Introduction

Following our previous blog post on mental health and wellbeing in work-based learning and apprenticeships a dedicated event took place online on 25 March 2025 facilitated by the Practice, Tuition Training and Development Team within Associate Lecturer Support and Professional Development (ALSPD). Readers from within the Open University can view the event recording here.

The event featured three distinct parts which we consider below whilst also considering the reflective questions Jenny Hillman posted in our blog  those being:

• In the HE sector, do we have a nuanced enough understanding of the unique mental health and wellbeing challenges that might exist for those undertaking work-based learning and/or apprenticeships? How can we best enhance our understanding using insights from our staff and students?

• Do the interventions that universities have designed for mental health and wellbeing support in recent decades meet the needs of learners undertaking placements or with substantial workplace commitments?

Scholarship on Mental Health and Wellbeing at the Open University

Professor Joan Simons, Head of the School for Health, Well-being, and Social Care in the faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS), shared insights from her research on supporting students with mental health difficulties. Joan’s three-year project involved interviews with 39 Associate Lecturers and focus groups with OU students who declared mental health conditions. She reported on her findings and facilitated discussions on the specific needs of work-based learning students. Internal reports on the project are available for Open University staff.

The OU is one of the largest providers of nursing apprenticeships in the UK and has a strong history of provision in health and social care. It was discussed that these types of courses can impact mental health and well-being in specific ways, for example through second-hand trauma. All agreed that it is vital for Practice Tutors (PTs) to prepare students/apprentices on these programmes for the nuances of health and social care workplace learning.

Proactive communication and effective use of student profiles

Effective communication and support structures through tuition is crucial for helping students with mental health conditions succeed.  It was identified that ensuring learners can receive help without repeatedly having to share their issues across the institution would provide an enhancement to the support the OU provides to students.

Longer-term mechanisms for pastoral support

Attendees observed that the OU Practice Tuition role allows for continuous support at whole programme level rather than the module level . A strong effective tutorial relationship is advantageous for supporting workplace learners (Umeokafor and Soares, 2021; Marsden and Youde, 2012) and it is widely acknowledged in the literature that high-quality tutorial relationships can contribute to personalised and successful personal tutoring for students on traditional courses. This is an example of an enhancement that could be applied for all types of learners. It was noted, however, that external Professional Statutory Bodies like Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) can place restrictions on the level of continuous support provided in the tutor ‘in practice’ role.

Professor Simons raised development opportunities for staff delivering on work-based learning programmes as a priority. This will help to ensure  that development focused on mental health continues to be available in different formats (workshops, online learning etc) . ALSPD facilitates online training alongside an events programme specifically related to supporting OU students, which is informed by internal Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).  Reflecting on this, we consider that we have further opportunities to use insights from staff and students to enhance our materials and further aid the nuance of understanding for the work-based learning student experience of mental health and wellbeing.

Support from the Mental Health and Wellbeing Team

The next session at our event was led by Joe Kirman from the Mental Health Casework and Advice Team (MHCAT) at the OU.  Joe emphasised the team’s mission to enhance, not replace, existing support structures, and their focus on students with complex or severe mental health needs. The work of the MHCAT, like many institutional mental health casework teams in the sector, highlights the critical role of mental health support for students.  At the OU, the team offer flexible, individualised support plans, including one-to-one sessions, risk assessments, and coping strategies, without requiring formal diagnoses. They also provide an advice service for staff, helping to ensure a holistic approach to student wellbeing.

Joe shared insightful case studies, based specifically onwork-based student cases at the OU. We apply the theory of experiential learning (Kolb etc) to the development of cross-faculty events so that Practice Tutor participants have the opportunity to reflect on learning from experience. The case studies used in Joe’s presentation were rooted in the experience of delivering multi-agency support by tutors and case workers. Case studies are an effective way to facilitate experiential learning, for example – see Kreber (2001) who also emphasises the importance of reflective practice in leveraging the educational benefits of case studies. The relevance of the case studies offered, which featured insights from interactions with work-based learning students, highlighted how this relatively new service can be used effectively to support this population of students within the OU.  Crucially, the lack of requirement for formal mental health diagnoses removes a barrier to accessing this service.  Joe also highlighted how his team were able to respond flexibly to meet learners needs, something that is important for work-based learning students /apprentices who have demands related to their employment alongside intense study requirements.

Discussion with Practice Tutors highlighted the importance of communication, collaboration with OU support staff, and empowering students/apprentices to advocate for their own needs.  It was recognised again that, especially for work-based learning students, fear of stigma through disclosure of issues, potential complexities in the workplace, employer reaction and the possible scrutiny on ‘fitness to practice’ could be a barrier for learners to sharing of mental health issues.

Collaborative Activity: Developing a Taxonomy of Support

As Education Developers, we aim to facilitate a Community of Practice informed by the development of the concept by Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner (2015). To this end we regularly utilise participatory methods of learning and seek to enable development of practice through collaborative learning activities such as described below.

The online collaborative training activity used in this session, focused on identifying barriers and enablers for apprentices and work-based learners regarding mental health and well-being. This was intended as a practical exercise to extend the approach taken by Lister et. al (2022) which identifies the barriers and enablers related to student mental health in distance learning to the context of work-based, distance learning.

Key barriers identified and discussed included:

• Employer Understanding of Study Requirements. Employers often lack awareness of the time needed for apprentices to study. (Lomas, 2024)
• Apprentice and Student Belonging. Apprentices sometimes feel disconnected from their institutions, lacking a sense of belonging and student voice. (Umeokafor and Soares, 2021;Umeokafor and Okoro, 2023)
• Engagement with Tutors. Apprentices may perceive tutors as unapproachable or unaware of their specific contexts, affecting their willingness to seek help (Umeokafor and Soares, 2021; Marsden and Youde, 2012).
• Awareness of Available Support. Both employers and universities may not effectively signpost mental health support resources (Umeokafor and Soares, 2021).

Practice Tutor attendees engaged in activities using the online collaborative tools Padlet and Polls to prioritise these barriers based on their experiences of support needs. They also contributed reflections on barriers not mentioned in the literature. These included:

• Demands of work-based learning and study.
• Workplace pressure to prioritise ‘work’ over ‘study’
• Curriculum Design (e.g. timing of multiple assessment)
• Information overload during the induction period
• Insufficient support and supervision in placements

The potential enablers that tutors in attendance identified  included:

• Diarised conversations timed for important course events to help with stress e.g off-the-job learning, preparing for End Point Assessment (EPA).
• Early discussion of concerns with the learner and/or appropriate institutional staff
• Building trust with student/apprentices e.g. through appropriate management of confidentiality.
• Listening to/observing clues from students – for example, late night emails and submissions, tiredness, over-concern about performance.
• Capturing data about relevant/important institution and workplace interactions related to mental health and updating the institutional student record to reflect issues.

Key Learnings and Reflections and Recommendations

Within the discussion and activity, it was apparent that the relationship between Practice Tutors and Student/Apprentices is critical.  Tutors supporting work or practice-based learning at a distance work closely with students/apprentices in a 1:1 capacity.   As with any dialogic relationship, trust and rapport should be established at the earliest opportunity. Trust can facilitate enhanced communication within learning environments, enabling students to express their specific support needs.  The same might be applied to relationships between work-based learners and employers/workplace mentors (especially if that relationship is new).

