Study Support

The average OU student in Second Life has probably never heard of World of Warcraft. She’s 45 and studying humanities. Welcome to the virtual world, but leave preconceptions at the door, writes OU student Greg Withnail.

Since 2006 The Open University has been a trailblazer in online virtual worlds, which offer exciting possibilities for both learning and social interaction. Students and staff who have never met are collaborating during activities which would otherwise be difficult, dangerous or even impossible.

No less significant is the economic and environmental impact of conducting tutorials, staff training and even full conferences in a virtual world. In September alone more than half a million miles of travel were saved when the OU hosted such events in the virtual world Second Life. (Source: The Independent.) 

If you haven’t started yet, now is the perfect time to begin exploring what virtual worlds have to offer. JISC funding is currently being used to pilot the connection of the virtual world ´Second Life´  to course websites.

In 2011 a new course presentation with expected student numbers approaching 8,000 will, for the first time, include a specially written virtual worlds block.

But you don’t have to wait till next year to see what all the fuss is about. In fact, you don’t even need to sign up for an OU course! Just take a look at our winter calendar and then see ´Getting a Second Life´ below.We look forward to meeting you inworld!

The "Third Thursday" Talks
A series of 60-minute presentations by invited guests (8pm, 3rd Thursday of each month). 
Future Third Thursdays will feature...
Lluisa Astruc (Lecturer in Spanish),
Steph Broadribb (Assistant Director HR),
Clem Herman (Senior Lecturer in Telematics),
Shailey Minocha (Senior Reader in Computing),
Lucia Rapanotti (Senior Lecturer in Computing),
Non Scantlebury (Learning Resources Development Manager)
To go to an event, use this link: http://bit.ly/c8E6YV
Read more at http://learn.open.ac.uk/site/virtualworlds

Other regular events:
"Open Top tOUrs" - Dr Martin Le Voi, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, will be leading more of his popular field trips in Second Life, visiting selected locations of interest across the Second Life grid. 
"Second Saturday" - Live DJ on the second Saturday of each month 
"Fourth Friday" - Pub Quiz on the fourth Friday of each month. 

Getting a Second Life
Anyone can join Second Life free by registering an account and downloading the viewer. Go to http://bit.ly/hlCoBX and use the orange "SIGN UP" button. You will find yourself at the OU´s Second Life area when the initial setup and instruction process is complete.

Staff and volunteers are on hand for orientation Q&As at 7pm on Wednesdays and 10am on Fridays.

Further details
Public website http://www.open.ac.uk/virtualworlds
OU Website http://learn.open.ac.uk/site/virtualworlds
Email virtualworlds@open.ac.uk
 

The average OU student in Second Life has probably never heard of World of Warcraft. She’s 45 and studying humanities.

Around one in 10 of the general population has trouble with spelling and memory but about one in 25 experiences difficulties that have a moderate to serious effect on their whole lives. Over 2,500 students who have disclosed dyslexia are studying with the OU.

Dyslexia, a learning difficulty that impacts on the way you learn, affects people in different ways: trouble reading, lack of concentration, poor spelling, grammar and handwriting, difficulty remembering information, organising and planning, thinking and working in sequences, and visual difficulties or listening to oral instructions.

Some people, like Chris Rowley from London, don’t realise they have dyslexia until they’re an adult. It wasn’t until he was assessed by the OU that Chris got the help he needed: “I was called lazy, thick and stupid at school which angered me greatly as I knew I had a brain. It was frustrating and I gave up on learning. So to be officially diagnosed as being 80 per cent dyslexic at the age of 33 was a great relief.”

“Many students who disclose dyslexia will not have had a formal diagnosis,” says Jane Swindells, Specific Learning Difficulties Advisor at the OU.  “We have staff in every region and nation who can offer advice on this process.

“At the OU we work hard to take into consideration the needs of students with dyslexia at every stage of the student journey. We recognise the need for high quality, accessible materials which include a variety of activities, many of which are interactive and may involve online discussion, self checking tests alongside texts. In this way, we hope that we will meet the learning needs of most of our students.  In addition, we have staff in every region and nation who can advise students on additional resources, such as alternative formats; who can help them with their application for a Disabled Student´s Allowance and make additional arrangements for examinations where there is evidence of need.”

So, what can you do?
Look through the information on the services available to you by going to this site.

