ECYS News

The OU’s tutors provide essential support and guidance that enable students to succeed. Every year the Faculty of WELS celebrates those tutors that have gone above and beyond what is expected of them, via the WELS Tutor Awards, which give students the opportunity to recognise the dedication and skill of their tutors. This year fourteen tutors received awards in two categories, from nearly 400 nominations.

A new three-part series co-produced by the OU and BBC will follow writer and rapper Darren McGarvey as he takes an unflinching look at the UK’s public services. Darren McGarvey: The State We’re In follows Darren as he explores the state of the UK’s classrooms, the heroic efforts of an NHS workforce battling rising patient numbers, and the UK’s justice system through the eyes of the people who live and work in it.

Following success at the Grierson Awards, the BBC/Open University co-production Inside our Autistic Minds has been recognised at the 2024 Broadcast Awards, scooping the prize for Best Specialist Factual Programme.

In partnership with the BBC, academics from the OU’s Faculty of WELS have led on six films for the popular BBC One show Morning Live. Inspired by talks with OU academics and supported by their expertise, the thought-provoking and informative films explore a diverse range of topics, including cognitive behavioural therapy, language learning, and muscle loss.

Every year, the OU’s Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS) recognises students for their achievements through the WELS Student Awards. This year seventeen talented students received awards in two categories: the Going the Extra Mile Award and the Student Inspirational Achievement Award. Each award is particularly notable, as students must be nominated by their tutors to be eligible.

Dr Mimi Tatlow-Golden has been promoted to Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies of Childhood and Youth. Her research centres on issues of contemporary consequence for childhood and youth, examining the self, schooling, food, and fun.

Dr Janice Gorlach, OU alumna, has recently received an MBE for her services to education and the positive impact her work has had on children’s lives.

Trainer in Your Pocket, an initiative from the OU’s Centre for the Study of Global Development, has been selected as one of the top 15 EdTech innovations in Bangladesh. Since the initiative's launch, over 54,000 teachers have used Trainer in Your Pocket to improve children’s learning, reaching 7.4 million students in Bangladesh.

'Inside Our Autistic Minds', An Open University/BBC co-production, supported by academics from the OU’s Faculty of WELS has been honoured at the prestigious Grierson Awards, which recognise innovative and exciting documentary films.

OU alumna Jane Green recently received her MBE, awarded for her work as founder of SEDSConnective, a volunteer and user-led neurodivergent and symptomatic hypermobility health charity.