Open Justice wins an Open University Teaching Award

The Law School, which has fewer academics than any other school, has won two of the eight OU Teaching Awards (OUTAs) 2019. Both winners, the Open Justice Centre and Stephanie Pywell, have also been nominated by the OU for awards from the recently-formed Advance HE.

The Open Justice Centre won a Team Teaching Award for Excellence in Employability. Open Justice projects provide the opportunity for OU Law students to put their legal skills into practice to support their communities. These include a unique online advice clinic, UK-wide legal workshops in prisons and schools, court-based legal support projects, and the development of new legal technology applications to improve access to legal information, advice and guidance.

Liz Marr, Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Students), said:

“The panel felt that this was an inspiring project which demonstrated an exciting set of initiatives …….. A model OUTA submission which ticked all the boxes.”

The University has nominated the Centre for a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) from Advance HE (formed in 2018 through a merger of the Equality Challenge Unit, the Higher Education Academy and the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education).