6.4.2 Online CPD

However, face-to-face isn’t the only option for tutors to interact with their academic community in real-time. Using our online conference system tutors can meet up in the online space for development events. Without the need for travel to specific venues, these events can be more frequent and highly flexible in nature, providing that all-important continuity for tutors.

The OU tutor community (some 1350 tutors in the STEM faculty alone) comprise an enormous distributed team of staff who are passionate about teaching and their subjects. For new tutors, this ‘on tap’ resource presents a fantastic opportunity to learn from the experts.

A shared experience of tutoring OU students provides lots of common ground for tutors from across the STEM curriculum to make contacts and seek advice. However, tutors also belong to other academic communities, usually based within their STEM discipline area.

In the OU STEM Faculty [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] , we have six Schools and tutors have a School ‘Home’ based on the modules they teach. Access to this broad community through School events and communications keeps tutors in touch with the full-time STEM academic community-based at the Open University headquarters in Milton Keynes, allowing them to keep up to date with the latest developments around discipline research and research into teaching and learning in their subject.