The Open University
Charles Darwin is one of most famous scientists of the nineteenth century, but what was he like as a child, a father and a husband? How did his emotional response to the world affect his scientific theories? And how widespread is his influence today? This album looks at Darwin's rich and complex...
What is the role of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the nature of its relationship with the UK Government? What impact does it have on UK law?
With British membership of the European Union at the heart of the political agenda, the role of its Court of Human Rights and its influence...
This unit explores conceptual tools for assisting our thinking and deliberation on what matters. The notion of ‘framing’ nature is introduced and three readings provide an understanding of systems thinking for explicitly framing issues of environmental responsibility. This study unit is just one...
Health, and the health of others, are concerns that impact us all. This album explores notions of health and happiness in relation to the lifestyles people lead and the services and support available to them. The range of information is eclectic and illuminating, offering a rare insight into...
This unit will examine the particular issues that arise in bringing a project to a close, and ways of evaluating a project on its completion. The key components of project closure will be identified and discussed and their importance in ensuring that the aims and objectives of a project have been...
How has the English language spread internationally - and is the worldwide influence of English a cause for celebration or concern? How is it changing in response to social, cultural, and technological developments? ‘Worlds of English’ investigates these notions by looking at the expansion of...
Sex scandals, divorce, alleged links to the mafia, showman, entrepreneur, and as some might describe him – the politically incorrect politician. The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been sworn in four times since 1994, but is Berlusconi a glimpse of political leadership of the future?...
This unit examines the philosophical questions surrounding the mind. You will examine how beliefs have changed over the centuries and be able to contrast the views of Descartes with more modern ideas. This study unit is just one of many that can be found on LearningSpace, part of OpenLearn, a...
The 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge over the Ohio River was an engineering mystery and a human tragedy - 46 people died. Why did a suspension bridge built to last a century not make 40 years? Built in 1928, it was a slimmer version of similar bridges built in nearby Pittsburgh. The slimming...
This Unit studies 'proteins'. Starting with a simple analysis of the molecular make up, the Unit moves on to look at the importance of protein and how they are digested and absorbed. This study unit is just one of many that can be found on LearningSpace, part of OpenLearn, a collection of open...
How does living with disability and chronic illness impact on a person's quality of life? What are the consequences of physical limitations and treatment regimes? The tracks on his album explore real-life case studies in a variety of care environments. From domestic homes to residential and...
Chemistry is of enormous importance in everyday life: almost everything that exists, and all that we see, make and eat is composed of molecules. The unravelling of molecular structure is a key activity of chemists. In these three video tracks, Dr Mike Bullivant looks briefly at three of the...
How can Darwin be used to inspire the scientists of tomorrow? What is the best way to communicate his theories to a modern audience? And what events have been taking place all over the world to commemorate him? Sheila Ochugboju from the African Technology Policy Studies Network, Janice Asnine...
Traumatic injury causes millions of deaths and disabilities globally and cases are rising as road traffic increases. This album features a real-life simulation of the aftermath of a car crash and reveals the crucial steps paramedics must take to tend to the injured driver and get him into the...
In this unit, we are going to look at a number of situations which put a strain on the idea that caring is just 'being ordinary', including times when people are giving intimate care. In these special circumstances, since the normal rules do not apply, we have to develop a set of special rules to...
What have computers got to do with cows? Can a wooden mirror help us understand the computing behind digital image capture? Neil Rowse is the first dairy farmer in the UK to use a computerised system that gives cows control over when they are milked, and allows him to remotely monitor the...
How is safety built into the design of new structures? What sort of tests are used to ascertain the safety of proposed designs? Structural integrity, the study of the safe design and assessment of materials and structures under load, has become crucial in engineering design. Concepts within...
Scotland's Forth Road Bridge may not be the most beautiful bridge over the Firth of Forth, but it is an incredible feat of engineering and is integral to the economy of the entire area. However, rust is threatening to destroy the cables that suspend the road. This unit uses video to explore the...
The genetic manipulation of plants and animals and their use in agriculture is one of the most controversial scientific developments of recent times. This unt takes a look at the 'science behind the headlines' and the complex interactions between scientific and social factors. By the end of the...
Have you ever wondered what causes cyclones, and why it's always calm in the centre of the storm? Well, vector calculus holds the key. The tracks on this album introduce you to the scalar and vector fields of gradient, divergence and curl. This material makes up part of the course MST209,...
The new discipline of astrobiology – that is, the science of searching for extraterrestrial life – is not only rapdly growing, but has also captured the public imagination. This unit examines the emergence of icy satellites of distant planets as potential sites of extraterrestrial life. Focussing...
There is increasing recognition that the reductionist mindset that is currently dominating society, rooted in unlimited economic growth unperceptive to its social and environmental impact, cannot resolve the converging environmental, social and economic crises we now face. The primary aim of this...
How is it that a small, poor country in northern Europe became one of the most dynamic centres of Enlightenment thinking? This unit examines the cultural, intellectual and religious characteristics of Scotland in the eighteenth century that led to the emergence of such intellectual pioneers as...
There is nothing quite like the thrill of a ride at the fair. But what is it that creates the thrills - making people actually enjoy the experience of being thrown around? The tracks in this Collection look at the circular motion of 4 fairground rides, and focuses in on 'The Hellraiser',...
Whether it's literature, television or film, crime has always been a popular genre with wide-appeal; but why is this source of fear such a fascinating subject to us? This four track audio album strives to answer this question through interviews with key figures such as criminologists and crime...