Consider applying for the Disabled Student’s Allowance, which is a government-funded grant awarded to people with disabilities that impact on their learning. It can offer funding for additional support and assistive technology, as appropriate to student need. The OU can offer help in applying for this grant as well as supporting students to plan ahead in order to keep on track and meet assignment deadlines. Developing computer skills may help make tasks more manageable and the OU offers advice on this too.

Discuss any concerns or queries with staff in regional and national centres who can advise on matters relating to your study. Each centre will have advisers who can offer advice specific to individual students’ needs.

Access the online study support through StudentHome and if you explain your difficulties to your tutor they’ll be able to help too.

Let the OU know about your additional requirements so staff can make sure the right arrangements are made where there is evidence of need. These could include, for example; additional time to allow for the additional time it takes to read material and process the information or the use of a word processor to accommodate slow speed of writing or illegible script.



How did Julian do it?

Dyslexia prevented Julian Brower from achieving his potential at school, and as an adult without a degree he became increasingly frustrated at being passed over for promotion. Studying part-time with The Open University, he’s achieved a First Class Honours degree at 48 in four years and has landed a job at the world famous Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, working on particle accelerators.

Julian says: “I was very dyslexic when I was a kid – I still am – and it was not uncommon then for teachers to call kids stupid. You develop an inferiority complex which sticks with you.

“I remember being told I had a reading age two years below my actual age and was sent to a lesser school of low achievers. No support was given at school or even at college, up to the age of 19. Some 15 years passed and dyslexia was becoming all the rage and the symptoms being described rang a bell. So I took a test and the conclusion was that I had dyslexia, but my coping mechanisms had become very efficient by then.”

But dyslexia didn’t stop Julian from working towards his dream of a First Class degree.

“There was support,” he says. “The OU gave me lots of forms, letters and polite people asking me if I needed help. I learnt that dyslexia is a very complex condition and needs investigation to assess the level of help required by a student. Someone of my age tends to ignore the problem. Today, my dyslexia affects my reading speed and spelling which vary from atrocious to good. It’s very frustrating but the spell check keeps me on track.”

But Julian wasn’t just fighting against dyslexia, he also fought to fulfil his capabilities and develop a career but hit a stumbling block because of his lack of qualifications.

“I wanted to be a manager, but I would go for promotion and they’d say ‘you don’t have a degree, so you won’t be considered’. In the end I decided to leave and run my own business because I was so frustrated. I was running my business and in the evenings for four years I was studying with the OU. I did an Open Honours degree but it was mostly Physics, which I’ve always enjoyed. I was just finishing the last few months of study when I got the job at Rutherford Laboratory.

A first class degree and a top job. How does it feel?

“How does one feel with a degree within the world renowned Rutherford Labs where the cleaner has a PhD? I feel great but I’m a small fish in a sea of brains. But where life has dealt them the brains, it has dealt me the emotional intelligence to translate their findings and speak their successes in the language of you and me. My inner self knew that I was not stupid and getting the degree really helped to jump that hurdle but it has also made me realise that a degree is simply a badge, well earned, that society rates very highly. Sadly, the dyslexia makes it so much harder to gain that badge.

“The Open University has done so much for me in co-ordinating the way my brain works, showing me how to use my mind in ways it has never been used before. I say to my colleagues the OU should be available on the national health, because of what it does to a person to improve them and make them feel good about themselves.”

What advice does Julian have for other students with dyslexia?

“Dyslexia is a complex and varied condition and by no means prevents a person from achieving high goals. Some of the biggest hurdles to overcome are those of self confidence that having dyslexia only exaggerates. You can do it if you want to, it’s as simple as that. Success is not about intelligence, it’s a matter of time and commitment and developing a learning strategy that best suits you.

“My strategy used mind maps. I drew my way to a First. I loved the colours and the shapes and it made the learning fun. I always read the material three times; a skim read to engage and get a feel, a deep read to get the understanding, and finally the third read distilled the essence into my mind map. A lot is going on in the subconscious so the real value is not always obvious, but it worked and the proof was in the exams.”

What to do if you have dyslexia…

• Think about your study and the extra support you may need by reading up on your course and looking through the advice offered online by Disabled Student Services
• Contact your regional or national centre to talk about the services and support you might need – their Disability and Additional Requirements Team are fully trained to deal with all your queries
• Make contact with your tutor and let them know about your dyslexia at the beginning of your course so they can plan how to help you
• Request a copy of the Studying with Dyslexia booklet which contains lots of useful information to help you with study techniques and check out the Skills for OU study website
• Find out if you’re eligible for the Disabled Student’s Allowance to help you fund study-related support
• For more information visit this website