Britain’s Open University (OU) is giving students a helping hand by making more of its research material accessible online.

Since the launch of Open Research Online, more than 180,000 people across the world have logged on to the online resource (http://oro.open.ac.uk) and downloaded published work by OU academics. Information is categorised into a number of different disciplines to suit all research needs.

Nicky Whitsed, Director of Library Services, said the Open Research Online initiative “truly opens up research to a global audience, progressing the University’s mission to make educational resources available to everyone.”
This latest initiative adds to the collection of online research material accessible to the public. For instance, OU Knowledge Network (http://kn.open.ac.uk/public) gives one access to research and discussion papers in the area of open and distance education at the OU. And those logging on to the recently launched OpenLearn (http://open.ac.uk/openlearn) can browse through a collection of course material available for students and teachers worldwide.