Using your feedback to make a difference

Rachel Garnham is a Senior Manager leading the Student Voice team at The Open University. Her team works in partnership with the OU Students Association to include students in OU decision-making.

 

The Open University has just launched its new strategy – learn and live – at the heart of which is student success. We really want to make sure more students achieve the goals that you have set for yourself. And one of the best ways to do that is by using your feedback to improve the student experience so it meets your needs. Continue reading “Using your feedback to make a difference”

Your wellbeing on University Mental Health Day (3rd March)

Neill Boddington works for the OU as a Mental Health Advisor within the Mental Health Casework and Advisory Team and previously worked for many years in the field of resilience and stress management.

 

For this year’s University Mental Health Day, I have been reflecting on this awareness day and the wider issues around our daily wellbeing and mental health.

While days such as this help to focus people’s minds and can be the catalyst for conversation, new thinking, change and initiatives, we should also ensure we do not make ours and other people’s wellbeing a ‘hashtag’, a meme or a once-a-year consideration, because looking after our mental health really is a daily consideration.

Continue reading “Your wellbeing on University Mental Health Day (3rd March)”

The Open Programme and Employability: A Student’s Perspective

Sarah Andrews works at the University of Brighton and manages a large team of student ambassadors. She is an Open degree student.

 

 

About six years ago, on a bit of a whim, I decided to register myself to study at the Open University for an Open degree. It’s a pretty life changing decision I made relatively quickly over the course of just a couple of months, and looking back I’m not sure I knew quite what I was letting myself in for – but perhaps my tips here might encourage some other prospective students to take the plunge into the joy that is a multi-disciplinary Open degree! Continue reading “The Open Programme and Employability: A Student’s Perspective”

The Open Programme and Employability: What exactly does a Careers and Employability Consultant (Learning and Teaching) do?

Claire Corkram is a Careers and Employability Consultant (Learning and Teaching) for The Open University, who supports the Open Programme team. She joined the OU in July 2018 from Northampton University and has also been a distance learning student. Studying a Level 6 Diploma in Career Guidance & Development. 

So, what exactly does a Careers and Employability Consultant (Learning and Teaching) do and how do I support the Open programme? My role is a hybrid one where I provide specialist careers guidance and development to faculty staff and students. Fundamentally, my role is to support my colleagues in faculty with the integration and embedding of careers support into the curriculum by developing and implementing a range of career services which support student employability. It’s a busy, varied role which I really enjoy, and no two days are the same! Continue reading “The Open Programme and Employability: What exactly does a Careers and Employability Consultant (Learning and Teaching) do?”

The Open Programme: The first 50 years!

Jay Rixon and Gina Sharp, part of the Open Programme team, and Matthew Taylor, a  Library Archivist, share their reflections on creating an online exhibition to celebrate 50 years of The Open University’s innovative curriculum. Jay starts the conversation…

On the 22nd May 2019, my colleagues and I celebrated 50 years of the Open Programme in the year that The Open University celebrated 50 years – I’ll admit that seems like a long time ago now and so much has happened since then. However, that 50th birthday was a significant milestone for the Open Programme, and we did not want to let it pass without marking it in some way – so a few colleagues have been working on what you might call a passion project, and we now proudly present to you the Open Programme Exhibition, in partnership with The Open University’s Digital Archive. Continue reading “The Open Programme: The first 50 years!”

My Journey to the Open University and Beyond

 

Patrick is a former OU student who has completed an Open Degree and here he tells us about his motivations for study.

This is a tale of two halves; the how and the why.

Four years ago my wife died after a long illness, during which time life was a struggle with little time for anything else. We lost our lives to palliative care. If not the carers then it was a posse of others with unheard-of titles.  Days, weeks and years went by with little respite.  And then she died. Suddenly I had twenty four hours a day to fill.  This is when a sad time was transformed into yet another wonderful gift from my wife. Continue reading “My Journey to the Open University and Beyond”