OU 40th Anniversary Open Day

I looked in on the Open University's 40th anniversary open day briefly yesterday. What a wonderful celebration. In the queue for registration I chatted to two graduates who started their studies in 1972. They must have been amongst the earliest students and long since finishing their degrees they are still doing short courses. The day seemed to have attracted people of all ages, from the very young, who were enjoying the pink anniversary balloons and the train round the campus, to current and prospective students, the occasional staff member no doubt and those like the couple I encountered, for whom the Open University still holds very dear memories.

I wished I'd had time to see more, as there was a wonderful array of research projects being demonstrated in a wide range of areas across different faculties. In music technology, for example, a cellist was being taught to emulate the teacher's bowing technique, using sensors which gave a graphical display on a computer screen. In a knowledge media institute project, netbooks and webcams brought the close-up detail of a field trip to geology students who were unable to be physically present. I looked at the OU's Milton Keynes telescope and watched as its Majorcan sister was remotely controlled from a desktop PC. I could have spent all day exploring the many exhibits.

Whatever people's motives for attending the event, the day must surely be viewed as a resounding success for them and hopefully will have attracted some new students in the process.