Sesame April/May 2002 - The Open University

Issue 208 April/May 2002 Sesame 3NewsC o u rses movef rom tape tom u l t i m e d i aMultimedia CD Roms and DVDswill replace audio and videotapes in OU course material,under a new deal which heraldsprofound changes in the 30-yearrelationship between the universityand the BBC.The BBC will continue to broadcast OU TVprogrammes but there will be a shift overthe next few years, away from course-relatedprogramming and towards ‘primetime’ broadcastssuch as Rough Science (below) whichare not related to specific courses but aredesigned to entice more people from a widerrange of backgrounds into higher education.Under the new deal, from August 2003non-print learning and support materialswill be produced within the universityand supplied to students in multimediaformat, both on disc and directly across theinternet. Production of new audio and videocourse materials by the BBC at its ProductionCentre on the Open University campus, willcease.“New multimedia materials have been usedsuccessfully by Open University coursesfor several years, and the decision to replacetraditional audio-visual reflects advancesin technology, and the UK population’sever-increasing access to personal computers,”said a University spokesperson.“The new materials – which include webproducts, DVDs, CD-Roms and other interactivesoftware – offer a more advanced andinteractive form of learning than can be gainedfrom video and audio programmes.”The university and the BBC are nowdeveloping a new partnership agreement – thefifth in their long association – which will seemore OU programmes being broadcast atpeaktime slots. Broadcasting of OU courserelatedprogrammes is set to continue untilat least 2006, but few, if any, new courserelatedprogrammes are likely to be made asthis is no longer seen as a prime means ofreaching students.According to the university: “Some courserelatedprogrammes will continue to be shownin the BBC’s late-night Learning Zone,although, with the high level of home VCRownership, broadcast is no longer relied on todeliver courses to OU students.”Research awardsavailable for ALsin arts facultyA special research scheme for associatelecturer staff in the arts faculty is lookingfor applicants for its 2002 awards.The scheme aims to recognise and supportresearch activity among part-time tutorial stafffor whom the OU is the only or primary HEemployer. ALs with evidence of researchachievement and/or research potential, at alevel comparable with that of full-time staff ofthe relevant department, are invited to applynow.Research Associateships are for three years.The benefits are access on the same terms asfaculty full-time staff to the baseline personalresearch funding allowance (currently £300a year); and the title ‘Research Associate in(subject) at the Open University’.The number of appointments is limited.Contact Yvonne Fox, email: Y.P.Fox@open.ac.uk, telephone 01908 659010, for anapplication form and further details. Theclosing date for applications is May 7 2002.MBA graduates eligible tojoin chartered managersDeborah with stag beetle and larvaAll MBA graduates of the Open University BusinessSchool are being offered automatic full professionalmembership of the Chartered Management Institute.Formerly known as the Institute of Management, theorganisation has just been granted its Royal Charter andwas re-named on April 1.Members are entitled to use the letters MCMI aftertheir name. To take up your membership contactChristine Sargent at the OUBS Alumni Association, emailc.sargent@open.ac.uk, or see the Alumni website:http://css2.open.ac.uk/oubs-alumniGrant up by £6mThe university has received £6 million more than last yearin its annual government grant, announced recently.This will enable the equivalent of 800 more full-creditstudent places to be made available. However, in line with otheruniversities, the OU has seen its research grant cut by £1million.The University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor Geoff Peters said: “Itis clear that in a tighter year generally, the OU has done verywell in financial terms.” But he warned of a widening gapbetween fee income, the cost of growth and expenditure.If you see a stag beetle, tell DeborahHarvey. The former OU student isinvolved in PhD research which couldhelp to preserve Britain’s largest beetle,whose numbers are in decline.The stag beetle, which grows to aboutfive cm long, can be recognised by its large,antler-like jaws. “The People’s Trust ofEndangered Species, my research sponsors,are monitoring the beetle’s numbers,”says Deborah. “Its role in nature is to help toPicture: Ian StrattonAppeal to join beetles fan clubThe Open University is asinnovative as the Eden Project,the John Lewis Partnershipand easyJet, according to a listpublished in The Guardiannewspaper in March.The University was identified asone of the top 100 UK organisationsin the Vision 100 research andawards programme for 2002, whichis organised by BT. The accolade isgiven to organisations that haveachieved strategic goals throughinnovative activities over the previous12 months – regardless of size,age or sector.The OU was selected for successfullyincreasing student numbers ininnovative ways, notably throughnew technology and overseasexpansion. Recent innovations haveincluded the provision of more onlinefacilities for students, includingdecompose wood, and we want to investigatewhy stag beetles are attracted to certain typesof wood.”She is very keen to receive samples of deadbeetles from readers, with details of where theywere found but, she pleads: “Don’t kill them. Ifanyone finds dead ones, please send them tome.” Deborah runs her own website:w w w . s t a g b e e t l e h e l p l i n e . c o . u k and canbe contacted on 01372 379390 or at deborahjharvey@btopenworld.comOU among top 10 0‘ v i s i o n a ry’ bodiesonline registration.The OU is the largest university inthe UK, with approaching 200,000students, and now offers 168 ninemonthcourses, 30 two-year diplomasand more than 20 degrees atundergraduate level, as well as postgraduatequalifications. It employssome 10,000 people across the UKand Ireland.The university is also expandingacross the world and has thousandsof overseas students in, for example,Russia, Hong Kong and Singapore,studying in partnership with localorganisations.Welcoming the award ProfessorGeoff Peters, Pro-Vice-Chancellor,said: “The Open University isan amazingly revolutionaryconcept, which has been copiedaround the world. It is not just aUK phenomenon – it is a globalp h e n o m e n o n . ”