Consideration of the key learnings of this event has articulated further reflections for us as educational developers, specifically:

• How can we ensure understanding of the complexity of the Practice Tutor role and professional work-based learning programmes across the institution?

• How might we enhance development to enable PTs to relate effectively with our work-based learning students, whilst there are simultaneous pressures (related to compliance and funding) to adhere to within progress review meetings?

The relationship between learners, and communication and system strategies may have untapped potential to make a difference to learners with mental health difficulties.  This could be paramount for work-based learning courses that utilise supported distance learning for some elements of the course   How might we influence the development of digital material contexts to ensure they meet the needs of the work-based student population?  Are there elements of our work-based learning provision that can be made less complex by further consideration of the student experience in the online community? What is unique about the work-based learner journey and their user interactions that we might not have considered? And, are these considered when new initiatives are deployed at institutional level?

Future Directions

As we have already mentioned in our previous post, mental health and wellbeing of those on work-based learning or apprenticeship programmes has received less attention than the experiences of students on other modes of study (Umeokafor and Okoro, 2023). There is a continuing need for SoTL  which investigates  mental health support for work-based learning students, and there are particular occupational areas that may require nuanced  consideration.  One of these areas discussed within our session, is the potential for students on certain courses to experience particular types of occupational stress.  Within the current nursing apprenticeship, the placement experiences can have a negative effect on mental wellbeing with stressors such as workload and secondary traumatic experiences. Compassion fatigue is prevalent in professional learning in this area.  Jack (2017) highlights how ‘it is important that educators recognise student’s susceptibility to compassion fatigue and provide appropriate support.’ For those that provide development to the educators we must question if we are providing relevant training, awareness and support systems that are targeted to help those work-based learning students particularly susceptible to occupational stress?

Conclusion

Our discussions in this blog may have raised additional questions for those supporting work-based learners in HE.  A key theme is the importance of the relationship between the student and the university. The Practice Tutor plays a crucial role as the university’s representative, fostering support and trust through their relationship with the student.

Tutors can provide personalised and timely support and guidance essential for students with mental health issues. They act as connectors, raising awareness about mental health resources and referring students to appropriate services

a safe space for students to discuss their challenges.  The personalised nature of the Practice Tutor role at the OU is prominent source of support for our work-based learning students. Targeted development and recognition of the significant challenges of work-based learning tuition is essential to continue to facilitate effective relationships and dialogue between students and the institution.

References

Jack, K. The meaning of compassion fatigue to student nurses: an interpretive phenomenological study. J of Compassionate Health Care 4, 2 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40639-017-0031-5

Kreber, C. (2001) ‘Learning Experientially through Case Studies? A Conceptual Analysis’, Teaching in higher education, 6(2), pp. 217–228. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510120045203

Marsden, F. and Youde, A. (2012) ‘Fostering a transactional presence: a practical guide to supporting work-based learners’. In: Part-Time study: the new paradigm for Higher Education? UALL, Leicester, UK. Available at: Huddersfield Repository – University of Huddersfield (Accessed: 13 March 2025).

Umeokafor, N. and Soares, A. (2021).  Delivery features of apprenticeship courses: The influence on the mental health and wellbeing of apprentices. Available at: Umeokafor-N-49833-VoR.pdf (Accessed: 11 March 2025).

Umeokafor, N. and Okoro, C. (2023). Mental health and wellbeing experiences of Higher Education apprentices. In: Digital Transformation of Health and Safety in Construction. University of Porto, Portugal, 21st – 22nd June 2023. CIB International Council for Research & Innovation in Building & Construction, Kanata, ON Canada, pp. 243-252. ISBN 978-9727523092. Available at: 43052_UMEOKAFOR_Mental_health_and_wellbeing_experiences_of_Higher_Education_apprentices.pdf (Accessed: 13 March 2025).

Wenger-Trayner, E. and Wenger-Trayner, B. (2015) An introduction to communities of practice: a brief overview of the concept and its uses. Available from authors at https://www.wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice.

This week’s blog post features ALSPD intern Samantha Morgan and her mentee, ALSPD (Associate Lecturer Support and Professional Development) Manager, Christina Graney. The reciprocal mentoring programme, part of the Student Staff Internship project, was organised by the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS), and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) at The Open University (OU). 

The premise for our mentoring relationship was ‘reverse mentoring’ where, traditionally, a more experienced member of staff is mentored by a less experienced colleague or student. However, in this blog post, we prefer to use the term ‘reciprocal mentoring’ because it captures the mutual learning that shaped our working relationship. Samantha brought her expertise and lived experience to mentor Christina – a Training and Development Manager. Our intention was that the mentoring was collaborative and power-free, whilst embracing diversity and inclusion. In this post, we reflect on our journey, the challenges we faced, and the outcomes of our reciprocal mentoring experience. 

Mentee’s reflections from Christina Graney 

It was a wet spring day. The rain was lashing down as a mysterious figure appeared on my MS Teams call… well actually I don’t remember what kind of day it was, but I do remember a great opportunity being presented to me by my lovely colleague Dr Suki Haider! Suki offered me some mentoring from a student intern, and I seized the opportunity.

As part of the reciprocal mentoring scheme, I would be mentored by a student intern for six months. Despite working at the OU for nearly 19 years in various professional services roles, I have not had very many opportunities to work directly with students, so this opportunity was very appealing. 

My university experience was at a traditional, campus or ‘brick’ university. Attending in-person lectures and sharing notes at the end of each day in the campus library or student union was the norm. I knew it was important for me to learn more about the different ways that supported and open distance learning is experienced by our OU students. I was particularly keen to understand perspectives from students with different lived experiences to me. 

For the mentoring programme I was paired with Samantha Morgan, a Psychology student in FASS. She was open and honest about the barriers she faced while studying and managing other responsibilities.  

Our first meeting was perhaps a little awkward as we tried to work out how this would all work. I was very aware of my role as a manager at the OU and wanted to work hard to ensure I didn’t lead the session. Gradually, as we got to know each other, we found our rhythm. 

Samantha shared her intersections of neurodivergence and health conditions, and I learned how these impacted her daily life and studies. Her determination to succeed and the importance of her studies to her future were inspiring. 

It has been eye-opening to learn about the challenges Samantha faced as a student with intersectional health conditions and neurodivergence. Samantha was navigating the processes which would secure reasonable adjustment for her studies and personalised support from tutors.  Samantha’s experiences like many others, highlight the systemic and structural issues in HE that can cause barriers for students. 

As our mentoring relationship concludes, and I reflect on the last 6 months, I realise how impactful and transformative it has been for my development. I am continuing my journey into learning about allyship for students and staff from marginalised and/or minoritised communities and Samantha has been a significant part of that. 

I want to thank Samantha for her time, honesty and patience, especially for giving me a glimpse into her amazing life as an OU student. Samantha has achieved so much with her studies, and as part of the student intern project. Her passion to make a difference and advocate for other neurodivergent students is endless and impressive. 

