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YXM130 allows you to select your own curriculum so that you can study the subjects you are most interested in. This gives you the opportunity to learn more about the subjects you have chosen for your Highers or broaden your study to include topics that are not offered at your school. 

Structure of YXM130

YXM130 covers 300 hours of learning split between your choice of curriculum and the materials and assessments provided via the YXM130 module website. You select 150 hours of learning, of which up to 50 hours can come from your Highers, and the module team provide materials and assessments which consolidate your learning filling the remaining 150 hours.

Choosing what to study

OpenLearn offers 100s of free courses which you can select to make up your own personalised study plan. The OpenLearn website groups courses into 9 broad subject areas to help you find the things you are interested in. All our free courses - OpenLearn - Open University

Although your YXM130 tutor will help you develop your study plan, it is best to have some ideas on what you might include ahead of the module start.

Assuming you plan to go on to further university study, we recommend you select both study skills and subject-based courses. Developing your study skills will help you perform well in your Highers as well as prepare you for the future.

To give you an idea of the range of courses available, below are some examples from four popular discipline areas. We’ve also provided examples of Study Skills for Higher Education courses and courses related to Scotland. There are many more courses available on OpenLearn covering a wide range of topics so YXM130 offers a flexible way to study.

Most YASS students select OpenLearn courses aligned to what they have applied to study at other universities in the following year. If you are unsure about your future choices YXM130 offers the opportunity to test different subject areas, and you can change your study plans as you progress through the module.

Another way your course choices in YXM130 can support you is through selecting courses that directly support your current Higher study. For example, if you are studying a language Higher you might select an Openlearn course in that language to develop your skills and widen your vocabulary.

When looking at the OpenLearn website you will see that the course listings indicate the number of hours and the course level. We recommend selecting introductory level courses (Level 1) unless you already have expertise in a particular topic. 

The YXM130 module website and your tutor will give you further guidance on your final study plan which will need to include 150 hours of learning that you have chosen.

As a YASS student, you are able to use your Higher study for up to 50 hours of your chosen learning, to which you need to add 100 hours of courses from OpenLearn.

There are also some example study pathways created by OU members of staff, based on subjects they would be interested in studying if they registered for the module. If you would like to look at the example study pathways collated by the module team, click here: Making your learning count – Example study pathways (YXM130) | OpenLearn - Open University.