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Being an OU student
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2 Your module website

Your module website is the key focus for your studies. It’s where you’ll find your module-specific material, tutorial arrangements and assignments.

Each module has its own set of resources, activities and discussions but the layout of the module front page is built on the same structure for every module.

You’ll usually be able to access it around three weeks before the start date for the module, so depending on when you are studying this course, you may or may not be able to access your own module website on StudentHome yet.

Watch the following video to familiarise yourself with a typical module website.

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NARRATOR
When you start studying with the Open University, you can usually access your module website a couple of weeks before you need to start studying. All you need is a computer, a tablet, or a mobile phone and internet access. Once you're on the website, you can start working through your study materials and contact your tutor. You can watch videos, complete quizzes, and take part in discussion forums and online tutorials. Your study planner gives you a step-by-step guide through your studies. It can also tell you if you've got an assignment or a tutorial coming up. And by tracking your progress, you can decide what you need to prioritise and focus on next. All our modules are structured to prepare for your assessments. You can access all the important information, including your grades, whenever you want. You can also take part in the community and module forums, which are a really important part of your studies. And here, you'll be able to talk with your tutor and other students and find support if you need it. And finally, your online materials are available in a range of different formats which you can download onto your devices. So you can study when you're on the go. Welcome to your module website. It's with you every step of the way.
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The common features on the module website are as follows.

The study planner

This shows the module activity week-by-week. You’re given the date that the week starts and any specific resources you need to access. If your course has an online guide, then there are clear links to this as well. You can use the planner to keep track of your progress by clicking the progress indicators on the planner. You have the choice of having either a narrow view (just the current three weeks of information shown) or an expanded view (showing all weeks). The planner is a great way of finding out what you should be doing when and helping you to get there quickly.

Here is a video explaining how the study planner works.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]
NARRATOR
The study planner is your week-by-week guide to studying the module. Online study materials and activities that are specific to particular weeks are listed in this study planner. At the top of the study planner, you can switch between viewing just the current weeks or the entire planner, showing all the weeks in the module.
The current week is always highlighted. Use the Expand and Collapse arrows to customise the weeks you see. You can also use the Expand/Collapse All tab at the top of the study planner. If you scroll down to the bottom, you'll find options to Export or Print the study planner.
Most items have progress tick boxes so that you can mark your progress through the module by taking off the materials and activities as you complete them. Doing this will update the progress bar at the top of the study planner, showing at a quick glance how far through the module you have come or highlighting any studying you might have missed. Hovering your mouse over a particular part of the progress bar will show you the item that part of the bar relates to.
Note the blue Help box with the question mark. You can click on this for help and information. These Help boxes are found in several places throughout your module website, should you need them.
If you are studying using a smaller monitor or mobile device, your module website may appear slightly differently. No information is lost. But items might have moved or might be found within a new menu, if not located as expected. You can find information about your tutor and a link to contact them to the right of your study planner.
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Your tutor’s details

Most modules have dedicated module tutors – you’ll find out about the role of the tutor in Session 3. If you have a specific tutor allocated to you, then their name and contact details will be shown on the module website.

Assessments

Details on your assignments can be found here. You can access the questions and your marks once you start receiving them. You’ll look at assessment later in this course.

Tutorials

Many modules have tutorials. These may be face-to-face or online. Details of the tutorials, their location and a tutorial booking system can be found on your module website.

Forums

Most OU modules give you the opportunity to engage with other students, discussing academic ideas, asking questions or generally chatting. These discussions take place in the forums. Your tutor may also use the forum just for your tutor group to post instructions for module activities, notes from tutorials or general feedback.

This video explains how forums work. We’ll take you through them in more detail in Session 4.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]
NARRATOR
The Forums page holds all of your module forums, including those within the study planner, and can be accessed via the navigation menu. The table at the top of the page lists any website forum not found in the study planner. The table will show when the last post to a forum was and if there are any new posts or messages. When a forum has new posts or messages you have not read, this is shown using an envelope icon next to the forum title.
The "Forums in the planner" table lists any forum that is also in the study planner, as well as its location within the planner. On the right-hand side of the page, the Edit Settings option allows you to set your preferences for email notifications from forums to which you have subscribed. The Online Appearance link enables you to edit your profile.
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Resources

Some modules provide you with additional resources that may be helpful for the module. These will be found, perhaps unsurprisingly, under the heading of ‘Resources’. This is also where you’ll find downloadable copies of some of the module material for you to store on your computer or mobile device to use when offline.

News

Rather than filling up your inbox with lots of messages, the OU will post general information for you and specific-module information on the module website. If you want this information emailed to you, you can choose to ‘subscribe’ to this. It’s also very easy, and instant, to ‘unsubscribe’ from any messages.

A note about travelling to different countries

You may find problems in signing into OU websites from some locations. The locations we are aware of are:

  • Crimea Region / Sevastopol
  • Cuba
  • Iran
  • North Korea
  • Syria

If you’re travelling to one of these locations, or anywhere where your internet connection might not be reliable, you can download your module materials in advance by going to the ‘Resources’ tab on your module website.

In some of these locations students use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to sign in to OU websites. If you're planning to study via a VPN, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are aware of any legal requirements or restrictions in that location.

Activity 4 Checking information on your module website

Timing: Allow about 15 minutes

This activity can only be completed if your module is due to start within the next three weeks. If your module start is more than three weeks away, then the module website may not be available, so come back and try this closer to the start date.

  • STEP 1: Go to StudentHome and click on the link to your module website from the central panel.
  • STEP 2: Explore the site and find out the following:
  • the name of your tutor or study adviser
  • how many TMAs there are for the module
  • when the first TMA is due
  • if there are any messages on the course-wide forum
  • whether there are any messages in the tutor group forum.

Did you manage to find all this information?

Discussion

There is a lot to get used to in the first few weeks or so of studying. Just try and spend a little time getting to know where things are in the module website.

Next you’ll look at the OU websites dedicated to qualifications and wider subject resources, rather than individual modules.