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A image to illustrate Advance your independent learning module
This innovative module gives you the opportunity to advance your research skills whilst investigating a specific question or topic that relates to your professional context, previous study or personal interest. Your investigation can be within any subject area and may require you to venture across disciplines, to make connections as well as expand your field of knowledge, all whilst developing advanced skills in critical thinking, reflection and peer review, amongst others. Your final output can be a written report, training programme, a presentation or an audio-visual resource, whatever is best suited to your chosen audience.
This module follows an innovative, flexible design to allow you to explore in depth a topic of your choice. You might want to focus on a problem from your practice or professional context, or simply decide to deepen your understanding about an issue that interests you.
Your tutor will support you in defining your question or problem, and in planning what resources you need to access to understand it better. You will develop digital and academic literacy (searching for and evaluating information, being part of online communities), and critical, analytical and reflective skills. You will practise communicating your ideas in different formats and to different audiences, and learn how to feedback constructively and use peer feedback to advance your thinking.
Through a series of assessed tasks you will plan your learning and identify relevant resources to gain a better awareness of your chosen topic. You will share your interpretations with your tutor and fellow students through assessed and peer reviewed tasks that will help you refine your understanding and begin to articulate your personal answer to your initial question. And besides the freedom to choose what you want to study, you will also be able to decide what you will be producing for your final assessment. This could be a report for your employer, an article for publication, an information video, a series of talks, a children's book, a training programme – you just need to agree this with your tutor. You will also submit a reflection on how you have researched your topic and produced your final assessment piece, and this will help you consolidate your understanding and evidence your learning journey.
This module will help you develop the skills needed to conduct a rigorous investigation. It will show you how to engage critically with the information available and how to produce an original and individual answer that addresses your chosen question or problem.
Through this innovative and flexible module, students will develop a wide range of advanced academic and professional skills. These include critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and reflective practice, as well as digital and academic literacy, such as sourcing and evaluating information and engaging in online scholarly communities. Students will also enhance their ability to communicate effectively across different formats and audiences, and gain experience in peer review and constructive feedback. By designing and delivering a final project tailored to their interests or professional context, students will cultivate independent research skills and the confidence to produce original, impactful work.
Your tutor will help you plan your work and think about the ideas explored in the module. Your tutor will also comment on and support you with your assessments. Tutors are not subject specialists but have broad expertise at postgraduate level, and are experienced in providing the necessary support and guidance for students when formulating their research questions and planning and executing their project outputs. There will be one-to-one tutorials with your tutor, group tutorials with others, and opportunities to collaborate with fellow students through forum discussions and peer review activities.
Course work includes:
Examples of EMAs from previous students on the module include:
Example YXM830 project outputs are available on Open Research Online.
You'll have access to a dedicated module website, which includes:
Where possible the materials are also available in other formats. Please note that the purchase of print-on-demand texts is not an option for this module.
You can study this module on its own or use the credits you gain towards an Open University qualification.
YXM830 is an option module in our:
Advance your independent learning (YXM830) starts once a year – in October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2026.
We expect it to start for the last time in October 2031.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
You must have an undergraduate degree and be ready to pursue postgraduate study, however, if you have other study or experience that you believe equips you to take this module you can still apply, but you'll need to supply evidence of your study or experience. Your application will then be referred to the Programme Admissions Team.
This module is suitable both as an introduction to postgraduate study, or later on in your postgraduate studies, and can be a valuable opportunity to be supported whilst conducting a highly personalised investigation.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
Start thinking about the topic and question you want to investigate and what your output might look like.

An example problem could be:
If you propose to relate your project to work that you have previously published or research that you have previously carried out at undergraduate or postgraduate level (at the OU or elsewhere), you will need to demonstrate the following:
If you decide to delve deeper into a topic you have researched before then you must submit your previous work for review by your tutor and treat your previous work as you would any other resource by referencing any similar text or ideas appropriately.
If you propose to relate your project to your employment, the above will also apply, and you will need to discuss this with your tutor.
If you are new to postgraduate study, we recommend completing the free, badged OpenLearn course, Succeeding in Postgraduate Study, before the module start date. This free course (24 hours of study across eight sessions) introduces the nature of masters-level study and provides essential preparation for learning at this level. You may also find this course helpful if you are returning to postgraduate study after a period away from academic study.
This module is delivered entirely online, and you will spend significant time using a computer and the internet. Online materials include pages of text with images and audio clips, diagrams, interactive media and animations, with transcripts, subtitles and figure descriptions provided where available. You will need to read, interpret and produce visual content as part of your study. The module provides one-to-one phone tutorials and online group tutorials, and requires you to work with other students, including looking at and commenting on other students’ work and reflecting on comments on your own work. You will also be expected to search for and make use of third-party material online as part of your independent study.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our disability support pages.
StartEndRegister byEngland fee
03 Oct 202630 Jun 202717 Sep 2026£1,600
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to support your study costs. To find out more, see Postgraduate loans in England.
Studying with The Open University can boost your employability. OU courses are recognised and respected by employers for their excellence and the commitment they take to complete. They also value the skills that students learn and can apply in the workplace.
Over 30,000 employers have used the OU to develop staff so far. If the module you’ve chosen is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could approach your employer to see if they will sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees.
You can pay part or all of your tuition fees upfront with a debit or credit card when you register for each module.
We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.
Please note: your permanent address/domicile will affect your fee status and, therefore, the fees you are charged and any financial support available to you. The fee information provided here is valid for modules starting before 31 July 2027. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
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