2 DIY Learn modules

The DIY Toolkit modules have been developed to support understanding of each template in the toolkit.

The modules can be used individually or in combination. Although they cross-reference each other, they are designed to stand alone and there are no learning dependencies between them. You can use one or more modules in any combination as a programme of study, according to your requirements. They can be studied in any order, although there are some logical orders in which to use certain tools for generating, selecting, evaluating and refining ideas. See Section 5.1 for more suggestions on this for assembling a training programme.

The DIY Toolkit draws on a study of many hundreds of tools currently being used, and includes only the ones which practitioners found most useful. Many of them are well-documented and have been widely used in other sectors. In that sense, this toolkit is standing on the shoulders of giants, and the DIY team are happy to acknowledge that. All the tool descriptions at www.diytoolkit.org [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] include a key reference, so it is easy to trace how the tools were created and dive deeper into other publications about their application.

The DIY Learn modules have been written by expert authors for The Open University UK. The style of writing follows pedagogic principles and techniques for distance learning that have been used over many years in Open University courses. This means that the modules are designed for use by someone who is reading and studying on their own. They have several features that are designed to ensure active learning by the student. Using these techniques creates greater flexibility because the modules are more resilient to variations in the resources available for teaching and learning in a classroom context. It enhances their value as the basis for training because the approach puts the ‘teacher in the text’. In practice, the modules can be used in a combined approach that is partly face-to-face teaching in a classroom and partly independent study. They can also be combined with practical training, work experience or other learning activity.