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...
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.
Institute of Educational Technology
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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...
We want to be able to get timely support if we are having difficulties with a TMA.
We did...
We introduced “TMA rapid response forums” on some modules which guarantee responses within a day from a tutor.
Mathematics and Statistics
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You said...
We want a chance to interact with other students.
We did...
We introduced optional tutorial sessions focused on working together.
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You said...
We want opportunities to meet face to face.
We did...
We organised a face to face course choice event open to all students studying a maths module.
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You said...
You really enjoyed the opportunity to meet with other students on the masters qualification and hearing from research students which was inspiring.
We did...
Ensure the hybrid qualification day schools continue with additional opportunities to hear from and speak with research staff and students.
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You said...
You would like opportunities to practice presenting research.
We did...
An annual online conference now takes place for final year students to present their independent research project to students and staff.
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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 wanted to see where student voice was being heard or acted on.
We did...
We developed the student voice icon and we are using it in module VLEs (Virtual Learning Environment) to highlight where modules have changes in response to student voice.
Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)Posted on:
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