount to nothing. And imagine carrying that around with you for decades. One of the highlights of my role as Vice-Chancellor is to meet many of our students as they cross the stage to become graduates. And to see the pride and new-found confidence that […]

OU Vice-Chancellor tells universities to wake up to the digital future

27 October 2017

Peter Horrocks, the vice-chancellor of The Open University, has warned that higher education is years behind in maximising the use of digital technology. In a speech to the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities conference in Milton Keynes, he said universities had a crucial role to play in developing the “digitally enabled citizens” of the […]

Three things the OU is doing to make a difference for part-time students

26 October 2017

Vice-Chancellor of The Open University, Peter Horrocks, updates our students in this video. He focuses on: Talking to students, meeting graduates at degree ceremonies and using social media What he is doing to fight for the interests of part-time students – you can read more about his views in this article Planning for the future of […]

The real casualty of the 2012 tuition fees shake-up? Mature and part-time learners

12 October 2017

This blog was authored by Vice-Chancellor, Peter Horrocks, and originally published on Universities UK We are at a rare moment in politics where the concerns of students have been thrust to the forefront of national debate I welcome the prime minister’s review of university funding because, amid the sound and fury of party politics, […]

Barbican - photo courtesy of Claudia Rosani

OU honours digital entrepreneur for encouraging diversity in science and technology

29 September 2017

Digital entrepreneur, Lopa Patel, has been awarded an honorary degree in recognition of her contributions to encouraging diversity and inclusion in science and technology, and her wider impact on British culture, industry, and society. The OU presented Lopa Patel MBE with a Doctor of the University by Vice Chancellor, Peter Horrocks, at its recent Barbican […]

Widening access to higher education and part-time learning go hand-in-hand

14 August 2017

The OU has welcomed the release of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and the charity Brightside’s new collection of essays on widening access to university written by senior higher education figures. Commenting on the publication of ‘Where next for widening participation and fair access?’ Laura Burley, Head of Government & External Affairs at […]

Row of university graduates holding their scrolls. Image: Thinkstock

Diverse needs of part-time learners must be recognised, says OU Vice-Chancellor

4 July 2017

For many people in Britain, part-time study is the only way to access Higher Education. Speaking at the launch of the Office for Fair Access‘ report Evaluating the impact of outreach for adult learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, which was led by the OU, the Vice Chancellor Peter Horrocks spoke about how the diverse needs of part-time […]

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