Open Advice on... active learning

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Samina:
My name is Samina Zahar. I am doing Environmental Policies in International Context. I am a science technician at Salford University and an Open University student. I originally started studying because I just wanted something that I would quite enjoy doing and possibly eventually help me in my career.

Female speaker:
When she first told me she was doing an Open University Course I was thinking oh why, are you crazy? When she knows what she wants, she’ll do everything she can to achieve her aims, her goals.

Samina:
Engage with your course.

Active learning is getting to know the materials you have, television programmes, the coursework books. It’s all about understanding what they’re all about.

This is my study area. I have my workbooks here by my computer. Any other literature that I may need on this course, I actually have in this box on the floor hidden away in the corner. I have my study calendar on the wall. Green ones are the essays and the orange are for all the television programmes I have to record, and as I do these tasks I cross them off.

Where I work I do get a lot of practical experience but I wanted to do something that was more sort of theory to back up the practical work.

Plan your time.

With working at the Salford University I find it’s quite useful to use some of the resources they provide for their students. It helps me expand on the resources that I actually have. It could be during my lunchtime or instead of being stuck in traffic jams. I tend to stay behind possibly for an hour, could be two hours. So I just feel that time-wise I manage it a lot better. But I actually had the choice of studying in the evening.

Be flexible.

My best study skill is taking notes. I will read a particular paragraph and I like to put them in my own words. They’re easy to understand. If I’m not in a position to write notes I will do bullet points. I have the page number and I’ve highlighted certain words as well. And because I have the first few words of the particular paragraph it’s easy for me when I go back the books I can actually see them straightaway; whereas I think before I was spending a lot longer going through the text trying to find the relevant points that I did need.

Get support.

There is somebody at work called Ken that I feel is very helpful. Most of the courses I’ve done happened to be the areas that he actually teaches in. if I have any problems he’s able to put me in the right direction.

Ken:
I think my job really is to act as a critical friend and Samina comes to me initially for advice but she also then goes and seeks confirmation of that advice from her Open University colleagues.

Samina:
One step at a time.

After studying I light my candles because I like to take in all the aromas to help me relax. I think taking breaks is very important because I think your brain cannot absorb any more information. You just put your books away and go and do something else. If I do get a good degree I’d like to go on do my MSc. I’d like to get into research. We do have postgraduate students. Many times there is no one to help them with their research so I’d like to get into that area. There is more time to do other things. My family feel as if I have taken on a lot of work. I’m working full time and I’m studying.

Female speaker:
She has changed quite a bit. When she’s doing her research and she talks about it, you can see the way she’s doing it now is very different to how she started. Before, she was a little bit all over the place, not knowing exactly what she was doing, but now she’s very aware of what she’s doing, how she’s doing it and she’s more methodical.

Samina:
When I have an assignment to write, the title is usually based around the chapter you’re actually reading at that time. And they do encourage people to do essay plans. So you can sit down and work through the plan and decide what the important bits are and where you need to put them. There are keywords that you do need to define, so I’ll put that into my introduction. The information from bullet points, any notes that I’ve take and any words that I’ve highlighted. Then use these points, expand on them. So I may do two or three drafts, and if I’m still not happy, I’ll rearrange things and then finally, hoping I’ve got it right, I then send it off.

Doing the Open University course was something I want to do for myself so I could broaden my horizons.

Female speaker:
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