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...
You were not aware of the full range of employability resources available via the ‘Succeed’ tab in the Arts and Humanities Study website.
Employability provision in the Arts and Humanities.
We did...
• We will add links to the Arts and Humanities Study website, where our employability resources live, in the first and last weeks of module study planners and under the ‘resources’ tab on module websites. • The existence and character of Arts and Humanities employability resources will be flagged up more clearly in the various ‘enhancing your career’ forum threads on run on discipline forums and on module welcome forums. • When new Arts and Humanities employability resources are made available, news items and forum postings on module websites will be used to alert students
Student Consultations
Posted on:
You said...
Clearer prompts are needed to engage with PDP elements and FutureYOU, where modules and qualifications include these.
We did...
PDP (personal development planning) is embedded in many of our newer modules and we will continue with that approach. However, we accept that FutureYOU, whilst receiving excellent feedback from those who use it, is not visible enough and most students do not therefore get the benefit of it. • We will ‘map’ more of our modules to FutureYOU, meaning that it will offer more specific examples of which parts of modules relate to particular transferable skills • We will add links to FutureYOU in the first and last weeks of study planners on module websites, along with a brief explanation of what is and what it is for. • The existence and value of FutureYOU will be flagged up more clearly in careers and employability-related threads on the Arts and Humanities discipline forums.
Posted on:
You said...
You would welcome additional help with creating tailored searches and alerts in the Opportunity Hub
Employability provision in the Arts and Humanities.
We did...
This is useful feedback and we agree that these refinements would be very helpful to students. We will ask our employer engagement team to explore how the use of search criteria in the Opportunity Hub can be made more effective and focussed for Arts and Humanities students.
Posted on:
You said...
You want help to get used to Adobe Connect, and for your online tutorials to be slicker.
We did...
To address these issues, we have introduced Adobe Connect orientation sessions at the start of level 1 and have signposted self-help resources on later level 1 modules. You will find these resources here: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=207009&cmid=1543363. Tutors benefit from a good deal of general Adobe Connect training already, but we have added to that by running extra training for them in using it to teach their own discipline.
Arts and Humanities
Posted on:
You said...
Many modules ask students to switch back and forth between print and online materials several times in each unit. This can be disorienting and off-putting.
We did...
We recognise the difficulties here. Since 2019 new modules have followed a simpler format: start online, move to a print chapter, and then finish online. We are also encouraging modules undergoing midlife review to consider making changes which will facilitate a better study pattern between print and online. We hope that this approach will make it easier for students to study in this blended way.
Posted on:
You said...
That more start dates for Access modules would give better flexibility for students to study at a time of year that works for them.
We did...
We have introduced a May presentation of Access starting in May 2021
AccessPosted on:
You said...
The option of a “fast track” version of Access modules was a good idea to allow students to study at the right pace for them.
We did...
We are offering a pilot “fast track” version of Y031 (YXFT031) in May 2021 and will roll this out to all Access modules if it proves successful.
AccessPosted on:
You said...
It is a good idea to introduce alternative forms of assessment (such as videos, posters, audio etc) to give people the opportunity to learn new skills. However, these should be optional to allow students to continue to focus on written assignments if they prefer.
We did...
We are introducing some optional activities in Options weeks to allow students to practice these skills if they want to.
AccessPosted on:
You said...
You don’t want to wait until level 2 to start studying your chosen subject in depth.
We did...
What we've done is create two new modules for the second part of Level 1. Each new module contains just four arts and humanities disciplines rather than eight, and by the end of both modules, you are working exclusively in the discipline you intend to go on and study at level 2.
Posted on:
You said...
Our induction resources and bridging materials are a bit disorganised, and you don’t find out about them soon enough.
We did...
To address that, we have refreshed our induction and bridging resources as well as updated the Arts and Humanities subject site as a whole to make it easier for you to find what you are looking for. You can find these resources here: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1698471.
We also now send out regular messages over the summer to both new and continuing students to let them know about these resources and where to find them, as well as including relevant information in the MILLS M1 message.
Posted on:
United Kingdom and online
At home / online
