Welcome to the latest edition of OpenMinds e-News. It is my distinct privilege to introduce this issue, packed with remarkable achievements and exciting developments from across the University.

This past month, we received outstanding feedback from our students via the National Student Survey, a testament to the dedication of our faculty and staff. You can find an overview of these results within this edition. Also, as our current students eagerly await their much-anticipated results next week, we invite you to join us in celebrating their successes online.

This issue also highlights significant milestones, including advancements in our academic research, exciting new releases from our collaboration with the BBC, and the overwhelming success of our recent Giving Day. Thanks to your incredible generosity, we raised over £194,000 this year. This vital funding will directly support more students in commencing their studies through scholarships via the Open Futures Fund.

Alongside upcoming events, lifelong learning opportunities, and inspiring alumni stories, I trust you will find this edition of OpenMinds e-News both engaging and informative.

Best wishes

Jane Dudeney

Alumni Engagement Manager

The Open University

Giving Day success!

On 2-3 July, our amazing OU family came together for Giving Day 2025. An incredible £194,443 was raised for the Open Futures Fund, providing essential scholarships to help people transform their lives through learning. This remarkable total is testament to the passion and generosity of you, the ever-inspiring OU family.

As the donations came in, we were blown away by the generosity and kindness of more than 1,500 donors across the 36 hours. 

With so many people struggling to access the education they deserve, that support has never been more important, providing hope and possibility for future OU students.

The OU’s 2025 National Student Survey results

The results of the National Student Survey (NSS) 2025, commissioned by the Office for Students (OfS) have been published, with The Open University receiving increased positivity scores across all themes, covering academic support, teaching, organisation and management, assessment and feedback, learning resources, and learning opportunities. 

Open University tutor makes the King’s Honours list

Open University tutor, Diane Powles, has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for her services to Nursing and to Education in the King's Birthday Honours list 2025.

The honours list gives recognition to people who have made outstanding contributions to their sectors across the UK.

On finding out she had been honoured, Diane said:

“I feel very humbled and privileged to have been nominated. Nursing, healthcare, and education are communities of immensely talented, caring, dedicated and hard-working individuals.

A career is not a solo journey. I am grateful to all the patients and colleagues who have supported and mentored me along my learning journey which in turn has encouraged me to embrace opportunities to make a difference.”

OU researcher helps to solve the mystery of Mercury’s ‘missing meteorites’

Mercury’s elusive meteorites have never been conclusively identified, however, a new study published in Icarus by OU academic, Dr Ben Rider-Stokes, may offer the best understanding yet. 

The new research suggests two unusual meteorites may be our best analogues yet, offering a rare window into Mercury’s formation and evolution, and reshaping our understanding of the innermost planet.

The OU to receive funding for new programme of mathematics teaching

The Maths Degrees for the Future scheme today names five universities who will share a £2.5 million fund to pilot new maths teaching and outreach, including The Open University.

The new national programme, launched by the Campaign for Mathematical Sciences (CaMS), aims to create ‘next-gen’ degree designs that connect foundational mathematical sciences to their critical role in an increasingly AI and data driven world.

New university collaborative ‘ResearchPlus’ announced to give leading research universities a voice and help boost UK research and innovation

Today, ten leading research-focused universities announced their intention to form a new strategic partnership. 

‘ResearchPlus’ will give a collective voice to universities that constitute a critical element of the UK’s research and innovation system, and that deliver vital research-informed education and advanced skills.

Celebrate results day with us

Almost 100,000 students will receive their module results on Tuesday 22 July. As an OU alum, you’ll remember all too well the anticipation and emotions of that day! Maybe you’re expecting results again yourself?

We’ll be marking the day with content across our social media channels – and we’d love you to join in the conversation. We’ll be asking students where their OU journey has taken them in the last year and what’s next. 

Please get involved on the day by sharing memories of your journey, and your own success. Find us using #OUresults or #OUFamily on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, X and LinkedIn.

New OU/BBC co-production explores mental health

A new OU/BBC programme Heston: My life with bipolar aired on Thursday 19 June, at 8pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer and is still available for viewing now.

Heston Blumenthal is one the world’s greatest chefs, with six Michelin stars to his name. Yet in 2023, Heston started experiencing hallucinations and suicidal thoughts, his behaviour so extreme, wife Melanie decided to have him sectioned.

New series of OU/BBC radio show, Inside Health

On Tuesday 1 July, a new nine-part OU/BBC series of Inside Health started airing, and will do so weekly, on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds at 09:30.

This series demystifies health issues, separating fact from fiction and bringing clarity to conflicting health advice. Visit our Broadcast & Partnerships site OU Connect where you can find a new online quiz exploring technology’s role in transforming our healthcare.

This series was commissioned by the OU Broadcast & Partnerships team and is supported by the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, with particular relevance to Q96 BSc (Honours) Healthcare and Health Science, R26 BA (Honours) Health and Social Care and R64 BSc (Honours) Public Health and Wellbeing and the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics with particular relevance to Q71 BSc (Honours) Health Sciences.

