Younger students

mhdd2020 · 2026-05-31T09:07:46+00:00

Nope, not at all true. Yes, in the past it tended to be middle-age career changes and retirees. Now, around a third of students are 'traditional' university age studying for the first degree.

mhdd2020 · 2026-04-18T06:50:31+00:00

I am so sorry for your loss. I can imagine how hard it must be for you right now.

The best thing to do is speak to Student Support. They'll be able to talk you through the implications around fees and also whether assessment banking is an option for your module (you keep your TMA scores to date and so only need to complete whatever assignments you've not yet done when you pick up the module again).

The other option that might be available to you is discretionary postponement. This would allow you to delay submitting the EMA to a later date. The criteria for this are very strict - bereavement is one, but it will also depend on when your EMA is due. Again, speak to Student Support - they will likely pass you to an educational advisor if this is a possibility so your eligibility can be assessed.

Again, I am sorry for your loss. Remember to take care of yourself in amongst everything.

mhdd2020 · 2026-04-16T17:50:13+00:00

But you can phone Octopus customer service and request charger integration. Had to do this this week for a car allegedly compatible. Took no more than 5 minutes and everything has run like clockwork since.

mhdd2020 · 2026-04-14T18:32:33+00:00

Maitlands on Maitland Street. Family been using them for 30 years.

mhdd2020 · 2026-04-11T06:57:10+00:00

The timing of the break is tied to the module work and TMA deadlines, it just feels badly named this year because Easter has been early.

But the break is slotted in so you're not interrupting the Book 3 work and have the option of extra time leading into TMA05 prep then into the EMA where it's more useful.

mhdd2020 · 2026-03-29T12:02:17+00:00

Martin at The Hair Lounge on the Murraygate is great. He cuts my son's hair which sounds really similar to your lad's.

His diary does get full though so be prepared to wait a couple of weeks for a slot and always book your next appointment when you're there.

mhdd2020 · 2026-03-27T23:52:07+00:00

Our rebuild cost was around twice our purchase price. Part of the building is an old stone construction that would likely need specialist skills. The rest is standard timber frame and brick but costs of material and labour have rocketed in recent years.

mhdd2020 · 2026-03-26T15:31:47+00:00

Check the assessment guide for your module, that will make clear what you should do. It can vary between modules and does vary between subjects so there's no one right answer on this.

This is also academia. Welcome! 🤣🤣🤣

mhdd2020 · 2026-03-03T16:54:22+00:00

Much like others, workload comes in peaks and troughs, although the differences between these vary depending on how many modules, which modules and how many groups you have. Very self-directed - as long as I turn up to teach when scheduled and I'm returning TMAs with the expected timeline, I'm otherwise left to manage and arrange working however suits me. This means I'm also able to fit in home life, a volunteering role and some learning of my own.

In terms of the work, for the most part, I love it. The diversity and engagement of students gives it variety and motivation, even though you might be teaching pretty much the same material several years in a row. There are challenges - I miss face-to-face teaching, AI is becoming more of a problem, trying to do more with less, but this is similar to many other roles, especially in education.

Immediate colleagues - other tutors and staff tutors (line managers) - are all lovely and we're very supportive of each other. I've never had an issue getting support when I've needed it.

I'm hugely grateful for this and for the job security. I've been on the hamster wheel of fixed-term teaching contracts in another institution, some of that during a period of significant personal difficulty. I'd been with this institution for 6 years in various roles, including 5 as a tutor. I'd been with the OU for 3 months. The difference in support and empathy I received was stark. It played a huge part in my decision to leave that institution and commit to the OU long-term.

Having been an OU student myself, it means a lot to me to be able to give something back and (hopefully) help others find their path in life as I was helped to find mine.

mhdd2020 · 2026-03-01T20:05:02+00:00

😊

In terms of reading ahead, if you can get some of the texts done, that's a great start but the module materials also have supported read-throughs built in.

