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The Bletchley Park connection
History & The Arts

The Bletchley Park connection

...Open University. I’m at the Bletchley Park museum, a few miles from the Open University’s headquarters in Milton Keynes. It was here, during the Second World War, that the Allies broke many crucial enemy codes, changing the course of twentieth-century history in the process. The Second World War was a radio war; and deciphering the enemy’s encrypted radio messages...
Dive into World Ocean Day with OpenLearn
Science, Maths & Technology

Dive into World Ocean Day with OpenLearn

...our collection of free educational resources about Earth’s oceans - and oceans beyond...Discover the wonders of our oceans - on Earth and beyond. From interactive games like Ocean Explorer to free courses and thought-provoking articles (including oceans in space!), this collection brings together a wealth of learning to inspire curiosity and care for our marine world....
The obscure history of the ‘virgin’s disease’ that could be cured with sex
History & The Arts

The obscure history of the ‘virgin’s disease’ that could be cured with sex

...open up the body and move the retained blood around. It’s interesting that the idea of a “disease” worked for those who believed in the hymen as a barrier, and for those who didn’t. The latter thought that the problem was a different sort of closure, that of little internal “mouths” that allowed blood from all over the body to get into the womb in the first...
Bowie as a conduit
History & The Arts

Bowie as a conduit

...opened doors to different music and stranger books. Professor Richard Brown writes about how Bowie influenced his tastes...[David Bowie Street art in Brixton, South London] I first listened to David Bowie aged fourteen in 1981. He was my first foray outside of the puritanical fastnesses of Punk Rock. Punk joyously declared the music of its immediate forebears dated, dead,...
Life behind a mask
Health, Sports & Psychology

Life behind a mask

...Open University, shares her thoughts...This year has seen the world change in ways we never could have imagined: socially distancing from friends and loved ones, remote working implemented across the UK, washing and sanitising our hands for more than 20 seconds, and now wearing face coverings in supermarkets and shops. One of the most powerful tools in communication is...
Five smart technologies helping the visually impaired
Society, Politics & Law

Five smart technologies helping the visually impaired

...Open University for BBC Radio 4's sociological discussion programme, Thinking Allowed. Bluetooth Beacons Bluetooth, the technology behind wireless speakers and headphones, has a role to play in navigation for the visually impaired too. Because GPS signals come from satellites, it only works well in open spaces where there is a clear line of sight to the sky. The webs of...
Exploring how migration changes the places where we live
Society, Politics & Law

Exploring how migration changes the places where we live

...Open University's Sociology courses Migration is a key political issue, consistently rated by the public as one of the most important issues facing the UK. Most debate on migration focusses on national policy decisions in relation to how many people should be allowed into the UK and the role of the Home Office in controlling the border and, recently, in terms of the...
Learning How To Learn: Words from the Wise
Education & Development

Learning How To Learn: Words from the Wise

...course, it is very helpful to know something about the nature of learning itself. With this aim in mind, this short article looks back over time to some words from the wise about the learning process and, through those words, points you to some of the approaches you could usefully take to make the most of your studies. The first quotation comes from the British writer,...