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...
The Facebook format is not the most effective way to give feedback on specific issues, particularly for neurodiverse students'. Facebook Live Chat would be more useful for general information gathering rather than for posing specific questions for comment.
Careers and Employability event during Student Voice Week 2020
We did...
For Student Voice Week 2021 there has been more consideration of formats taking into account target audience and their needs. Facebook Live Chat is not being used this year and focus groups, which have had positive feedback have taken priority.
Careers and Employability
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You said...
You value single honours, named degrees and would welcome a new named degree in Geology/Earth Science
We did...
The BSc Geology (R53) was formally approved earlier this year and students may already sign up for it (or transfer across from their current qualification).
Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences
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You said...
You commented that students need to feel part of an online community to engage in collaborative work.
Life, Health and Chemical Sciences
We did...
Over the last year, we have been developing ways to make students feel part of our online community by offering several different monthly events, primarily through the Science study website. We have asked module teams to explore with tutors icebreaker/get to know your group activities early in presentation.
Some module teams are also exploring further module team engagement for non-TMA discussions and guest lectures. It is great to hear how much you enjoyed the Chemistry Online Summer School and we plan to expand the offering in 2021 to include experiments for both biology and health science students.
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You said...
Some of the most intense learning occurred when you met with other students to discuss an assignment or test. Could there be some 'halfway house' in enabling co-operative work during some assessment, such as an open forum to discuss a past year's paper or TMA.
Life, Health and Chemical Sciences
We did...
We will pilot provision of student rooms on one or two further modules, facilitating student-led discussion of past assessment-type problems for the 21J (October 2021) presentations.
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You said...
You would like to see more notifications/alerts reminding students via study planners/websites of weekly collaborative activity requirements (plus option to switch off for those already working on the task) to improve overall student engagement with collaborative working.
Life, Health and Chemical Sciences
We did...
We will explore with module teams how best to add prompts and reminders for collaborative tasks on their module websites, and ensure they have a clear activity checklist. We will review notification alerts and check lists for collaborative activities ahead of 21J (October 2021) presentations.
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You said...
The existing IT Guides for the collaborative tools take far too long to work through, so many students simply give up and muddle their way through.
Life, Health and Chemical Sciences
We did...
Where simplified guides exist, we will ensure LHCS Modules Teams provide the resources on their websites and point to these resources well in advance of any scheduled collaborative activities.We will also request colleagues develop quick access guides and/or videos for using the current collaborative tools.
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You said...
VLE forum structures were less familiar to current OU students as they are 'old tech', compared with Facebook and WhatsApp. Students suggested the OU explores some alternative tools such as WhatsApp, Slack, Discord and Miro.
Life, Health and Chemcial Sciences
We did...
Please note that the University is currently developing a new policy in relation to the use of social media which will give students additional guidance on benefits and boundaries. We have fed back the comments raised in this consultation with colleagues working on VLE development.
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You said...
You want more opportunities for face-to-face study days.
Life, Health and Chemical Sciences
We did...
This is something that the LHCS Board of Studies had planned for later this year, but plans have unfortunately been put on hold due to the pandemic. The online summer school will be running again in Summer 2021. We will look to host an event in Summer 2022.
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You said...
Communications is very hit and miss and needs to improve. Students need to know what scholarship is, the projects that exist and how they can get involved.
eSTEeM - Scholarship
We did...
We created a Students as Partners Working Group to develop a framework for engaging students as active partners in scholarship. The framework includes a communication strategy and training provision. We have created a yearly student focused interactive newsletter and developed a 'Student Partner in Educational Research' digital badge to recognise active student involvement in scholarship.
eSTEeM - Scholarship
Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)Posted on:
You said...
You would like to access We-Learn from StudentHome.
We did...
We added guidance in the sidebar on the main student panel VLE page to enable you to create a personal link directly to We-Learn from StudentHome. https://learn2.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=204973
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Latest Opportunities
Student Consultation Meetings 2025 - Get involved!
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National Student Survey 2025
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