Mentor’s reflections from Samantha Morgan 

From the start, Christina was transparent about her concerns regarding her role in the mentoring relationship with me, given her extensive leadership experience. I appreciated this honesty and shared my worries about the potential for an unequal dynamic. We entered the mentoring partnership unsure of what to expect. 

Despite Christina’s experience at the OU, she was eager to understand my perspective as a student facing numerous barriers. Christina’s commitment to change was evident as she sought to understand my experiences. I supported her understanding of the barriers students face from structures which create oppression.  

I appreciated that Christina took the time to understand neurodiversity and one day turned up to our meeting and asked me if I would like to consider standing meetings. It was clear she had researched this and cared that I felt comfortable. In return I sent her a thank you card and shared her act of consideration with the team. It is small acts of considerations like this that include people and let them thrive.  

One Saturday I wrote a piece called ‘The Gremlins’ and sent this to Christina cautiously as I thought nobody would want to read it. Much to my surprise Christina loved it and was very open in her feedback that it had helped create deep understanding of what life is really like for someone living with multiple intersections of neurodiversity. This reciprocal moment of sharing was the spark that ignited my writing. I am continuing to write and sharing it in various places now. Thank you, Christina, and the ALSPD team for reigniting that; I had forgotten that I do have important things to say that can help others.  My work is soon to be published in the British Psychological society’s ‘The Psychologist’ online. This is a huge achievement for an undergraduate and I am very proud to be spreading awareness of unconsidered power dynamics on this platform.  

Towards the end of my internship, Christina guided me in polishing my portfolio and project proposal. This shift in dynamics solidified the reciprocal nature of our partnership. I was fortunate to work with someone so open to change, but this should be the norm for student-staff mentoring. Challenging outdated power structures is essential for creating accessible and fair education for all in this gloriously diverse world we live in. 

Closing thoughts from Christina 

This journey has been incredibly thought-provoking and has led to transformational learning for both of us. We now regularly consider the other person’s perspective, question our assumptions, and seek evidence to support our beliefs. This approach is applicable in many scenarios, and I will use it when working across the university. 

I have learnt that knowing one person with a diagnosis, means that you know one person with a diagnosis. Each individual may need different things to succeed. I will remain curious, supportive, and adaptable to help others thrive and be their true selves when working with me. 

I’ll leave you with one of Samantha’s poems, which profoundly impacted me and offered a glimpse into daily life for people who live with intersections of neurodiversity. 

 ‘Gremlins’ by Samanthan Morgan 

Let me introduce you to the gremlins, ADHD, OCD and Autism.  

Today I got a thought that visiting some shops in the sales was a fabulous idea! I ignored my body and autism both of which screamed at me to stay home and rest, and I went anyway. I was quite happy at home, but the ADHD gets an idea and before I know it, there I am, doing an activity that I have no interest in doing but appear to do anyway because a fleeting thought quickly becomes a hyper fixation. The ADHD does not really like routine or order, but the autism and OCD do, so they argue. The ADHD often wins, much to mine, the OCD and the autism’s distaste.   

In town I met friends. We went to a busy restaurant. My fingers twirled constantly, my leg jiggling and my head was spinning from the noise. I have no idea why I do such things. It is never fun; all I want to do is escape. Well, I do know why. My ADHD loves spontaneity, being the absolute gremlin that it is. I look around and wonder why people talk about the things they do. They discuss things that I have trained myself over the years to ask about, such as the weather, or what they are doing on holiday. I learnt if I do that, then I fit in more. People grew tired of talking about my interests or deep subjects, they thought it rather odd. Frankly I would rather discuss the meaning of life or the state of the world, but apparently that is weird! So that must be kept in a box, until I meet people who enjoy discussions of such topics.   

After I left, I walked around town, people were everywhere, and they kept bumping into me. I felt invaded and could feel stress, anxiety and frustration bubbling, I wanted to escape that very moment but could not. People cut in front of me, their big heavy shopping bags hit my legs. I wanted to scream. I walked around the shops and wondered what on earth I was doing here. I felt rather disappointed that I had allowed myself to become embroiled in classic capitalism. I wished I had just stayed at home, because it was much easier than this bizarre situation I voluntarily pursued where I felt my skin crawling and my mind screaming. I remembered that ADHD – the swine – had sought the perfect coat that very same day, so of course, waiting seemed impossible.  

It is a funny old thing this brain of mine. I often wish it would just give me a break.   

I decided to skip a few shops as I remembered there was a reason I felt this way. The autism hates busy places. I could reduce stimuli and feel better again. I did not know this some years ago, because I was diagnosed late, like many women are. I used to force myself to do these things; it never ended well. The call of my home was strong. As soon as I got in, I told my family I was taking some time out and proceeded to sit in a quiet dark room for a while. I have learnt this regulates my central nervous system and quiets the autism.   

Well, at least until the ADHD fights against it and screams “We must do something! We cannot sit here resting, it is a waste of time!” and I scream back ‘BE QUIET BRAIN!’.   

That ADHD really is a bane to my life.   

I used much capacity today, so I am putting off jobs until tomorrow. It feels uncomfortable doing this, because the autism and OCD likes everything ordered, perfect and complete. But sometimes it cannot be that, so I try to accept the imperfect. This is necessary as the ADHD creates chaos. It often feels like ADHD is on one shoulder and autism and OCD are on the other and they argue. ADHD likes to be wild and free. Autism likes to be quiet, ordered and to have nothing changed. OCD just likes everything perfect.  You could call them enemies. They certainly wind each other up – and me in the process! I try to find humour in this, which is why I describe ADHD, OCD and autism as annoying gremlins. Nature, rest, supportive people, accommodations and learning skills to manage them all help keep these little gremlins at bay so I can control them, not the other way around.  

 I will end this on; I did not even need a winter coat; I forgot I already have five!   

Samantha is open to connections and regularly writes about neurodivergence: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-morgan-024607347  

Mental Health and Wellbeing in Work Based Learning and Apprenticeships

Advisory note on sensitive content:  This blog post mentions mental health and suicide which may be upsetting or triggering for some readers. Sources of support are listed in the reference section below.    

This week, on Thursday 13 March, the Open University marked University Mental Health Day (UMHD) with a range of wellbeing activities for staff and students. Co-organised by Student Minds and UMHAN, #UniMentalHealthDay is an annual acknowledgement of the need to better support those studying with their mental health and wellbeing (UMHD, 2025). In this blog post, Jenny Hillman considers what more universities might need to do to understand the needs of work-based learners and apprentices.   

Mental health at university  

Recent reporting suggests a continuing increase in the number of students sharing a mental health condition at university. In the UK, universities are responding with whole institutional approaches to supporting student mental health, with many adopting the Suicide Safer guidance from Universities UK (2018). The Open University (OU), like many other providers, developed a Student and Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy to reflect this commitment.  

Unfortunately, the persistence of the mental health degree awarding gap that exists across the sector tells us that most universities have a lot of work to do to reduce inequalities for students with mental health conditions. Yet, a growing corpus of research reflects at least a greater awareness (and hopefully an enhanced understanding) of student mental health experiences and how these are also shaped by things like race, disability and neurodiversity, sexual and gender identity, and socio-economic background (see Butcher, Awan and Gray, 2021 for an example of a study on student intersectionality in mental health).   

