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Our Teaching Model

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The OU teaching model: Supported open learning

The OU delivers qualifications across all four nations and internationally. Our qualification teams ensure that the learning outcomes of the qualifications and its constituent modules and their assessment align with all UK frameworks.

The OU teaches through its own unique method of distance learning, called ‘supported open learning’, which is:

  • Flexible – students work where and when they choose to fit in with jobs, families and other commitments
  • All-inclusive – students get all the high quality materials they need to study
  • Supportive – personal tutors provide academic expertise, guidance and feedback and run group tutorials; and specialist advisers are on hand to help with other aspects of OU study
  • Social – students get together at tutorials, day schools and informal study groups; and through online conferencing, study networks and course forums.

Our modules are developed by multi-disciplinary module teams comprising:

  • Academics, educational technologists and media specialists contributing pedagogic and technical expertise
  • Respected academics from other universities working alongside OU colleagues
  • External examiners.

Open University modules are underpinned by research of international excellence and are subject to rigorous external scrutiny. In addition, a world-leading programme of research into teaching strategies and educational technologies ensures that our materials are effective and appropriate for large-scale open learning.

This model has helped to build the University's reputation for innovation, rigour and quality and has been adopted by distance teaching institutions worldwide.

Our modules: structure and design

OU modules are larger than at many other institutions, at 30 or 60 credits (300 or 600 study hours). They typically run over 31 weeks, with the majority starting in October and finishing in June.

Teaching at the OU primarily takes the form of the specially written module texts and activities delivered via a module website hosted on the OU’s virtual learning environment platform. The writing of the module content, activities and assessment is undertaken centrally by our team of central academics (Lecturers) and regional academics (staff tutors).

The OU’s teaching materials are not simply text but include a range of different media; images, audio, animated diagrams and video. They also include self-assessment questions and quizzes so that learners can assess their own understanding of the material they are studying as they go along. Activities, which are typically embedded in the materials, are of the following  types (example terms used when designing activities), with assessments a blend of all five:

  • Assimilative - Attending to information (Read, watch, listen, think about, observe, review, consider, study)
  • Communicative - Discussing with others (Communicate, debate, discuss, argue, share, report, collaborate, present, describe, question)
  • Finding & Handling Information - Searching for and processing information (Search, use, list, order, classify, analyse, select, evaluate, collate, plot, discover, manipulate, visualise)
  • Productive - Activity constructing an artefact (Create, build, write, make, design, construct, produce, draw, compose, record, remix)
  • Practice - Applying learning in a real-word or simulated setting (Practise, apply, mimic, experience, explore, investigate, perform, experiment, trial, model, simulate, improve)

Module delivery: Students study via a module website. Module material is delivered via a weekly study planner and as well as this content each module website also contains asynchronous module forum(s), links to the optional live teaching events (tutorials) and assessment materials. Support for the forums, online learning events are almost entirely delivered by our team of Associate Lecturers (ALs) or tutors, who also mark assignments, provide detailed written feedback, and offer support to students by telephone or email. Information on the module website can be found on the information for students on How will I Study?

Assessment: Students are assessed through tutor-marked (TMA) and computer-marked assessments, projects, examinations and dissertations.  ALs provide extensive individualised written feedback to every student on each TMA they submit. The identification of students’ academic needs and sometimes of their additional learning needs is achieved by ALs through this correspondence tuition. External examining ensures that we maintain academic standards and provides an independent view of the assessment process.

Practical work: Practical work is embedded in our modules, delivered online through the award winning OpenSTEM labs. Please visit the following for an introduction to the labs - Introducing The OpenSTEM Labs | Open University. Depending on the module this is offered as Interactive Screen Experiments, which are virtual scenarios using on-screen instruments and based on real data or remote access experiments housed in the on-campus labs bookable by students. Interactive lab-casts are broadcast live from our Teaching laboratories as part of the tutorial programme for many modules and students also have the opportunity to attend Laboratory Schools on campus or field courses.

