You Said, We Did
How your voice has made a difference
This page provides an opportunity to see the valuable feedback received from students across a wide range of communication channels, and to see what the OU has done in response.
Please note this video is now a couple of years old so some people no longer have the same title. The current Students Association leadership can be seen on their website.
Choose a topic from the drop-down list below to see how students can have an impact on their university experience and be empowered to help shape the University. Next time you are asked to give your opinion, you know that the OU is taking this feedback seriously and will respond.
You said...
Examples and case studies in our modules are not always relevant to educators working outside formal education.
We did...
We included additional case studies and examples in our modules and microcredentials to cover e-learning trainers in industry and commercial settings and in the voluntary sector. We focused on adding examples from sectors represented by our students.
Institute of Educational Technology
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You said...
The Student Assistance Fund process is too lengthy and unclear.
We did...
We reviewed the wording of the webpage, adding clearer instructions, which has simplified the process of applying for the fund.
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You said...
There is so much confusion for new students studying more than one module at a time when they have different assessment strategies, especially for the Open Degree.
We did...
The updated Assessment Framework, approved in January 2024, emphasises consistency in assessment strategies across modules. This will benefit all students, especially those studying an Open Degree or cross-disciplinary qualifications.
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You said...
Synchronous community of practice sessions are not always convenient and would be easier to accommodate if they were held at the weekend, allowing students from diverse time zones more flexibility to attend.
We did...
We changed the programme of community of practice events to feature Saturday tutorials with morning and afternoon options.
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You said...
Examples and case studies in our modules are not always relevant to educators working outside formal education.
We did...
We included additional case studies and examples in our modules and microcredentials to cover e-learning trainers in industry and commercial settings and in the voluntary sector.
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You said...
The guidance provided to students in module H890 Research and scholarship in digital education is likely to be insufficient for preparing students to present their research proposals and/or scholarship findings in the online student conference.
We did...
We extended the guidance to included advice on designing an accessible presentation, on delivering a presentation and on handling questions.
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You said...
In April 2023, the University asked students signed up to the Curriculum Design Student Panel about their experience of assessment at the OU. Of the 287 respondents, 85% had studied more than one module while 47% had sought advice or support to understand a module assessment strategy. 61% either strongly agreed or agreed that it would be beneficial to simplify the various assessment strategies across different modules at the OU, mainly to prevent confusion and to increase consistency.
We did...
In response colleagues at the OU reviewed the way we plan our assessment strategies, and considered how we could make our assessment delivery across all modules more consistent. A new Assessment Framework was approved and launched in January 2024, which will ensure that as students progress through and between modules they will experience more consistency in assessment strategies. This change will be implemented over time, as we will review assessment plans for specific modules as part of our normal processes.
The OU Students Association was closely involved in the development of this new framework, welcoming it as “a really good common-sense approach”.
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You said...
You said you wanted chapters on our training video recordings to help you navigate to sections relevant to you.
We did...
We added chapters to three of our most popular training session recordings: Introduction to Library Services, The Why and How of Referencing and Improving Your Experience Accessing Online Resources - all on our YouTube channel.
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You said...
You said you thought the 'News' button on the top navigation bar of the Library website contained national and international news, not OU library news.
We did...
We moved 'News' to 'About the library' on the website, making it clearer that the news button is about the OU Library.
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You said...
When using Library Search, you said you expected tool tips when hovering over icons.
We did...
We added tool tips to Library Search. Now when your cursor hovers over icons, you are presented with a description of its purpose.
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