Student Consultation Meetings 2026: Shaping our Future
Between 21 and 28 March, hundreds of OU students from across the UK took part in the Student Consultation Meetings 2026. Hosted by the Student Voice Team in partnership with Open SU, these sessions gave students the opportunity to help shape the future of The Open University.
The OU’s consultation focused on three key areas:
- Contributing to the new OU Strategy
- Exploring how we can build a stronger sense of community across the university
- Re-thinking assessment in the age of AI
In addition, students contributed to Open SU’s position on online exams, and to their volunteering strategy.
Students from all levels of study and a wide range of subjects worked together to discuss their ideas, challenges and aspirations with OU and Open SU staff and Student Reps.
Many students valued the opportunity to meet peers in person and said they would welcome more chances to do so in the future.
The insights gathered during these meetings will directly shape work across all consultation areas over the coming years, including informing the OU Strategy 2027–32.
A full response to the consultations will be shared later this summer.
Thank you to everyone who took part and helped make these consultations such a vital and constructive part of shaping the OU’s future.
