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The Skills Check is a short survey which should take you no more than 3 minutes to complete. Once you have completed the Skills Check we provide you with a personal learning plan targeted to your personal study needs and goals.

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Making audio recordings

This is optional material, and is not required for your OU study. However some students find audio recordings very useful in their study, and especially in revision.

Covered in this section

  • How to use mobile recording equipment
  • How to record using your computer
  • How to get the best quality recordings
  • 10 mins to complete this section

You can learn from listening to

  • summaries from module material
  • revision points or notes
  • vocabulary for your language module
  • your tutor clarifying a difficult concept
  • another student explaining a topic.

You can record yourself talking through summaries of module materials or revision notes. You could record your tutor at a tutorial, or another student at a self help study group, but remember to ask permission first.

There are several options for recording voices, so have a look through and see which will suit you best. You may wish to try one or more of the following.

  • handheld devices
  • software on your computer
  • microphones and headsets.

Once you have made a recording, you can then listen to it when you are

  • at home – gardening, cleaning, putting up shelves
  • travelling – in the car, on the bus or train
  • exercising – running, walking, or on a gym machine.

Consider

  • what needs to be done before you start recording (e.g. check your equipment is in working order)
  • what you are using the recording for – it is important to suit both the audience and the purpose
  • a personal reminder can be recorded at lower quality than if you are sharing a file with others
  • do you want the audio material in lots of small sections, or do you want to cover a topic in a large block?