Universities are also increasingly offering a range of mental health services for students (such as counselling) and seeking to strengthen wellbeing, rather than just responding reactively to students in crisis (Lister et al, 2023). This is reflected in the vocabulary we use, where ‘mental health’ and ‘wellbeing’ are distinct things but also overlapping in institutional approaches to pastoral support and student welfare. Of course, ‘wellbeing’ itself is not unproblematic as a term because its meanings are culturally situated. In HE, our discussions of student ‘wellbeing’ are largely rooted in language which reflects Westernised conceptions of the word which are fundamentally different from meanings of ‘wellbeing’ in other cultural traditions. Accepting that these definitions are themselves imperfect, then, for the purposes of this post I am adopting the following:    

‘Mental health refers to a full spectrum of experience ranging from good mental health to mental illness […] Wellbeing will encompass a wider framework of which mental health is an integral part, but which also includes physical and social wellbeing’ (Advance HE, 2022).   

Work-based learners  

The mental health and wellbeing of those on work-based learning or apprenticeship programmes has received less attention than the experiences of students on other modes of study (Umeokafor and Okoro, 2023). Whilst some might argue that apprenticeships are more ‘alt-uni’ than an ‘alternative to uni’ (WonkHE, 2025), it is clear that the challenges for work-based learners with mental health needs may be experienced in very different ways. In England, HE has seen significant growth in higher and degree apprenticeships (HEPI, 2023; HEPI 2025) and, despite some wobbles over apprenticeship reforms proposed by a new Labour government (THE, 2024), work-based learning is going to be increasingly important for addressing the UK skills gap. 

Crucially, apprentices and work-based learners must navigate the demands of traditional study and meeting academic standards, as well as being secure in the professional competencies that their employer expects to see. In addition to the familiar academic stressors recognised in much of the literature on student mental health, studies focused on apprentices and work-based learners have found additional challenges. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, many of these challenges reflect the complexity of the relationship between the employer-apprentice/student-workplace-and university.   

Scholars have noted, for example, that learner mental health and wellbeing may be affected by:  

• The readiness and/or ability of their employer (line manager, colleagues etc) to ‘foster meaningful integration between their work and studies’ (Lomas, 2024). 

• The university relationship with their employer and how that plays out in Tripartite Review Meetings (Lomas, 2024). 

• Employers allowing sufficient time for study (Umeokafor and Soares, 2021).  

• ‘Misalignment’ between academic learning outcomes and workplace objectives (Fuller and Unwin, 2011). 

• The feeling of ‘worthwhileness’ in their course or programme (Umeokafor and Okoro, 2023). 

• Income and broader quality of life that their job role affords them (Umeokafor and Okoro, 2023). 

• The relationship and perceived ‘approachability’ of the tutor (Umeokafor and Soares, 2021; Marsden and Youde, 2012).  

• Tutor understanding of the learner/apprentice’s context (including their commitments and personal circumstances outside of work) (Umeokafor and Soares, 2021).  

• Opportunities for apprentices to contribute to student ‘voice’ in the university (in matters such as policy, curriculum design and student community activities) (Umeokafor and Soares, 2021).  

• Employer and university understanding of, and signposting to, mental health support available for work-based learners and apprentices (Umeokafor and Soares, 2021).  

It is worth acknowledging that the study experience for apprentices is different to that for students on professional programmes and vice versa. However, I included insights from research across these areas in this blog post because I believe that both will help us to consider the experiences of learners navigating a dual workplace-academic identity and the demands of that.   

In the Practice Tuition Training and Development team within ALSPD (Associate Lecturer Support and Professional Development), we are continuing this conversation at our next cross-faculty professional development event on 25 March 2025 focused on Mental Health and Wellbeing in Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeships If you are a member of staff, you can register here for this event: internal link).    

For me, 2 key questions I will continue to reflect on are:  

1. In the HE sector, do we have a nuanced enough understanding of the unique mental health and wellbeing challenges that might exist for those undertaking work-based learning and/or apprenticeships? How can we best enhance our understanding using insights from our staff and students? 
2. Do the interventions that universities have designed for mental health and wellbeing support in recent decades meet the needs of learners undertaking placements or with substantial workplace commitments? 

 Please let us know your thoughts about mental health and wellbeing in work-based learning by commenting or reaching out via email.   

References  

Butcher, J., Awan, R. and Gray, D. (2021). ‘How do we talk about race…and mental health?’ Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 23(3), pp. 147–162.  

Fuller, A. and Unwin, L. (2011) ‘Apprenticeship as an Evolving Model of Learning’. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 63(3), p.261-66.  

HEPI (2023). Available at: Standards, starts and achievements: Quality and growth in the HE apprenticeship market – HEPI (Accessed: 13 March 2025). 

HEPI (2025). Available at: Degree Apprenticeships in England: What Can We Learn from the Experiences of Apprentices, Employers, and Education and Training Providers? – HEPI (Accessed: 13 March 2025). 

Lomas, J. (2024) ‘Higher Education Apprenticeship Pedagogies: A Multilateral Approach, in Barr, M. (Ed.). Approaches to Work-Based Learning in Higher Education: Improving Graduate Employability (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi-org.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/10.4324/9781003496779 

Lister, K., Seale, J. and Douce, C. (2023) ‘Mental health in distance learning: a taxonomy of barriers and enablers to student mental wellbeing’, Open learning, 38(2), pp. 102–116. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2021.1899907.  

Marsden, F. and Youde, A. (2012) ‘Fostering a transactional presence: a practical guide to supporting work-based learners’. In: Part-Time study: the new paradigm for Higher Education? UALL, Leicester, UK. Available at: Huddersfield Repository – University of Huddersfield (Accessed: 13 March 2025).  

Umeokafor, N. and Soares, A. (2021).  Delivery features of apprenticeship courses: The influence on the mental health and wellbeing of apprentices. Available at: Umeokafor-N-49833-VoR.pdf (Accessed: 11 March 2025).  

Umeokafor, N. and Okoro, C. (2023). Mental health and wellbeing experiences of Higher Education apprentices. In: Digital Transformation of Health and Safety in Construction. University of Porto, Portugal, 21st – 22nd June 2023. CIB International Council for Research & Innovation in Building & Construction, Kanata, ON Canada, pp. 243-252. ISBN 978-9727523092. Available at: 43052_UMEOKAFOR_Mental_health_and_wellbeing_experiences_of_Higher_Education_apprentices.pdf (Accessed: 13 March 2025).  

Universities UK (2018). ‘Suicide-Safer Universities’ available at: Suicide-safer universities (Accessed: 12 March 2025).  

WonkHE (2025). Apprenticeships are not an “alternative” to uni, they’re alt-uni | Wonkhe (Accessed: 13 March 2025). 

Sources of support for mental health   

UK Gov Resources for Supporting your apprentice  

MIND – Planning for a mental health crisis – Mind 

SHOUT – Shout Crisis Text Line 

Crisis support

NHS – Mental health services – NHS  

SAMARITANS – Samaritans 

This week’s blog post is bought to you by an ALSPD Intern employed on a Student -Staff internship project (Gaynor Adkins) and their line manager (Clemmie Quinn).  Internships are jointly organised by the Faculties of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the OU, and supports students to undertake a remote, ‘virtual’ internship. In this blog post, Gaynor explores how collaboration and empowerment can transform the educational experience for both students and educators. 

