While being truly open access, the Open University provides a set of modules that can take students from a very basic level up to advanced concepts and techniques. It also allows mature students with some background in physics and/or maths to top up their knowledge in specific subject areas. Over many years, our aim has been to develop inspiring and effective learning materials specifically designed for study at a distance. Typically, much effort is invested in the creation of new materials, but delivery can be easily scaled to large student populations. In this talk the speaker will describe some of the techniques used at the Open University, ranging from custom-designed books to simulations, interactive assessments and remote experiments, as well as statistical evidence from student surveys, and show the results of investigations that link student success to a variety of factors, including the use of formative continuous assessment.