Preparing for The Start of Your Open University Modules

Hello fellow OU students and welcome tot he first of a series of posts written for you, by one of you.

Hello, I'm Signa, and I'm about to start my level 2 Classical Studies modules. I started these a couple of years ago, but had to defer for personal reasons, and then I took a year off while I moved from England to Scotland.

The weeks leading up to the start of your modules can be an exciting and stressful time. The Open University has a lot of guidance on their website, and when your tutor is assigned they'll send you some useful tips too. Other students can also be a valuable resource when looking for advice, and that's why I'm here to share some of mine. Hopefully it'll help someone out there.

A quick disclaimer: I am studying Classical studies and some of my prep work my not be useful to all of you. I am also disabled and do not work full time, so that is my frame of reference.

Setting up a study space:

This is the most important thing for me. Setting up a comfortable and practical study space. I know I'm going to be sitting for long periods of time so comfort is important. Nothing drains the joy out of learning like constant pain. I have my main study area, with my big comfy desk chair, my books and my PC set up. Let's be honest though, there will be times when I don't want to sit at my desk, so I also have a reading cushion on my sofa for those days when I need to be in a more relaxed position. I also have a smaller, movable desk which can be set up next to my bed for those days when my fibro is trying to foil my plans for world domination.

Course Materials I make sure to download the PFD versions of my course books, this means I can read them at my leisure. Sometimes it's just easier to hold my tablet than it is to hold a book. I also have the OU Study app on my tablet and I would definitely recommend that for anyone else who uses a tablet for their studies. I have printed out the Latin and Greek glossaries, and I suggest doing this if staring at a screen constantly gives you eye strain. Giving your eyes those little breaks is extremely helpful/

Getting familiar with your module website before your module starts is also very helpful. Module websites open roughly 3 weeks before the official start of your module. This will give you time to learn how to navigate to all the different areas of the websites and to the forums. I also suggest getting familiar with the library and the course website. The library has training videos available that you can watch to learn how to use the library, and your course website will have lists to useful toolkits for study as well as general advice.

Pre-Plan

One of the best things about the Open University is that your study time can fit your needs and routines. However, there are still dates that you need to be aware of that are not (for the most part) flexible. I get myself an undated planner, or sometimes set one up myself, (hello fellow bullet journal fans!) I'll book onto my tutorials as soon as they are available and pop those dates plus the dates of my assignments into my planner.

I also pop them onto a calendar I have shared with my housemate, which leads us nicely into my next point.

Talk to Those Around You

I love my housemate, she's my best friend, and that has it's own issues when I'm trying to study. I love a good conversation, and because my main study area is in our living room, a good conversation is very easy to come by and also very distracting. I added my tutorials and assignments to our shared calendar so that my housemate knows when I really do need to focus.

E-mail your tutor

If you've not done this already, introduce yourself to your tutor! I like to send off an e-mail as soon as my tutor is assigned, but you may wish to wait until your tutor sends their introductory e-mail.

OpenLearn Courses

OpenLearn is a free resource made available by the OU which hosts mini courses built from OU module content. I highly recommend checking out the ones that are relevant to your study and doing one or two... or 10 if you have the time. Getting into that study mindset and flow before the official start of your module can be very useful, especially if you've been out of education for a long time.

I hope these are useful for some of you, and I wish you the best of luck in your studies!

Until next time, stay curious.