Empowerment through coaching: How my Internship Experience Strengthened my Growth Mindset 

In a fast-paced world where challenges arise daily, true empowerment comes from having the right support, encouragement and guidance. As an intern navigating the workplace as a neurodiverse student, I have experienced first-hand how a strong coaching culture within a team can shape not just skills but confidence, mindset and resilience. My creativity and visual thinking are integral to how I process and engage with the world, and having a supportive environment that values these strengths has been truly transformative.  

One of the most powerful models for understanding empowerment is the Empowerment Triangle, as outlined in this post by The Profit Recipe. Unlike traditional leadership approaches that may feel directive or controlling, this model fosters a sense of ownership, capability, and initiative. My manager and team have embodied this approach – using gentle guidance, encouragement, coaching and challenge to help me step into my full potential. 

The Empowerment Triangle in Action 

The Empowerment Triangle shifts focus from dependency to ownership, moving away from a ‘rescuer’ mentality and towards true leadership and growth. The three key roles in this model – The Coach, The Creator and The Challenger – have all played a part in my student development during this internship. 

1. The Coach: Gentle Guidance and Encouragement

A great coach does not solve problems for you. Instead, they help you develop the skills to solve them yourself. As someone who is neurodiverse, I often process information differently relying on visual thinking, pattern recognition and creative problem solving. My manager has been incredibly supportive, offering clarity, checking in on my understanding and encouraging me to explore solutions in ways that align with my strengths. They have recognised that my creative approach to problem-solving is an asset, not a barrier. Their encouraging support has helped me build confidence in my abilities and trust my unique way of thinking. 

2. The Creator: Fostering a ‘Can-Do’ Mindset

Empowerment thrives when individuals feel capable and encouraged to take ownership of their work. Within my team, I have been given the space to create, experiment and learn through action. Instead of fearing mistakes, I have learned to see them as opportunities for growth. My neurodiversity means I visualise solutions in ways that might be different from conventional approaches. Rather than seeing this as a limitation, my team has embraced my creative thinking as a strength. Whether through sketching ideas, using mind maps, or developing visual frameworks, I have been encouraged to develop my creative problem solving, which has reinforced my can-do’ mindset where I believe in my ability to overcome obstacles in my own way.  

3. The Challenger: Pushing Beyond Comfort Zones

While encouragement is crucial, true empowerment also comes from being challenged. My manager and colleagues have pushed me to think critically, expand my skills and step beyond my comfort zone. They have not just offered praise but have asked thoughtful questions, encouraged self-reflection, and provided constructive feedback in ways that acknowledge my neurodiversity and creative process. At times, verbal or text-heavy instructions can feel overwhelming, but instead of seeing this as problem, my team has encouraged me to adapt processes to suit my thinking style. By using visual tools, diagrams, and structured frameworks, I have been able to navigate complex tasks more effectively. This has helped me develop resilience, adaptability and a deeper sense of self-reliance whilst staying true to how I work best.  

The Impact: Confidence, Growth, and Ownership 

Through this balanced approach of coaching, encouragement and challenge, I have grown not just professionally but personally. I feel empowered to step up, contribute ideas, and lead when needed. The result is not just improved performance but a stronger sense of purpose and self-belief. 

As a neurodiverse creative student, empowerment is not about changing who I am to fit a system; it is about creating an environment where diverse ways of thinking are valued and nurtured. Through coaching, encouragement, and challenge, my manager and team have given me the confidence to take ownership of my journey, and for that, I am deeply grateful. 

If we want to build stronger, more resilient teams, we need to embrace this approach, one that moves away from dependence and towards true empowerment. After all, the greatest leaders are those who help others realise their own potential. 

The Profit Recipe, 2025. Resolving conflict with the drama and empowerment triangles. The Profit Recipe. (Available at: theprofitrecipe.com/blog/drama-triangle-and-empowerment-dynamic (Accessed: 16 February 2025) 

 Reflections from Clemmie  

Embedding Best Practice 

My professional background is centred on professional development, learning development, and student support and mentoring. These experiences provide positive influence in my approach to student partnerships.  I have also been privileged to learn from my ALSPD Senior Managers who have expertise in EDIA concerns in HE. A key commitment in our practice as a Student-Staff Project Team, has been an openness to dismantling traditional power hierarchies. Prior to the placement of our project interns, we critically reflected on our own positionality, our reflexivity and possible approaches to empower our intern students as partners in our project. 

There is much in the literature around HE student-staff partnerships and relational pedagogy to consider.  In particular, we identified the three principles of respect, reciprocity and responsibility (Cook-Sather, Bovill and Felton, 2014) that should frame the relationships between interns and staff. We recognised the importance of operationalising these concepts in ways to sustain and ensure collaboration. 

As a project team, we carefully co-created an internship experience designed to be mutually beneficial. We have embedded reflection opportunities throughout, recognising that in any scholarly approach to teaching and learning, continuous self-examination is essential. Our focus was not just on project outcomes but on cultivating an environment where all felt valued, heard, and empowered. The ‘internship’ element of the partnership has taken centre-stage, as we ensure that tasks are leveraged to achieve a student intern’s identified employability goals. It is important to remember that student-staff partnerships can be used to benefit the individual student as well as the institution (Murray, 2023) and this is an important consideration to enable a more equitable and democratic partnership.   

Moving to consider my own practice, I continue to incorporate my strengths-focused approach as a manager. I also draw on principles from mentoring and coaching which are key elements of my practice as an educational developer supporting tutors on work-based learning programmes. 

The Empowerment Dynamic  

Student-staff partnerships can be deeply rewarding relationships, but also require intentional effort to navigate effectively. Haywood and Darko (2021), observe that “to achieve a nuanced level of partnership with a student is time consuming; it requires an often unquantifiable commitment”. I’m personally prepared to commit whatever it takes to ensure an effective partnership, but I did find myself wondering what practical solutions in our settings there might be outside of the existing literature on relational pedagogy (Bovill 2020; Hickey and Riddle 2022). 

Fortuitously, I came across The Empowerment Dynamic (TED), leading to Gaynor (intern project partner) and I discussing excitedly how there were parallels in our own student-staff project. This alternative model to Karpman’s Drama Triangle offers a framework to use in workplace relationships (and others) that enhances growth and collaboration rather than reinforcing cycles of dysfunction. It therefore provides an alternative lens through which to operationalise the complex dynamics inherent in student-staff partnerships.  

TED reimagines relational roles whilst traditional hierarchical structures (such as Student/Educator) often position individuals in static roles.  Utilising this model may help those in staff-student partnerships enable an empowered environment and provide a pragmatic way to operationalise the previously mentioned values of respect, reciprocity and responsibility.  

One might assume that a Project Lead, Intern, and Intern Manager naturally align with the roles of Challenger, Creator, and Coach respectively. However, within a project team setting, we might fluidly move between different positions on The Empowerment Dynamic triangulation.  For example, in a mature, established partnership there might be discussion of lived experience with a neurodivergent student. They may communicate how their institutional relationship has been impacted, and their identified solution. This student becomes ‘the challenger’ advocating for their personal values, communicating their truth and trusting in solutions. 

