Today sees the start of the new academic year or 19J as it is called within the OU. Each month is given a letter and so January is A, February B and so on. Along with the distance learning element through mixed media and forums the OU also provide tutorials, day schools (HERE is a write up of the first one of my BSc), weekend and week long residential courses for their students.
Tutorial provision depends on the course. Some are wholly virtual, using Adobe Connect, whilst some are face to face. Some courses offer a mix of the two formats and some course are purely virtual. Virtual sessions are recorded, so if students are unable to attend when they are “live” they can catch up at a time of their choice.
On my current course U116 with over a 2000 students, we have a mixture of the two. There are a range of tutorials over the academic year. Below is the screenshot showing the tutorials and when they flow within the module (TMA is Tutor Marked Assignment, the principle way work is assessed at the OU):
For each of these different sessions there is a range of options. Modules with bigger numbers have way more options from a geographical perspective. This module has over 25 choices in terms of physical locations and online options per tutorial. Below is a screen shot of the booking page, that we use to choose our options.
For each choice you are able, before selecting to find out about the venue location, so things like parking, accessibility and food are not an issue. This allows students to really plan effectively.
I really encourage OU students to attend tutorials. It is a great way to keep motivated, connect with peers and go deeper with module content.
What are your thoughts on this....