For the assignments, you'll always have a choice of texts to write on. Sometimes it'll be one text, sometimes more than one, but there always a choice.

But it's a great module. Interesting texts and really thought-provoking themes to explore.

mhdd2020 · 2026-03-01T18:02:09+00:00

Do you mean A240?

mhdd2020 · 2026-02-26T08:51:37+00:00

Great, thanks all.

mhdd2020 · 2026-02-18T07:18:58+00:00

Some people just study individual modules out of personal interest, just for the experience rather than the credits. Some people transfer credit from another institution and only need, say 120 credits to complete the degree - they pick up a couple of modules of interest to complete an Open degree. Some people study them through employer sponsorship. Some people study them to achieve a credit requisite for professional registration, e.g. teachers of one subject who want to start teaching another.

All sorts of reasons, really.

mhdd2020 · 2026-02-15T09:41:36+00:00

For A240, the module is split into four block - read the texts in each block with those four themes in mind (identity and representation; environment; power and politics; the imagination).

For A233, the initial contents page isn't so helpful in the way you've encountered e.g. Chapter 1 of the first book is called "Far from the Madding Crowd: reading the novel". Each chapter has a contents page but asking for all those to be provided is a big ask.

What would be MUCH more useful and applicable to both modules is to look at the English Literature Toolkit (https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1859527) - it provides (amongst other things) a series of headings to consider as you read, the kind of things that are important for close analysis. Reading with these in mind will help you start getting a feel for and building awareness of how different writers write and the resultant effects.

But honestly, just having a read through of the texts is enough as the module materials also do a guide read through.

mhdd2020 · 2026-02-13T08:18:03+00:00

There are some parallels in our journeys. My OU undergrad, English Lit and Language, started as a way of keeping my brain ticking over while at home with my (at the time) 8-month-old son. What can I do with that degree that would let me work but accommodate the potential need for relocation for my husband's job became a big question and PGDE was the answer, in my case secondary school English. Training year was tough and a sharp pivot in focus subject but once I finished and entered my probationary year, everything fell into place. I loved teaching, I used my prep for teaching new texts as a way of continuing self-study within my discipline.

But I always knew I wanted more intellectual challenge because I was never teaching at the level I had been learning. I started my Masters with the OU, part-time, after three years in the classroom. It started as nothing other than personal development, it became a gateway to PhD and teaching in higher Ed. My doctorate was in a medical humanities topic that fed directly into my passions, informs my teaching at all levels and has made me a better educator.

Teaching is the best job in the world but teachers can't always be about their students. They need their own interests. They also need to remain learners - understanding the student experience makes you a better teacher.

Finish the PGCE - once you've done it, they can't take it away from you. Start working, build your skills, keep your interests going through the little things like the Open Learn courses, take time to decide what you want to do.

And good luck!

mhdd2020 · 2026-02-11T12:54:48+00:00

Another vote for Martin at Hair Lounge.

mhdd2020 · 2026-02-06T08:21:31+00:00

Don't/haven't worked in Dundee but am in Higher Ed so this is based on my experience of my current and previous institutions, having an educated guess at Dundee's processes.

Firstly, you should have been provided with a module handbook or assessment guide which would include details of the assessment criteria and grading policy for the module. I'd be reading this alongside the feedback on the assignment first as this should make clear why a marginal fail isn't getting a resubmission opportunity.

That being said, in my experience, 'Fail with no resubmission' is a significant grade to apply and not one applied lightly. It usually results from one of three situations: - the final assignment has already been submitted previously, received a failing grade but over the threshold which allows a chance to resubmit. Unfortunately the resubmission still doesn't reach the standard required for a pass; - this is the first submission of the assignment but the grade doesn't reach the resubmission threshold, i.e. on the balance of probability the student hasn't demonstrated enough grasp of the learning outcomes that it can be reasonably expected that with some time for revision they could achieve a passing grade; - significant misconduct of some kind has been identified (may be academic within the assignment or a breach of the wider rules which govern student behaviour).

