The Open University

The Open University (OU) has pioneered distance learning for over 50 years, delivering exceptional teaching and outstanding support to students across the UK and the world. A world leader in developing technology to increase access to education on a global scale, the OU extends this expertise to citizen science, public engagement, informal and non-formal learning through award-winning citizen science and public facing practical science initiatives which extend the teaching of science beyond the parameters of the laboratory or lecture to the community. These include: iSpot (www.iSpotnature.org) a citizen science platform for biodiversity; Treezilla (www.Treezilla.org) focused on building understanding of ecosystem services by estimating a value of trees; and the OpenScience Laboratory (www.opensciencelab.ac.uk) an open online laboratory at the cutting-edge of practical science teaching and informal learning.