Please see the following freely available materials on OpenLearn which provide examples of the type of learning materials that we provide to our students:

Module teams and academic roles in the School

Production of modules typically takes place over a 2-3 year time frame and involves not only the academics but also a curriculum manager, educational technologists, editors, media specialists (graphic artists, media developers, audio-visual etc), external consultants and external assessors. The production team work to develop the content of the module and its materials aligned with the module learning outcomes, with a particular focus on designing for retention. The academics work together in a team (of typically 3-5 academics), writing and commenting on multiple drafts of the materials throughout the production, before the materials are finalised. 

Following production, modules enter presentation, with a typical lifetime of around 8 years with some ongoing refresh/updates of materials at intervals during this time. Presentation of modules is supported by a core module team, who are responsible for the maintenance of the modules including assessment materials and any amendments to module content and activities. The core module team is supported by a large team of Associate Lecturers who have responsibility for the support of a group (typically 20) of students via the forums, optional learning events, as well as marking of the tutor-marked assignments.

Please see below for further information about the different roles of the academics in the School:

Central academics (Lecturers)

Central academics are based at the Milton Keynes campus and have responsibilities for teaching, research/scholarship and administration, with an approximate split of 3:2 for teaching:research/scholarship. This research ensures that our curriculum is up to date and informed by our research and scholarship.

As part of production module teams, central academics are involved in the planning and production of new modules.  This includes the authoring of the module texts, activities and assessment hosted on the module websites on the OU’s virtual learning environment platform. Production is very much a team approach and although each academic author is usually responsible for one or two topics, the team, under the guidance of the Production module chair, will act as critical readers for other topics in the modules. The module will go through a significant drafting and commenting process before the final version is produced.

The typical tasks for an academic on a presentation module include preparation of the assessment materials and marking guides and supporting students and the Associate Lecturers on forums at appropriate points in the study calendar (each academic would usually be responsible for supporting particular topics). Central academics also undertake academic conduct checks and processes around the end of module assessment or exam including the module results panel.  Further, they are involved in the annual Quality Monitoring and Enhancement (QME) review and the module reviews and revisions conducted at set points in the lifetime of modules. Academics are involved in shaping the wider curriculum as part of one or more qualification teams.

Staff tutors

Staff Tutors (sometimes referred to as regional academics) mostly work from home although a few may be based in the nation offices in Wales, Ireland or Scotland.  They have particular responsibility for overseeing the delivery of tuition. This begins with the recruitment and appointment of the Associate Lecturers (ALs), line managing, and ensuring appropriate staff development for ALs.  

Staff tutors also work with the School’s Student Support Team (SST) and with AL Services together with ALs to address any issues that may arise.  They work closely with the SST to support students and are involved in the development and practice of policies around student retention and success, as well as supporting diversity and widening participation initiatives. 

Staff tutors contribute to the development of the curriculum and are members of module production and module presentation teams, with similar responsibilities to central academics, with approximately 60% of time spent on regional duties and 40% on central academic tasks. Through their study leave (22 days per annum pro-rata) staff tutors also engage in pedagogic scholarship and development of theory and practice in learning and teaching and to disciplinary and interdisciplinary research more broadly. 

Associate Lecturers (ALs)

Associate Lecturers are designated home-workers and generally are contracted on a part-time basis, and many hold positions in other academic institutions or industry. ALs undertake academic tutoring on modules and provide learning support for students.  This includes welcoming students into the module (and the OU) and supporting their discovery and navigation of the module and other resources.  An AL is allocated a group(s) of students just before the start of the presentation, the size of the group depends on final registration numbers and the module they are teaching on, typically 20.  They mark and provide detailed feedback on TMAs and help guide students through the module content. They also provide individual guidance, whether for general study skills or topic knowledge. They are the first point of call if a student needs academic advice or guidance.

ALs are responsible for the design and delivery of tutorials, for many modules these are delivered in pairs or teams. 

ALs also support students in staying on the module through email, and telephone conversations, and can seek authorisation from Staff Tutors or the student support team (SST) when a lengthier individual support session is needed.  ALs work with the SST and staff tutor to achieve student support and retention.

ALs in general are not responsible for the production of the module content although frequently feed into the design process and may act as critical readers.