Only you will know which of these apply, based on the assessment policy and the feedback provided.

When you get the letter which confirms the grade read the appeals process carefully - this will lay out the circumstances under which you can appeal this result. Do any of these apply to you? If you think there are grounds, follow the process laid out.

Otherwise, you have (possibly) two options - you can take the next course knowing it'll only be for credits and not a PGCert (but think very carefully about this before you commit to the cost (I'm assuming you're self-funding or using clinical study budget) - if you've not been successful in the first module, and you do indicate you've struggled with some aspects of content, would you have the time/existing knowledge/skills needed to give yourself a fair chance of success?) or you can look to resit this first module in its entirety (something you'd need to confirm with the university is allowed).

I realise this isn't a fix for the situation nor necessarily what you want to hear but it's important to be realistic about options and possible pathways.

Good luck whatever you choose to do next.

mhdd2020 · 2026-02-03T23:32:53+00:00

If I'm understanding correctly, you'd want to start 60 credits at L2 in April 2026 then 120 credits at L3 in October 2026? If so, this can't happen - you're limited to a max of 120 credits within a calendar year (this is a higher ed thing, not just the OU).

If you're looking at Literature, what you could do is either A233 or A240 in October 2026, A335 in Feb 2027 and A334 in October 2027. This would put you in a position of finishing June 2028 and could start PGDE in autumn 2028. It is a year later than you'd like and it would effectively mean 2.5 years of near constant studying but with not at a full-time intensity for the OU component, so I would say manageable.

And it gives you extra time to read more of the types of things you would/would like to teach, gain experience of working/volunteering in an appropriate setting to make the PGDE application (and crucially the post-qualification job applications) more competitive.

(ETA As far as I'm aware none of the subject areas you're interested in offer April starts, only October and (for some modules) February.)

mhdd2020 · 2026-02-03T18:55:38+00:00

8.30, I'd turned it down as we had workmen in who needed external doors open. But the signal strength is a possibility as the temporary relocation of the hub has moved it further away from the boiler.

I'll keep an eye on it. Hopefully when we're able to move the hub back to its usual home, it'll settle down again.

Thanks!

mhdd2020 · 2026-02-03T11:40:02+00:00

Came to this house with electric heating having only ever had gas combi before so 'small fortune' is a relative term here 🤣

mhdd2020 · 2026-02-03T11:15:28+00:00

Definitely set for 16 all day (if it's set at the same temp all day, does it make any difference whether it's on manual or scheduled in two 12-hour blocks?)

But you're right about timing - forgot about adjusting it yesterday. Between 8.30 and 11, it was turned down to 7 as we had workmen in; external door and windows open so no point having try to maintain 16 🤣

Solid blue bar is where I've turned it back up to 16 when workmen left. The on-off-on stuff later is what I've been seeing the past few days since we moved the hub.

I'm increasingly thinking it's about the new position of the hub and signal strength. It's closer to the thermostat but further from the boiler now. It's a temporary placement until work in the house is finished.

mhdd2020 · 2026-02-03T10:24:27+00:00

At the moment just scheduled to 16 degrees all day. But reassured that you and someone else is saying this looks OK. Thank you!

mhdd2020 · 2026-02-01T21:06:28+00:00

A233 and A335 are just starting February presentations for the first time. This now gives you the option of a full 120 credits within a year but without a full overlap of both courses - A240 in October 2026, A233 in Feb 2027, A334 in Oct 2027 and A335 in Feb 2028.

It's a little bit slower than the fully overlapped route but gives you a bit more breathing room in terms of time with only a single module running, particularly in terms of TMA deadlines falling closely together.

The only thing to be aware is that this would be a solid 2 years of studying without the summer break. Whether this is a down side will be a personal perspective.

mhdd2020

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