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...
Very high word counts expected for M816 assessments.
We did...
The word count expectations have been reviewed and reduced on M816.
Computing and Communications
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You said...
MSc Advanced networking – update knowledge and skills in fast changing environment.
We did...
The currency of the Advanced Networking curriculum is currently being addressed by replacing a number of 30 credit modules with a new 60 credit module (T829 Advanced Networking (CCNP Enterprise) launching in November 2021).
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You said...
Lack of tutorials on Postgraduate modules
We did...
Briefings are being trialled which are two-part briefings (Part 1 is a brief outline of the programme and an introduction to PG study, Part 2 is module specific). EMA/Exam briefings are also being trialled. The future of these briefings will depend on the evaluation of these briefings which will evaluate the success rate and attendance levels of the briefings before rolling out further
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You said...
”We would like to have more control over when we conduct our practical engineering work using the home experiment kits.”
We did...
Both of the T176 and T276 modules have been reconfigured with use of the home experiment kits spread more evenly across the module study calendar and with a greater degree of freedom when the practical work is completed.
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You said...
”We would like to better understand what modules are about before signing up to them” (from 19/20 QME - Student Consultative Forum on support before and between modules; also feedback from Student Support Team).
We did...
We have continued 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”. These now provide a comprehensive set of taster materials and background information about our modules and informing students in their qualification progression. A student postcard has also been developed for Design students to help plan qualification study.
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You said...
For more than half of students, their overall study aims were career-related
We did...
Our EEES Employability Lead is working with the Careers and Employability Service to connect students with employers and resources. Employability is now embedded in the design process for new modules.
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You said...
Accreditation for degrees was valuable, enhancing both employability and credibility.
We did...
In November 2020 we gained CIWEM accreditation for 6 of our Environment qualifications; we have also applied for IES accreditation for 4 of these same degrees.
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You said...
Learning outcomes are most useful when they are related clearly to specific assessment questions or tasks.
We did...
We held 2 discussion meetings on marking practices in EEES in 2021, including tutor and student views. We have rewritten the degree learning outcomes for Q52 Environmental Science so that they are more concise. We have also written degree learning outcomes in the same style for M05 Master of Environmental Science and R53 Geology.
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You said...
you wanted you wanted better advice on which modules are right for you.
We did...
in the 20/21 academic year, the health and social care programme ran a module chooser event for students selecting their next module.
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You said...
that starting with university study and moving between levels can be challenging
We did...
ran a pilot of a module with the soft start of ‘opening early’ with tutor support. We also expanded our summer skills transition programme to include our healthcare and health sciences programme. We have focused our mentoring programme on the first three months of study.
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