Practical Applications? 

It is one thing to conceptually engage with academic literature and models; it is another to consciously integrate them into our work. Due to marketisation, and the increased scrutiny on the relationship between universities and students (and society) we will undoubtedly see student-staff partnerships increase in our sector.  We need to ensure that there are effective and efficient ways to implement these in our settings, whilst simultaneously ensuring “a meaningful dispersal of power from the traditional top-down approach” (Thomas, 2021).   

Perhaps those practical relational frameworks (like TED), that exist outside of the pedagogical literature can offer us something? I invite others preparing to engage in a student partnership to consider TED alongside other relationship based/interaction models (e.g. servant leadership? developmental model of trust?) that may provide effective ways of working for student-staff partnerships in HE. 

References 

Cook-Sather, A., Bovill, C. and Felten, P. (2014) Engaging Students as Partners in Learning and Teaching : a Guide for Faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/open/detail.action?docID=1650837 (Accessed: 27 February 2025). 

Bovill, C. (2020) ‘Co-creation in Learning and teaching: the Case for a whole-class Approach in Higher Education’, Higher Education, 79(6), pp. 1023–1037. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00453-w. (Accessed: 27 February 2025).  

Haywood, M.-M. and Darko, A. (2021) ‘Breaking barriers: using mentoring to transform representation, identity and marginalisation in black higher education students’, The Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change, 7(1). Available at: https://journals.studentengagement.org.uk/index.php/studentchangeagents/article/view/1026 (Accessed: 27 February 2025). 

Hickey, A. and Riddle, S. (2021) ‘Relational Pedagogy and the Role of Informality in Renegotiating Learning and Teaching Encounters’, Pedagogy, Culture & Society, pp. 1–13. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2021.1875261. 

Murray, R. (2023) ‘The Capability Approach, Pedagogic Rights and Course Design: Developing Autonomy and Reflection through Student-Led, Individually Created Courses’, Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 25(1), pp. 131–150. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2023.2261856. (Accessed: 27 February 2025). 

Thomas, L. (2021) ‘#Ibelong: Towards a Sense of Belonging in an Inclusive Learning Environment’, Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 23(3), pp. 68–79. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5456/wpll.23.3.68. (Accessed: 27 February 2025). 

In this blogpost, Jenny Hillman (Senior Manager – ALSPD) reflects on learning from a staff and student development session on music and dementia. This event was delivered in partnership between ALSPD at the Open University and the Scottish charity ‘Playlist for Life.’ You can read about the charity here: https://www.playlistforlife.org.uk/

This week, I attended a development session organised by colleagues in ALSPD and facilitated by Mary McDougall from the Scottish Charity of the Year ‘Playlist for Life.’ As a team, we originally imagined that we would open-up this event to staff and students working in and/or studying health and caring-related subjects. However, we quickly realised that dementia is something which either has, or will, affect most of us.

The research shows that 1 in 3 of us will be diagnosed with dementia in our lifetime (Alzheimer’s Society, 2024). Dementia mostly affects those over the age of 65 but there are also 42,000 young people in the UK living with the condition (Playlist for Life, 2024). The stark reality is that dementia is endemic. Over one million people in the UK will have a dementia diagnosis by 2025 (Dementia UK, 2024). Many more of us will know someone or provide care for a family member or friend with dementia.

Recognising this, and exploring how it has already affected or could potentially affect our personal and professional lives, we decided to extend a wider invitation to learn about dementia to all OU staff and students. 

Playlist for Life   

We learned about the science in the relationship between music and dementia from Mary McDougall from the charity, Playlist for Life. Mary talked movingly and expertly about the aim of the charity which is to support those living with dementia to have access to a playlist of personal meaningful music, and for everyone who loves or cares for them to know how to use it. She addressed questions around technology, the ethics of managing its use, and offered a balanced and measured view of the varying levels of impact music can have upon the different types and stages of dementia. We heard stories curated by Playlist for Life and told by those who had experience of using music as part of their own care, or their family member’s care, and the power that it has on their health. 

Reflections 

As I was reflecting on the session and trying in vain to find the words to capture how deeply the session resonated with so many of us there, I struggled. I didn’t want to reduce the learning that I experienced, and sensed in others, to something reminiscent of a pithy ‘inspirational quote’ you might see about music emblazoned on a tea towel, mug or A4 framed print. 

“Music expresses feeling and thought, without language; it was below and before speech, and it is above and beyond all words” ― Robert G. Ingersoll

“My heart, which is so full to overflowing, has often been solaced and refreshed by music when sick and weary” ― Martin Luther

Many of us who work as Educational Developers, in Learning and Development teams, or as staff involved in teaching and learning, recognise the power of storytelling for learning. Fundamentally, what I think the session offered to me that was most impactful was the chance to hear stories and start to think about my own, and those of my loved ones. 

For further information about this event, please contact the AL Support and Professional Development Team at alspd-team@open.ac.uk. 

References

Alzheimer’s Society

Home – Dementia UK

This week we discuss the OU’s Black and Minority Ethnic Staff Network’s inaugural Black History Month conference: ‘Reclaiming Narratives’, taking place on Tuesday 29th October 2024 in the Hub Theatre (more details below!) In keeping with the theme of ‘narratives’, we’ll also introduce you to the newly appointed Black and Minority Ethnic Staff network chairs. Colleagues have also contributed to a curation of recommended print and media highlighting influential works that explore diverse, history, culture and contributions from Black individuals in the UK and elsewhere.   

About the BME Staff Network 

OU staff networks are essential in fostering connections and support among colleagues. They create inclusive and welcoming environments, elevate the voices of underrepresented groups, and provide valuable insights that inform our strategies and impact our learning and teaching environment.  

The Black and Minority Ethnic staff network was established to offer networking opportunities for all Black and Minority Ethnic staff, promoting peer support, confidence building, and, importantly, greater inclusivity. It serves as a collective voice against discrimination and enhances social and cultural awareness of the diverse contributions this community brings to the OU. Through their unwavering commitment to raising awareness of racial equality and cultural diversity, network facilitators provide a valuable contribution to a supportive and encouraging environment for both staff and students.  

The outgoing staff network organisers can celebrate many years of successes through their work growing an active network and contributing to many impactful projects e.g. OpenLearn’s Race and Ethnicity Hub and an internal Peer Mentoring Scheme. We thank them for their efforts in facilitating a positive learning environment for students and staff. 

Awareness of Black history is especially important for staff involved with learning and teaching as it helps to enhance cultural competence, enabling our tutors to better understand and relate to the diverse backgrounds of their students.  This in turn contributes to a more inclusive, informed, and supportive educational environment. We encourage all who can to attend and support the event from our tutor community. 

Black History month Conference organised by the OU’s Black and Minority Ethnic Staff Network  

We would like to invite you to attend the university’s first Black History Month conference ‘Reclaiming Narratives’ organised by the Black and Minority Ethnic Staff Network, on Tuesday 29th October 2024 1030-1500 in the Hub Theatre, The Open University, Milton Keynes.     