Sexuality and parenthood encompass some of the most ordinary and yet most profound experiences that life has to offer. In this unit, we look at how attitudes to parenthood and sexuality and the links between the two have changed, with specific reference to the fertility decline that began in the...
The field of active galaxies is recognised as one of increasing importance. But how do we know there are different kinds of galaxy? What are active galaxies? How are they powered? This unit examines the different types of active galaxy and looks at the crucial role of the active galactic nucleus...
These short dramas portray a range of active learning techniques in a fictional primary school in West Africa: 'Cast the Spell' - creating a drama in the classroom; 'Seven Rivers in Africa' - using songs and poems; 'The Maths Game' - engaging pupils with games; 'The Open Day Drama' - pupils...
There is increasing recognition that the reductionist mindset that is currently dominating society, rooted in unlimited economic growth unperceptive to its social and environmental impact, cannot resolve the converging environmental, social and economic crises we now face. The primary aim of this...
This unit explores how information contained in DNA is used, explaining the flow of information from DNA to RNA to protein. Also introduced are the concepts of transcription (as occurs between DNA and RNA) and translation. This study unit is just one of many that can be found on LearningSpace,...
There are a wide range of interactions between ‘science’ and ‘the public’. Examples range from visiting a museum, or indulging in a science-related hobby, to reading a newspaper article about a breakthrough in the techniques of therapeutic cloning. Many of these interactions could be said to be...
The Open University's researcher in volcanoes, Hazel Rymer explains why the Poás volcano in Costa Rica is her favourite, and how evidence form previous experiments there has lead her to believe there may be an environmental crisis - similar to one in the 1990's - on it's way. There have been...
What is emotion? This unit takes a philosophical approach to this question in an attempt to understand why people respond to events in a certain way. Is there a difference between an emotion and a bodily feeling or is one a consequence of the other? This study unit is just one of many that can be...
How do you measure happiness? What are the factors that make a person more content in life? Most individuals work towards creating a life for themselves that will increase their own level of wellbeing regardless of their background, upbringing or culture, but what are the different elements in...
Do you feel safe in your own home? Security measures, such as gated communities and CCTV, can remove people's rights and have a long-term physical impact on everyday life. Do these increasing attempts at security help or is it a vicious circle which increases our feelings of insecurity?
Can we really expect jurors to fully understand the intricate and complex workings of the legal system? Should we really burden members of the public with the responsibility of resolving our criminal and civil disputes - or would we be better having a panel of experts? And what about expert...
Mentoring, observation and interviews are three important strategies in developing student teachers. This unit, which gives a flavour of The Open University's flexible PGCE course, introduces student–teacher centred strategies both inside and outside of the classroom involving mentors, pupils,...
From Catholic rebellion to Civil War, what happened during the latter years of the reign of Charles I that caused people to take up arms against their fellow citizens? This unit looks at the background of the wars between England, Scotland and Ireland and how the king’s actions led to the rift...
Autumn 2008 witnessed a global financial crisis with governments worldwide taking emergency action to prevent a collapse of the banking system. The aftermath of the worst financial crisis since the 1930s saw economic activity slump. In the UK, higher unemployment, falling house prices and a sharp...
What is ecological restoration? How will it change lives in the developing world? Leading Open University academics Joe Smith and Vince Gauci introduce this three part film ‘Hope in a Changing Climate’ which focuses on restoration projects in China, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Local villagers work...
The energy carried by ocean waves derives from a proportion of the wind energy transferred to the ocean surface by frictional drag. So, ultimately it stems from the proportion of incoming solar energy that drives air movement. Just how much energy is carried by a single wave depends on the wind...
Day-to-day monitoring of a project is essential to ensure that work is progressing according to the plan, and it will often be necessary to review and revise the plan as circumstances change. This unit will introduce some of the key techniques that help managers to monitor and control projects,...
Stars can necessarily be observed only at a distance. This unit introduces the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, an essential tool in understanding the nature of stars. You should have some understanding of the basic stellar properties of luminosity and temperature in order to get the most from the...
The financial crisis of 2008 has been widely blamed on poor regulation of financial institutions and the bonus driven casino culture. So what measures are the new coalition Government taking to ensure a crisis on this scale doesn’t happen again? Martin Upton of The Open University Business...
Are you interested in English language education? This unit examines the use of language as a cultural tool which allows humans to become involved in a two-way process of constant change. The unit will help those within the teaching environment to relate theoretical discussion to professional...
Over the past one hundred years, only two British prime ministers, Stanley Baldwin and Harold Wilson have left Number 10 entirely voluntarily, the electorate has voted most of them out. So why do PM’s so rarely leave office on their own terms? What happens when a prime minister’s credibility...
In the arenas of health and social work, management is a crucial part of ensuring quality of service and care for users and staff, and the development of services and standards into the future. The discussions and interviews in this album focus on the importance of management strategies and...
Attempts to answer problems in areas as diverse as science, technology and economics involve solving simultaneous linear equations. In this unit we look at some of the equations that represent points, lines and planes in mathematics. We explore concepts such as Euclidean space, vectors, dot...
Can bacteria communicate with each other, and if they do communicate, how and why do they do so? And how might understanding the mechanisms of bacterial communication be used to inform development of anti-bacterial drugs? In this album scientists involved in pioneering work into bacterial...
The search for new medicinal products is one of the major driving forces behind the development and application of new synthetic methods. This unit focuses on a specific case study, which follows the development of a drug for the treatment of high blood pressure. It is a particularly good example...