Step back in time with the OU Archive’s Heritage Open Days

Join The Open University Archive from 17–19 September as it takes part in the country’s largest community heritage festival.

Discover new exhibitions, including a display honouring former OU Chancellor Baroness Betty Boothroyd, explore archive materials celebrating the University’s legacy, and take part in historical campus tours.

New for 2025: the OU Archive Cinema experience, featuring themed screenings of historical footage. Plus, enjoy a live performance by the OU’s singing group, Open Voices, at 12 noon on Thursday 18 September.

All exhibitions, screenings, and the choir performance are drop-in and require no booking - but tours must be booked in advance.

Bookings open on Monday 14th July 2025.

“The sense of achievement is indescribable,” says proud graduate Jade

When severe health problems left Jade, 34, unable to physically attend university, she lost all hope of achieving her dream degree, fearing the opportunity had passed her by.

Now a proud Psychology with Counselling graduate, Jade shares how discovering The Open University (OU) gave her the flexibility to juggle motherhood, work and study, with the unpredictability of living with long-term health issues.

‘I’ve been able to achieve a Law degree without sacrificing the sport I love’ says professional tennis player Alice

Thinking ahead to life after tennis, Alice, 26, was determined to lay the foundations for a new career, while still playing the sport she loves.

Discovering that she could do both by choosing to study at The Open University, Alice shares how she achieved a first-class degree in Law alongside a hectic competition schedule on the pro-tour.

We would love to know what inspired you to become a student. Did you have any extraordinary moments while studying? Has completing your qualification changed your life or helped you discover a new self-confidence?

We want to hear from all OU alumni of different ages and experiences, identities and backgrounds, diverse ethnicities and cultures, abilities and disabilities, mental and physical health conditions and intersectionalities.

Please get in touch and share your story with the rest of the OU community.

Advance your independent learning

Take control of your own learning by investigating a topic that satisfies your personal curiosity or professional interests. YXM830 Advance your independent learning is an innovative and unconventional 30 credit postgraduate course which will support you to explore a topic of your own choosing and critically engage with key issues and debates. It will help you to foster interdisciplinary learning, develop your research skills, deepen your scholarship and understanding, and to reflect on and take control of your learning to meet your personal and professional development goals. You will learn to communicate your investigation to different audiences via different means and develop the confidence to take on new professional challenges. 

YXM830 can be taken standalone or as part of the MA or MSc Open. Registration closes 18 September 2025. The course runs annually between October and May. For further information please contact the YXM830 module team at open-programme@open.ac.uk.

Free course aims to raise the profile of women composers in classical music

A new free course from The Open University’s OpenLearn site has been launched aimed at helping performers in the classical music industry to diversify their repertoire to include more works by women composers.

The short course called “Women transforming classical music” spans just six hours, and is aimed at ensembles, individuals and organisations within the classical music industry.

Back in 2024, a study by Donne Women in Music of 111 of the world’s most well-known orchestras, discovered that only 7.5 per cent of the music they performed was composed by women.

Dr Laura Hamer, Staff Tutor and Senior Lecturer in Music at The Open University is one of the writers on the new OpenLearn course.

Gabriella Di Lacci, the founder of Donne, who is a professional classical opera singer, also had a hand in shaping the course, as did other music professionals.

Dreaming of studying for your doctorate? All things are possible with The Open University - Student Hub Live Podcast

The Student Hub Live Podcast is produced, presented and brought to you by Heidi McCafferty (who has been a co-presenter on our live shows), along with Scott Webber, who set up his hugely successful Mad About History Tik Tok channel after studying with the OU. Heidi and Scott chat about their own experiences of studying, why they started, what they loved, the challenges they faced and how studying changed their lives. They also have special guests on in some episodes, offering support and advice.

If you’ve always wanted to gain your doctorate but have felt excluded because of finances, caring responsibilities or a lack of confidence, this episode will help move you towards your goal. Although the OU welcomes anyone looking to self-fund their PhD, we know for many, this isn’t possible. As such, Heidi outlines the route she took which landed her a fully-funded scholarship.

Explore your world with free learning from OpenLearn at the OU

We've got thousands of ways to learn: short articles by academic experts from the OU and beyond; videos; podcasts; even, if you're really keen, free courses. You can navigate your own bespoke path through our content, choosing by subject, type of experience, or most popular!

If you don’t follow us on social media, please do! Just click on the icons below and join our online conversations. Your contributions help inspire the next generation of OU students and spur current students on to get to that well-deserved graduation day.

Have you visited your alumni website recently? If not, why not have a look today? Here you will find information on events and ways to keep in touch.

Here's a reminder of your PI number if you would like to register: 

Time to treat yourself?

Our OU Students Association shop has a range of OU merchandise for you to enjoy and proudly own as one of our alumni, from clothing, accessories, home and leisure, to stationery and jewellery.