Welcome to Open Spires
OpenSpires makes Oxford podcasts available as Open Content Resources (OER); content that is available for reuse and redistribution by third parties globally, provided that it is used in a non-commercial way and is attributed to its creator.
OpenSpires: Inspirational Open Content from Oxford University is a project led by the Learning Technologies Group, Oxford University Computing Services, University of Oxford.
Our podcasts cover a wide range of areas:
(click on a subject to link to an example podcast)- Humanities, including topics in classics, English, art history, philosophy, religion, and more.
- Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences, featuring the popular Quantum Mechanics lecture series.
- Medical Sciences, research integrity, bioethics, vaccine research, tropical medicine and more.
- Social Sciences more than economics, business, politics, climate change, and international relations.
- as well as material from Continuing Education, Museums, Libraries and Services, Colleges, and other units.
To see all our podcasts, visit:
- the original OpenSpires podcasts page, or
- the new OpenSpires podcasts page for additional functionality (beta version, still under development)
For more information about the project, visit the About page and the project blog.
Advocacy for OpenSpires
"In the late-19th century Oxford was one of the pioneers of the university extension movement, which enabled audiences around the UK to hear what some of its lecturers had to say on a wide range of topics. The OpenSpires project is the 21st-century equivalent, though, with the benefit of the web, the audiences are now global and we hope even more diverse. It is a pleasure to contribute to this important venture, which is opening up Oxford like never before."
Peter D. McDonald, St Hugh's College, Oxford
iTunesU link
"Building on from Oxford's successful iTunes/podcast series, OpenSpires aims
to make the work of the university available online, a worthwhile endeavour to
disseminate educational content to a wider audience. I am pleased to take part,
including via 'The Credit Crunch and Global Recession' series that features topical
analysis of the issues debated during this global recession and recovery."
Linda Y. Yueh, College Fellow & Tutor in Economics, St Edmund Hall, Oxford
iTunesU link
"OpenSpires is communicating the best of Oxford's scholarship by making audio and video material freely available for global educational use. I'm delighted to support - and to be contributing to - the project, which shares educational resources for the benefit of students around the World."
Professor Jonathan Michie, Director of Continuing Education and President of Kellogg College, Oxford
iTunesU link
"The world of learning need not be a possessive one."
Professor Oliver Taplin, Faculty of Classics, Oxford