History
The Open University was founded by theOrganisation and administration
Staff
The majority of staff are part-time associate lecturers and, as of the 2009–10 academic year, almost 8,000 work for the OU. There are also 1,286 (mostly full-time) salaried academic employees (central academics based at Walton Hall and staff tutors based in a variety of regional locations) who are research active and responsible for the production and presentation of teaching materials, 1,931 who are academic-related and 1,902 support staff (including secretaries and technicians). Salaries are the OU's main cost—over £275 million for the 2009–2010 academic year. In 2010 the OU became one of the ''Sunday Times'' Best Places to Work in the Public Sector.Credit union
Open University Employees Credit Union is a savings and loans co-operative established by the university for staff in 1994. A member of theAcademic divisions
Faculties
In 2016, the university reorganised its departments and now operates with the Faculties of Arts & Social Sciences (FASS); the Faculty of Business and Law (FBL); the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); and the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education, Languages and Sport (WELS). It also runs Open and Access programmes via PVC-Students, and programmes from the Institute of Educational Technology (IET) via WELS.Business school
In 1982, Open University offered a course titled, "The Effective Manager", developed by a team that was led bySingapore Institute of Management Open University Centre
From 1992 to 2005, theAcademic profile
Teaching methods
The OU uses a variety of methods for teaching, including written and audio materials, the Internet, disc-based software and television programmes onAssessment methods
Open University modules are often assessed using an equal weighting of examinations and coursework. The coursework component normally takes the form of between two and seven tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) and, occasionally, may also include up to six multiple-choice or "missing word" 10-question interactive computer-marked assignments (iCMAs). The examinable component is usually an invigilated three-hour paper regardless of the size of the module (although on some modules it can be up to three three-hour papers), but an increasing number of modules instead have an EMA (End of Module Assessment) which is similar to a TMA, in that it is completed at home, but is regarded as an exam for grading purposes. Modules results are sometimes issued on a graded basis, consisting of pass grades 1 (threshold 85%, a distinction), 2 (70–84%), 3 (55–69%) & 4 (40–54%), and fail (below 40%). This grade is calculated as the lower of the overall continuous assessment score (OCAS) and overall examination score (OES). These grades can be weighted according to their level, and combined to calculate the classification of a degree. An undergraduate degree will weigh level 3 modules twice as much as level 2, and in postgraduate programmes, all M-level modules are equally weighted.Qualifications
Undergraduate
Open University modules have associated with them a number of= Open degree
= As well as degrees in named subjects, the Open University also grants multidisciplinary "Open" degrees. Open degrees provide students with access to a wide variety of subjects to develop a personalised curriculum to meet their vocational needs and personal interests. The Open degree may be awarded as a Bachelor of Arts Open, a Bachelor of Science Open (either with or without honours), a Master of Arts Open or a Master of Science Open. The Open degree is the most popular qualification at the university. Around 20,000 students are enrolled in this programme, which makes the Open University the UK's largest multidisciplinary education provider. As of 2018, over 236,000 alumni have graduated with an Open degree.= Other qualifications
= The Open University grants undergraduate ''Certificates'' (abbreviated Cert) typically awarded after 60 completed credits at Level 1 or Level 3 (where each credit corresponds to roughly 10 hours of study, therefore 60 credits represent about 600 hours of effort), ''Diplomas'' (abbreviated Dip) after 120 credits – typically 60 credits at Level 2 and 60 credits at Level 3. Open University also awards '' Foundation degrees'' (abbreviated FD). OU also offers a limited number of CertHE (120 CATS) andPostgraduate
The Open University provides the opportunity to study for a PhD on a part-time distance, or a full-time basis (on-site for science subjects and most social sciences, off-site with some supervisions on-site for arts) in a wide range of disciplines as well as anDegree ceremonies
Unlike most United Kingdom universities, degree ceremonies at the Open University are notAcademic dress
Academic dress for the Open University is based on the colours blue and gold (yellow). No headwear is worn at degree ceremonies. In the year 2000, the Open University was the first to host an online "virtual" graduation ceremony in the United Kingdom together with an audience at the OU's campus in Milton Keynes. Twenty-six students in eight countries, from the United States of America toRankings
The university is included in major world university rankings such asResearch
Like other UK universities, the OU actively engages in research. The OU's Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute has become particularly well known to the public through its involvement in space missions. In October 2006, the Cassini-Huygens mission including 15 people from the OU received the 2006 "Laurels for Team Achievement Award" from the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA). Cassini-Huygens' successful completion of its seven-year, two billion-mile journey in January 2005 toOpenScience Observatories
The OU operates a collection of telescopes and other instruments at theStudents
In the 2019–20 academic year, there were 175,719 enrolled students.Demographics
In 2019/20, 99,834 students were from England, 14,903 were from Scotland, 6,668 from Wales, 3,667 from Northern Ireland and 4,900 from theCourses
Unlike other universities, where students register for a programme, OU students register separately for individual modules (which may be 30 or 60Fees and financial assistance
17,634 students received financial assistance for their studies in 2015–16. The typical cost for United Kingdom-based students of a Bachelor'sQualifications awarded
The university enrolled fewer than 50,000 students in the 1970–71 academic year, but it quickly exceeded that number by 1974–75. By 1987–88 yearly enrolment had doubled to 100,000 students, passing 200,000 by 2001–02 and 250,000 in 2009–10. Numbers fell when the fee regime changed. Cumulatively, by the end of 2009–10, the OU had educated more than 1.5 million students and awarded 819,564 qualifications after successful assessment. In addition, the Open University provides certification for qualifications atOpen University Students Association
The Open University Students Association is the equivalent of a students' union for the Open University and is a registered charity wholly funded by the Open University (OU). The association is governed by a Board of Trustees and a Central Executive Committee. Each student registered with the OU automatically becomes part of the Students Association unless they elect to formally opt out. It offers opportunities to meet up, volunteer, find information and access services to support learning along with a range of student clubs and societies typical of those found in other UK Universities.Notable current and former academics
Notable alumni, graduates and honorees
In fiction
The Open University has been featured in many films and television programmes. The plot of ''Partnerships
Armed Forces
Through an agreement between the Ministry of Defence and the OU going back to the early 1970s, a wide range of courses is available to members of the British armed forces, with course materials supplied via the student'sPartner institutions
The Open University has a diverse network of partners across the globe. Once approved, partner institutions offer Open University validated awards, granted under the university's royal charter. As of October 2021, the Open University has over 40 international partners, including for exampleDoctoral training partnerships
The Grand Union
The Grand Union is an ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership uniting The Open University, theOpen-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training
Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership is a consortium of the Open University,Imperial-Cambridge-Open Centre for Doctoral Training
From 2014 to 2022, the Open University is working withSee also
*Notes
References
Further reading
* Dorey, Pete. "‘Well, Harold Insists on Having It!’—The Political Struggle to Establish The Open University, 1965–67." ''Contemporary British History'' 29#2 (2015): 241–272. * Perry, Walter. "The Open University" ''External links
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