You Said, We Did

How your voice has made a difference

Accessibility statement

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...
The website is a bit outdated and difficult to navigate.

We did...
We moved the Careers website to the Help Centre on StudentHome in 2017 and redesigned and reorganised the content. In the next phase in 2018 we will create a more navigable, integrated user experience, and this is already underway following recent student usability testing.
Read more Careers and Employability
Posted on: 01-Apr-18

You said...
It would be useful to have ways of getting careers questions answered more quickly.

We did...
In 2017/2018 we have invested in an expanded team and a new system of processing one-to-one guidance requests. We have halved the average response time for in-depth queries and introduced a much wider range of fast-response services such as live chats and quick query forums.
Read more Careers and Employability
Posted on: 01-Apr-18

You said...
The personal touch of speaking to someone skilled in the job was ‘the best’.

We did...
Starting in 2017, we provide regular opportunities to connect with employers and industry specialists via live online events and with alumni via forums and The Open University Careers Network (TOUCaN) on LinkedIn.
Read more Careers and Employability
Posted on: 01-Apr-18

You said...
A summary should be published alongside the recording so students could tell if a webinar was worth watching and transcripts should be provided.

We did...
We now post a summary of the webinar session in addition to transcripts, which have been provided for most webinar recordings since 2016/2017. In 2018 we began trialling video trailers for webinars which summarise the content.
Read more Careers and Employability
Posted on: 01-Apr-18

You said...
It would be useful to have a schedule advertised in advance that students could plan for.

We did...
We have been working on strengthening our communications and marketing since the expansion in October 2017. We now publish a schedule of upcoming events on StudentHome, in the monthly Jobs and Employability Bulletin for JobZone subscribers, our own social media channels and in various student-facing publications.
Read more Careers and Employability
Posted on: 01-Apr-18

You said...
There is not enough content aimed at career changers, as opposed to students entering the job market for the first time.

We did...
We now provide a range of resources, tools and advice relevant to the needs of career starters, career changers and career developers.
Read more Careers and Employability
Posted on: 01-Apr-18

You said...
We aren’t sure of the value of LinkedIn and it needs more explaining.

We did...
Starting in 2018, we run regular live workshops for beginner and advanced LinkedIn users and have produced a downloadable guide to help you get the most out of the service.
Read more Careers and Employability
Posted on: 01-Apr-18

You said...
Careers forums should be more prominent and webinars easier to find.

We did...
Since we moved the Careers website to the Help Centre in 2017 we have made links to relevant forums and webinars more prominent, and we promote both live and recorded events through Student Home and our Facebook and Twitter accounts. We are currently working on moving webinars and forums to a new home in summer 2018, with more flexible functionality and a more user-friendly design.
Read more Careers and Employability
Posted on: 01-Apr-18

You said...
That you have taken informal learning courses through OpenLearn, FutureLearn or another provider for a number of different reasons including: • For personal development (33%) • Waiting for an OU module to start (21%) • To improve study skills (17%)

We did...
We passed these findings onto the Open Media and Informal Learning team. They will use it to complement their own research and to inform future development of open learning materials.
Curriculum Design Student Panel
Posted on: 01-Apr-18

You said...
What your profile is in terms of study motivations, living situation, practical needs (for example, accessibility), tuition likes and dislikes, study skills strengths and weaknesses and expectations of the OU Library.

We did...
We are using this valuable information to help staff understand the student experience when developing new modules and to improve the online student experience in general.
Curriculum Design Student Panel
Posted on: 01-Apr-18