WELS news

Paulette Johnson, WELS Academic Lead for Access, Participation and Success, is a qualified Social Worker. In this article for World Social Work Day, she shares how the OU's social work curriculum is tackling equality, diversity and inclusion. 

According to new research led by Dr Hannah Marston and Professor Sarah Earle, people who used social media messaging apps and platforms during the pandemic reported feeling lonelier than those who did not.

From 1999 to 2021, Bärbel Brash taught German to hundreds of OU students. Recently taking on a new position at the OU in Scotland, she tells us about her time as an Associate Lecturer within the WELS School of Languages and Applied Linguistics (LAL), as well as her involvement in a course that challenges perceptions around learning languages later in life.

WELS Health, Wellbeing and Social Care students Jade Wareham and Karen Donnelly have been nominated at this year’s Student Nursing Times Awards – across three different categories.

Professor Mary Larkin has initiated the international rollout of the 'Learning for carers at The Open University' programme, co-produced with Carers Centre Tower Hamlets (CCTH) and an OU research team comprising herself, Dr Chris Kubiak, and Dr Nichola Kentzer.

Watch new videos of our winners of The Open University’s first ever People’s Choice Award as they share their thoughts about winning, reflect on their current project and discuss how the OU has helped shape the way in which they conduct research.

In this article, Kerry Black, 30, explains how a nursing apprenticeship has allowed her to pursue a career in the NHS without having to leave her home on the Isle of Wight.

Often, pregnant teenagers and young mothers face discrimination and stigma in accessing healthcare services. Additionally, they are sometimes expelled from school when they become pregnant, limiting their ability to improve their lives and achieve their goals.

A new research grant is looking at how supporting teachers in Ghana to adopt play-based practice in schools can improve learning outcomes. Play-based learning is important because it helps children develop foundational numeracy, literary and socio-economic skills. Right to Play, Canada, have awarded £112,000 to the research team led by Professor Kwame Akyeampong based in the Centre for the Study of Global Development (CSGD) to study the impact of the Learning through Play project (P3) in Ghanaian basic schools.

WELS nursing student Grace McAleer, a final year student on the Adult Future Nurse Pre-Registration Nursing Degree Programme, has received The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Northern Ireland Gabrielle Award.