Available onlineThe first 10 years 1969-1979
(page 4 of 5)| Clip: | First OU Programme |
|---|---|
| Duration: | 00:01:39 |
| Date: | 1971 |
| Clip: | Introduction to D100 |
|---|---|
| Duration: | 00:01:18 |
| Date: | 10-01-1971 |
In January 1971 the University started teaching. The first official OU television programme was Open Forum, Broadcast on BBC2 on 3rd January 1971 at 11am. Watch the first clip on this page to see part of the introduction to this programme by the first University Secretary, Anastasios 'Chris' Christodoulou. Open Forum was a series produced for both television and radio which included news and information about the University. The first OU Mathematics course programme followed Open Forum.
In 1971 four courses were offered by the University:
M100 - Mathematics: a foundation course
D100 - Understanding Society: a foundation course
A100 - Humanities: a foundation course
S100 - Science foundation course
The first technology course, T100, was introduced in 1972.
The second clip on this page is a clip of the introduction to D100 by Professor Michael Drake, the first Dean of Social Sciences.
A selection of clips from S100 can be viewed on the Digital Archive, as well as a clip from one of the A100 television programmes about Shakespeare's Hamlet.
As well as the television and radio programmes, the printed course materials and home experiment kits were sent out to students. Unfortunately, the first few months of OU teaching (January-March 1971) coincided with the UK postal workers strike which caused delays to some students receiving their materials.
