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 want access to a tutor and other students in your discipline in between modules.
We did...
In response, we have introduced year-round discipline forums on the Arts and Humanities subject site. These are moderated by tutors who are experts in that discipline, and often feature threads where specific modules can be discussed. These forums are linked to from module websites so that you can find them quickly and easily. You can find them here: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=207009&area=forums
Arts and Humanities
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You said...
Studying full-time can be a real challenge. Extra support and advice would be a big help.
We did...
We’ve put lots of extra resources on the Arts and Humanities subject site, including, planning advice, a time management tool, combined study guides for popular module combinations, top tips from other full-time students, and links to material helping you to decide whether full-time or part-time study is best to you. We have also introduced a dedicated forum for students studying full-time. You can find the resources and forum here: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=207009&cmid=1534296. In addition, our Student Support Team contacts everyone registering full-time on level 1 to see if they need any help.
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You said...
There is a lack of clarity about the support that students studying collaborative modules at other institutions are entitled to from the OU.
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.
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You said...
Timings of online tutorials could be more flexible: including weekday daytimes, as well as evenings and Saturday mornings.
We did...
Modules with larger student cohorts are already experimenting with a wider range of online tutorial slots, including Friday mornings and on Sundays. This is not always feasible in modules with fewer students and tutors, but we are aware of the need to run tutorials across a range of different days and times wherever possible.
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You said...
You don’t like assignments requiring you to produce shared work for a shared mark.
We did...
Whilst interacting with others is a really important part of the learning process for most students, we recognise that collaborative assignments can be a challenging experience. Many modules still have assessed activities that ask you to work and engage with other students, but that work is always your own and so is the mark that you get for it.
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You said...
You would like more help and direction to get going with modules before they officially start.
We did...
We are working towards piloting several different approaches to this in three Arts and Humanities subject areas for autumn 2021. If any of those prove successful, we will look at rolling them out across our curriculum more widely.
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You said...
We would like to better understand what modules are about before signing up to them
We did...
We have been adding “Are you ready for?” quizzes to more and more of our modules on the Module Chooser site, as well as creating content on the Subject Sites under the heading “Discover your module”. We have committed to having content here for every current module before the end of 2021.
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You said...
We really enjoyed the opportunity to show of our work and see what others had done in the Design Exhibition this year. More of this please
We did...
We plan to repeat this very successful event on an annual basis. We are working to increase the number of opportunities our Design & innovation students have to interact and to show their work in future.
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You said...
Some teaching materials were presented with a distinct male gender bias and a lack of ethnic diversity.
We did...
We reviewed the module in question, setting actions to redress some specific instances of bias. We also instigated a Boards of study-wide audit of our teaching materials to identify elements of bias and plan how to rebalance them.
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You said...
You wanted more opportunities to interact with other students.
We did...
The school has continued to expand the number of modules offering in-line student forums integrated with module materials. The school is expanding the number of modules and presentations where peer mentors and peer buddies are available. It is now offering two student hub live events a year. The nursing programme is introducing an enquiry-based learning strategy which stresses student interaction.
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United Kingdom and online
United Kingdom and online
At home / online
