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How will I study?

It’s important you know what to expect when your study starts.

Take a look at the resources you’ll have access to and get an idea of what it's like to study with us.

Getting started with OU study

About two weeks before you’re due to start, your module website will open.

On there, you’ll have access to:

  • A week-by-week study planner.
  • The assessment section, outlining what you have to do for each assignment and when they’re due.
  • The tutorial booking system, online tutorial room and your tutor’s contact details.
  • Module forums where you can discuss topics with other students, complete collaborative work and get some extra help if you’re stuck.
  • All the online, PDF and accessible formats of your module materials and resources.

Your study planner will have most of your module’s key dates already, but you may have to wait a little longer for any residential school or exam dates. Don’t worry though, we’ll make sure you have these in plenty of time.

If your module has printed module materials, you’ll also be sent these before your module starts.

Studying your module

Your study will either be entirely online, or a combination of online and printed module materials.

If you have additional requirements, we offer alternative format materials. We’ll ask you to let us know before you start your first module.

Your module website will be broken down into study weeks. And each week you’ll have a mixture of reading, videos/recordings and interactive activities to go through. Wherever you can get an internet connection, you’ll be able to study.

Other resources

Of course, being a student at the OU means you’ll have access to a wealth of other resources as well.

We offer specialist support in the form of our Computing Helpdesk and career planning services. You’ll be able to use our career services for another three years after you stop studying with us.

You’ll have your own StudentHome page, which you log into through the OU website. On there, you can:

  • See all the courses and modules you’ve studied or are studying.
  • Access your module website.
  • Submit and collect your assignments.
  • Choose and enrol on your next module.
  • Find instructions on how to download free Microsoft Office 365 software, including Word, Excel, Powerpoint and more.
  • Get access to our online Help Centre, a fantastic resource which offers general study skills advice and information about OU study.

OU Library

Our online library will give you worldwide access to trusted, quality online resources, selected by subject specialists, to support your study.

  • Journals, magazines, academic books, newspapers, dictionaries and encyclopedias.
  • Library helpdesk, available seven days a week with a 24/7 chat service.
  • Access to other university libraries in the UK and Ireland.

 

The study materials proved themselves to be invaluable time and time again. The plethora of available materials aide you immensely; the audio, visual and reading material act as a lighthouse, a handrail, for your study.

Philip Mitten, BA (Hons) Open Degree

 

The great thing about studying at the OU is that we're the experts in distance learning, and we've been doing it for decades. We've been producing engaging courses that really focus not just on our social and global challenges, but also in the kinds of skills that will help you in your career, your life and your interests after university.

Dr Dan Taylor, OU Lecturer