3 What does it mean to be an OU student?
What it means to be an OU student won’t be the same for everybody but there are certain things that you can expect from us, and in turn we expect from our students. These ways of working together are set out in the Open University Student Charter.
The Charter was developed jointly by the OU Students Association and the University and at its core are four principles. These are:
- We treat each other with dignity and respect.
- We aim to inspire and enable learning.
- We share the responsibility for learning.
- We work together to secure the University’s mission and to promote the University’s values.
These values are to be open to people, to places, to methods and to ideas; to be inclusive, innovative and responsive.
The overall message is one of a partnership, not of you and us but all of us, together.
The Charter sets out our general values, but sometimes you might wish to consult a full policy document, for example if you have a problem or need to make a complaint.
All student policy documents can be found in Student Policies and Regulations [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] , as can the Charter.
Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
The OU is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and ensuring that all our students feel valued, respected and able to reach their full potential. We encourage our staff and students to take the Union Black: Britain’s Black Culture and steps to anti-racism course to learn about race, anti-racism and allyship. Our specialist team collaborated with Professor Marcia Wilson, Dean for EDI and Lurraine Jones, Deputy Dean for EDI, to design and develop the course with consultant Black academics from other institutions.
The course has been developed in partnership with Santander Universities and is free for all OU students. Click to register on the Santander platform. A step-by-step guide is on hand to help you through each step of the registration process. You can register now and then complete the course at a convenient time.
Being an apprentice
If you’re an apprentice you should read the Being an apprentice pages on the Help Centre. These explain the specific things you need to know about studying as an apprentice.