An exciting new initiative aimed at engaging young people through digital learning has recently launched, thanks to the support of donor Anthony Clake.
Oxplore is a pioneering new website that aims to bring enriched and deeper thinking to thousands of students nationwide. Referred to as the 'home of the big questions', visitors to the site are prompted to consider fresh perspectives, and read and explore subjects further for themselves.
The initiative is part of Oxford’s commitment to reach the best students from every kind of background. 'Oxplore can underpin outreach work from right across the collegiate University,' says Dr Samina Khan, Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach. 'It complements and adds value to our current programmes, but the digital medium also gives us the opportunity to have sustained contact with young people who are geographically distant from Oxford.'
Guided by Oxford academics, young people are encouraged to learn about and debate some of the trickiest issues of our time, such as whether time travel could ever be possible, or if it's OK to ban certain books. Each question tackles the argument from unexpected angles, typically resulting in a widely cross-disciplinary discussion. For example, 'Can money buy happiness?' spans history, philosophy, theology, psychology and economics.
'The engaging design and content, and the independent study Oxplore encourages may also reach those who don't think Oxford is for them. From an early age, we can start to dispel this belief and at the same time nurture intellectual curiosity,' explains Dr Khan.
Oxford's outreach programmes have for many years played an important role in helping to raise student attainment and aspiration throughout the UK. Existing schemes such as UNIQ, Target Oxbridge and IntoUniversity have contributed towards a significant increase in the number of successful university applications made by young people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.
Oxplore is intentionally multi-disciplinary, highly topical, and deeply thought provoking.Anthony Clake
To help build further upon this success, Oxplore aims to foster the idea that reading and thinking outside the school curriculum is not only encouraged but necessary. This is what sparked the enthusiasm of donor Anthony Clake, a PPE alumnus of The Queen's College.
Anthony says: 'I wanted to create an eye-catching portal to capture the imagination of pupils, teachers and parents across the country by harnessing the phenomenal amount of academic expertise within the University. In the future I hope to support online debates, events and competitions to maximise the impact of the site across the UK and to identify the brightest stars of tomorrow, irrespective of their background.'
Dr Khan adds: 'We are delighted that this new outreach initiative has been made possible through philanthropy as it has allowed us to challenge ourselves, innovate and create something entirely new. Supporting access and outreach work at Oxford is essential to helping us to ensure Oxford is accessible to all and we can select the best students purely on academic merit and passion for their subject.'