The Open University (OU) has collaborated with the charity ‘Made By Dyslexia’ to support the launch of DyslexicU, a free online university that aims to promote ‘a new school of thought’ by teaching the principles of dyslexic thinking.
DyslexicU is hosted on the OU’s Open Learn Create platform and offers a range of free courses designed to help individuals understand how dyslexic thinking works. Sir Richard Branson, who is himself dyslexic, is one of the key contributors and shares insights into how dyslexic thinking fuels entrepreneurial success.
The launch of DyslexicU, which took place in New York on September 24th to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly, was attended by Sir Richard, who has since used his global platform to promote the courses via NBC News and his Virgin networks.
With World Dyslexia Day approaching on October 8th, DyslexicU is continuing to gain global attention, furthering its mission to promote dyslexic thinking, inclusivity, and access to education—values that resonate with The Open University.
Professor Kevin Shakesheff, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the OU, added:
‘”This initiative is a great example of how The OU is supporting its vision of reaching ‘more students with life-changing learning that meets their needs and enriches society’. As a fully inclusive university this remains at the heart of what we do and I am delighted to see that dyslexic thinkers such as Kate Griggs of Made By Dyslexia and Sir Richard Branson have embraced our Open Create platform to create this DyslexicU resource.”
Liz Ponting, Senior Corporate Development Manager at the OU who supported the project, added:
“The OU’s mission is to be open to people, places, methods, and ideas, making higher education accessible to all. Made By Dyslexia’s mission is to teach the world the brilliance of dyslexic thinking and empower it in every home, every school, and every workplace. To enable this, they needed a platform that is accessible to everyone and aligned with their mission, and we were the perfect fit.”
The launch of DyslexicU follows the release of the Intelligence 5.0 Report from Made By Dyslexia, which revealed that the skills inherent to dyslexics are among the most sought-after across all sectors and industries globally.
Image credit: Made By Dyslexia
Founder of Made By Dyslexia, Kate Griggs, highlighted the growing importance of human skills in the age of AI:
“AI has fundamentally changed the type of human intelligence critical for success, making problem-solving, innovation, lateral thinking, and interpersonal skills the most valuable in every job, in every sector worldwide. These are all Dyslexic Thinking skills—and now, you can learn them at DyslexicU.”
The launch event featured notable guest speakers, including Sir Richard Branson, HRH Princess Beatrice, and Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, a renowned space scientist and honorary doctorate recipient from The Open University.
For more information about DyslexicU, visit www.dyslexicu.org or try out one the free courses at DyslexicU OLCreate: DyslexicU University of Dyslexic Thinking | OLCreate (open.edu)
