You Said, We Did

How your voice has made a difference

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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.

Select a topic

You said...
You want to feel part of a community.

We did...
We introduced more real-time informal learning and discussion events such as live chats through social media platforms.
Library
Posted on: 16-Apr-19

You said...
"The one thing I found frustrating was the lack of participation by other students in my tutor group on the tutor group forum..."

We did...
We are embedding the use of tutor group forums in the Access modules and providing encouragement and training to tutors in their use.
Access
Posted on: 16-Apr-19

You said...
With school age small children it was very hard to keep pace with the workload during the half term holidays and the Easter break.

We did...
Access modules now have three options weeks embedded, which allow students the flexibility to explore additional subjects or to catch up if they have fallen behind.
Access
Posted on: 16-Apr-19

You said...
I feel that the Access course would benefit from some online live tutorials to help students to make study links with each other and to have an awareness of others thoughts on the tasks.

We did...
We have now built online group tutorials into the teaching model, particularly towards the end of the module as students prepare for study at Level 1. Y032 is piloting Adobe Connect TMA support sessions with the whole cohort.
Access
Posted on: 16-Apr-19

You said...
You said you wanted to feel part of an academic community.

We did...
We agree that as a distance learning student it’s very important to feel a part of an academic community. We provide students with a range of opportunities to get involved and connected, such as tutor group forums in modules, Student Hub live and Facebook Live sessions, and the Student Café on our Business Study Home site. Additionally, we’re working with our student representatives in developing the OU Business Associate Society (OUBAS) to help students learn from one another and to have more opportunities to get involved in a number of activities. This is a great time to get involved with the OU’s 50th anniversary.
Business Undergraduate
Posted on: 16-Apr-19

You said...
You said it wasn’t clear how your feedback is used.

We did...
Your feedback is heard by a number of people working in the University. We receive feedback through our Student Support Team, as well as through your tutors and also the student satisfaction surveys you complete, and all of this is fed back to individual modules, tutors and the programme team through our Student Experience Managers and module teams. This feedback has resulted in improvements to modules and feeds into staff development and programme changes. For example, student feedback about the limit of choices in Level 1 resulted in the opening up of options for students studying Level 1 specialisms in our business management qualifications.
Business Undergraduate
Posted on: 16-Apr-19

You said...
You said you wanted to have fewer assessment clashes.

We did...
We understand that many students want to study more than 60 credits per year, and this means that module schedules need to be better aligned to reduce assessment clashes. As a priority action this year, we are already mapping assessments across our qualifications in order to adjust timings and provide clearer advice and guidance to students calling into our Student Support Team. When planning assessment for new modules, we look across the qualification to identify any potential conflicts. We’re also considering any impacts on students who want to study full time.
Business Undergraduate
Posted on: 16-Apr-19

You said...
You valued tutorials on modules and requested that they be arranged for modules in the postgraduate computing qualifications where tutorials are not currently part of the module.

We did...
We have set up a working group to examine how tutorials could be introduced on those postgraduate computing modules that currently do not have tutorials. The working group is looking at different models for how tutorials could be structured within modules and what would be most beneficial to students.
Computing and Communications
Posted on: 16-Apr-19

You said...
We recently introduced degree designations such as BSc Computing & IT (Software) into Q62, the Computing & IT degree. Students who were already registered on Q62 could transfer into a designated route through the qualification, subject to having studied an appropriate set of modules. You said that the allowable combinations of modules was too restrictive and that there were some combinations of modules that we had not considered.

We did...
We reviewed the Q62 qualification structure and learning outcomes again. We were able to relax some of the restrictions on prior study, which meant that more students could transfer into the new designated routes through Q62.
Computing and Communications
Posted on: 16-Apr-19

You said...
You found the rules and procedures surrounding transferring to the designated routes through the Q62 Computing & IT degree confusing.

We did...
When we reviewed the Q62 qualification structure to see if we could be more flexible over the modules that could contribute towards each degree designation, we rewrote all the advice and guidance with the intention of simplifying and clarifying the process of transferring your registration to a designated route.
Computing and Communications
Posted on: 16-Apr-19