Hello friends, countrymen (and women) and Open University students. We have once again been scouring the internet for Open University news so you don’t have to bother! In this week’s selection there are students having their progress monitored, the philosophical quandary of whether animals possess consciousness and a continuation of the fascinating debate on the potential of life existing on other planets.
Students at the Open University are going to have their progress monitored by software to spot if they need any extra support. The scheme, developed by the OU, has been designed to observe students’ paths through courses and engagement with online learning modules. The OU’s Prof John Domingue told the BBC: “This has been developed as a tool for tutors to help students.
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Do animals have any consciousness? Before arguing for cephalopod consciousness, the Cephalover explores arguments for any animals being conscious.
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The launch of the $100M Breakthrough Initiative project to Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has been supported by many leading scientists including Stephen Hawking and astronomer royal Martin Rees. But there is no evidence – and few convincing theories – to suggest that intelligent, communicative aliens actually exist. So are listening projects really the best way to search for extraterrestrial life?
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