We are delighted that all lightening talks will be delivered by Black colleagues representing each of the four faculties and Access and Open, or Professional Services (1 lightening talk per area).     

The closing date for registrations is 17 October 2024. Please complete the registration form to secure your place. Please note spaces are limited to 40 in-person delegates (priority will be given to Network members and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff) and will work on a first come, first served basis. The conference will be streamed via Teams.  

Please direct any conference related queries to BME-Matters@open.ac.uk  who look forward to welcoming you to Reclaiming Narratives, BHM Conference 2024.  

Introducing the new BME Network Chairs  

In ALSPD, we are thrilled to circulate introductions to the new BME Network Chairs:  

Roberta Davies: I joined the OU in 2016, starting in STEM, and since then I have worked in People Services and now in the EDI team.  I have been part of the Black and Minority Ethnic Network and its steering group since 2017.  I’m from Brazil and my professional background there was in HR and Payroll, but since moving to the UK (17 years ago!) my career has shifted to Learning & Development and EDI fields.  I’m passionate about helping people and making a difference to people’s experiences and it’s a privilege to be able to do so through the work that I do.  I enjoy meeting new people and find the network to be a fantastic space to do that and learn about different experiences and cultures. The opportunity to befriend colleagues in the network has enriched and broadened my perspective, and I’m excited about continuing to support the network members and colleagues across the university through this role.   

Mary Shek:  I joined the OU in 2018 as an Associate Lecturer, after varied careers in the NHS, Local Government, Charities and social enterprises. I have gained two Masters with the OU and currently doing a doctorate in Heath and Social Care. I have been in committee of the Black and Minority Ethnic Staff network for 3 years. I am on the Race Equality Self Assessment and Athena Swan Steering Group and working groups. My passion is Social Justice and Equity, championing the voices of less heard. I enjoy learning and I hope to support others to learn. Through the network, I hope to learn from others and continue to build a community where we support each other as well as championing equity at the OU. 

Ola Fadoju:  I have been at The OU since 2010 and have been a member of the BME network since 2019. Before joining the OU, I worked in Further and Adult education. I have also worked in the social work sector as a youth worker in West London. I am interested in the sociological aspects of sport, youth and education specifically in improving inequalities we continue to witness in these areas. I am currently the Co-Chair of the ECYS EDI working group and was a WELS AL rep in the Associate Lecturer Assembly (ALA). Ola is a Staff Tutor in the school ECYS and an AL in Sport and Fitness.  

Recommendations for Black History Month (and all year round learning!) 

Roberta Davies: I’d suggest the BBC’s  ‘Small Axe’ drama Small Axe – BBC iPlayer  and also the book Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga 

Mary Shek: My recommended book is Rollock Nicola (2022) The Racial Code Tales of Resistance and Survival. Penguin Books. The Racial Code (penguin.co.uk) 

Clemmie Quinn: Many Struggles: New Histories of African and Caribbean People in Britain – Edited by Hakim Adi. Available through the OU Library 

Suki Haider: I would recommend books by Emma Dabiri – Don’t Touch My Hair and What White People Can Do Next, Natives by Akala and Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera are short and accessible. 

Jenny Hillman: I recommend Epistemologies of the South by Boaventura de Sousa Santos – not an easy read but really deepened my understanding of decolonisation.  

This is obviously not (!) an exhaustive list. Please do add a comment below and let us know any recommendations you have for reading, listening, or watching.  

Clemmie Quinn – ALSPD 

Last time, our inaugural blog post promised you a survey of two infamous institutions.  A comparison between the educational approaches of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the Open University (OU) UK’s supported distance learning model presents a fascinating study in contrasts and similarities, particularly in their commitment to student success and wellbeing.  We consider this in more depth below.   

Hocus Pocus at Hogwarts? 

Although not entirely a ‘brick’ university (the bricks on each of the 142 staircases change direction at their own will) at Hogwarts, students are taught mostly in-person.  The unique setting allowing for hands-on learning experiences which is especially important for practical magic.  One must wonder how efficient and effective these experiences are?  The intimidating castle hosts learning activities, supervised by the learning and teaching staff at Hogwarts, which can be considered positively neglectful. In addition, students at Hogwarts are often depicted as absent from their course tutorials to investigate supernatural puzzles within and outside of Hogwarts’ magical walls. Although the teaching and learning model seems to be based upon mentorship and guidance these values are not always effectively deployed by the academic staff in the best interests of students.      

Principal of Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall, colluding with the Ministry of Magic allowed student Hermione Granger to undertake a heavy course load (with inevitable timetable clashes) using the magical device called a ‘time turner’ allowing her to attend classes simultaneously.  Not many of her tutors realised, her best friends Harry and Ron didn’t, and could we really deem this action to be in the best interests of the student? Some might consider the Ministry of Magic too keen to exploit Hermione’s exceptional academic talent, at the expense of her own wellbeing.  One’s attention should also be drawn to observations of the tutoring practices of Professors Snape, Umbridge and Quirrel.  Undoubtedly the subject knowledge for faculty staff is sound but we can see the mechanisms to provide consistent support to students may be lacking. 

 The Sorcery of Student Support 

We couldn’t say the same for the support our OU staff provide for our students.  At the OU our supported open learning and teaching model is scaffolded by a structure of continuing professional development and practitioner insight. Our roles in ALSPD ‘support our tutors to support our students’. The OU’s learning and teaching model exemplifies modern educational practices, emphasising accessibility, flexibility, and the use of data analytics to enhance student support. We utilise modern technology for interactive learning, including virtual labs, forums, and video lectures.   

Monitoring of student progress is always important.  This is equally true when rates of study fall outside of the norms, or when barriers occur that can inhibit a student continuing on their learning journey.  Supporting students in various contexts is a key feature of the continual professional development that ALSPD provides for our Tutors.  Engaging students within tutorials is vital to ensuring they are supported to pursue their interests and achieve their goals.   

In addition, the OU provides award– winning mentoring support for our tutors to gain accreditation through fellowship with AdvanceHE .  This allows our learning and teaching staff to gain accreditation and formal recognition of their teaching standards.  The UK Professional Standards framework (2023) is then, embedded throughout the institution contributing to assurance of exceptional educational practices.  Information about our bespoke programme ‘Applaud scheme’, coordinated by ALSPD and IET can be found on this internal link for staff Advance HE Fellowships (sharepoint.com)   

Technical Wizardry and Magical Mastery   

Careful consideration of the data we have about each student is vital to ensure their learning success.  At the OU, we are experts in the use of learning analytics and tools have been developed for tutors to identify students whose study progression may be at risk.  By understanding our students’ patterns of behaviour and performance, timely interventions can be used to help them get the most out of their courses of study.  Hogwarts might have the power of divinization to predict the future, or the use of a sorting hat to place students into defined ‘houses’ (with associated values and behaviours) to predict the probability of a student success, here at the OU we utilise the ‘magic’ of machine learning.  Internal staff can see our Early Alerts Indicators Website for more information.    

The OU employs a structured approach to learning that accommodates students’ diverse needs without compromising their well-being. At the OU, our EDI focused-events [internal link] and teaching toolkits [internal link] support developmental approaches to inclusive tuition for a diverse student body, who are able to access Higher Education via our open admissions policy and NOT because they received an admissions letter from an owl. Arguably, Hogwarts has a more interesting offer but some of the learning experiences leave a lot to be desired (Masters Certificate of the Dark Arts anyone?) In supported open learning, we challenge and stretch our students but don’t subject them to a deathly game of human chess.  Perhaps the faculty at Hogwarts could employ some peer development activity to help assure learning activities are engaging  – and safe?  Our OU Tutors all have access to colleagues with a magical mastery of teaching and learning expertise through our Peer Assisted Lecturer Support (PALS) scheme [Internal Link].      

Conclusion – Two Enchanting Educational Models 

Both institutions, share a common goal: to foster an environment where students can thrive academically. The key difference lies in their methods – Hogwarts through a more adventurous curriculum, and the OU through a supportive, data-informed supported distance learning framework. This juxtaposition highlights where the magic of learning can manifest in various forms, whether it be within the enchanting halls of Hogwarts or through the digital platforms of the OU. Ultimately, the success of these educational models is measured by the achievements and well-being of their students, unveiling the importance of adapting teaching and tutorial methods to suit the needs of learners. 

Clemmie Quinn – Senior Coordinator/Educational Developer, ALSPD

Back to School?

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…again. Whilst the baubles and gonks haven’t quite made it on to the shelves (yet), it’s backpacks and pencil cases galore signalling the advent of the new school year. In Higher Education (HE), brick universities start to see the buzz of arriving and returning students, and distance-learning providers like the Open University (UK) gear up for the busy autumn presentations of modules.

In all likelihood, though, the realities of our experiences as educators in HE probably makes the idea of being “Back” something of a misnomer. Whilst we’d expect (and hope that) most of us have enjoyed a break during the summer, the hazy romanticism of a long “vacation” period detached from teaching and learning belies the continuity that many staff provide for students at a distance – with correspondence tuition, telephone, and virtual support, for example. In fact, the idea of a traditional academic year in HE is more generally out of date as we know that most institutions operate with multiple start dates across a calendar year (Harris and Fallows, 2002).

Our timing for the first post in this Tuition Talk blog is perhaps, then, better thought of as capturing the spirit of being “Back to School”: the excitement and possibility, the eagerness to learn and grow – and, let’s face it, the new stationery.

Why should we Talk Tuition?  

Tuition at the Open University is unique and diverse. In ALSPD (Associate Lecturer Support and Professional Development), we try to root our developmental resources, modules and events in helping tutors to develop their practice in the provision of “supported open learning.” This is the pedagogic model which underpins both Practice Tuition and Module Tuition at the OU. This blog is intended as a space where we, in ALSPD, can facilitate a community of practice for all staff interested in tuition in the context of supported open learning. We hope it will be a valuable addition to other forums we offer (OU staff can find out more about our events here: What’s on? AL Professional Development Events Calendar (sharepoint.com)

What is Supported Open Learning?

Nearly 3 decades ago, Professors Simon Bell and Andy Lane described supported open learning as part of a move away from a focus on “teaching” and towards “learning”. As they put it:

“in selecting a movement of emphasis from teaching to learning we move from a linear process assuming relatively passive students with assumed lack of awareness/understanding being given information that results in assumed knowledge to a dynamic cyclic process of assumed potential constantly being realised. In the latter case the student is required to be active in the process of understanding themselves, keen to seek ideas, willing to set the agenda for learning and determining the learning process alongside the co-learners” (Bell and Lane, 1998, p. 635).

In pioneering supported open learning, the OU has been celebrated as one of the greatest innovators in UK HE (Ison, 2000). After more than 50 years since the OU was awarded its Royal Charter, tuition continues to be centred on personalized support and correspondence tuition in response to self-directed learning, but supported open learning has also embraced significant pedagogical changes along the way – such as the use of learning analytics to inform differentiated support (Marr, 2018).  The OU has been instrumental in our understanding of such changes, see for example the most recent work by Farrell et al (2024).

Tuition takes place variously in synchronous online group tutorials, in 1:1 individual support sessions, in the workplace or via virtual “Tripartite” meetings with apprentice learners or students and their employers, and through correspondence and telephone call. Tuition is often a blend of Learning Development (once known as “study skills”), Personal Academic Tutoring (or the “tutor counsellor” in a previous incarnation), academic development, and assessment feedback.

There is now a rich body of SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) from the OU’s scholarship centres and outside the institution on the value of supported open learning tuition for widening access to university education, and thus helping the institution achieve its social mission. As the model continues to evolve to meet the needs of students learning with new(er) technologies such as generative AI and address systemic issues through decolonisation, for example, our hope is that this blog becomes a space for healthy critical engagement with the SoTL.

“There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class” (Professor Severus Snape)- or will there?

At the time of writing this first blog post for Tuition Talk and designing our calendar of professional development activities, we are filled with optimism about the year ahead. And we’re not the only ones to feel magic in the air. Last week, the media reported vocal disappointment from Harry Potter fans at London King’s Cross railway station when there was no announcement for the ‘Back to Hogwarts’ train on Platform 9 ¾.

At the “University of the Air”, we might have Walton Hall, not Hogwarts, and Adobe Connect rather than Class 104-Defence against the Dark Arts. Yet we do see a good deal of technical wizardry in the technology-enhanced learning tutors provide for OU students, and a regular sprinkling of magic from our ALSPD-PALS (Peer Associate Lecturer Support team) supporting online tuition skills. Next time, on Tuition Talk, we’ll be exploring the magic in the transformations that OU tuition helps to bring about in our students.

Clemmie Quinn & Jenny Hillman (ALSPD)

This blog comes to you from the ALSPD (Associate Lecturer Support and Professional Development) team at the Open University (UK). We are a team of Educational Developers, Managers and Administrators and together we lead core training and development for Associate Lecturers and Practice Tutors across the faculties. Contact us at: ALSPD-team@open.ac.uk

References 

Bell, S., Lane, A. From Teaching to Learning: Technological Potential and Sustainable, Supported Open Learning. Systemic Practice and Action Research 11, 629–650 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022136204137

Farrell, Tracie; Alani, Harith and Mikroyannidis, Alexander (2024). Mediating learning with learning analytics technology: guidelines for practice. Teaching in Higher Education, 29(6) pp. 1500–1520.

Harris, R. W., & Fallows, S. J. (2002). Enlarging Educational Opportunity: Summer-semester provision in UK higher education. Quality in Higher Education, 8(3), 225–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/1353832022000031665

Ison, Raymond (2000). Supported open learning and the emergence of learning communities. The case of the Open University UK. In: Miller, Ron ed. Creating Learning Communities. Models, Resources, and New Ways of Thinking about Teaching and Learning,. Foundations of Holistic Education Series (1). Brandon VT: Foundation for Educational Renewal, Inc., pp. 90–96.

Marr, L. (2018). ‘The transformation of distance learning at Open University: the need for a new pedagogy for online learning?’ in Higher Education in the Digital Age, Eds. Annika Zorn, Jeff Haywood and Jean-Michel Glachant. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788970167