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Apr 2014
11:04am, 22 Apr 2014
2,205 posts
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jangles
Sorry if I'm being a pain.. Sometimes this stuff makes me feel so stupid I wonder why I bother.
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Apr 2014
11:16am, 22 Apr 2014
1,274 posts
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LindsD
Not at all! that's what this thread is for. You are NOT stupid. None of us are. We wouldn't be here if we were. *hug*
I'm sorry I can't help a lot as have no experience with OU but sounds like others can help.
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Apr 2014
11:30am, 22 Apr 2014
15,171 posts
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fleecy
You are certainly not stupid, jangles. It sounds annoying, my experience with the OU was very positive but it sounds like there has been a lot of upheaval in the last few years. I would contact someone about the broken link, if there is an example then you need to be able to access it. You should have contact details for the course team who can fix the link. Is there an alternative forum available? Tutor group forums are not always that well used (it was like pulling teeth trying to get my students to post anything there!) but general course forums (I think they were called something like OUSA) might be more useful. Or someone may have set up a facebook group or something, try searching for that course. Also, check that you have the right contact details for your tutor. I spent a whole year wondering why my tutor never replied to my emails before I read an email we got in the first week saying that he never checked his OU email and giving an alternative one!
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Apr 2014
11:36am, 22 Apr 2014
71 posts
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pink fairy
You're not being a pain at all jangles. I remember being terrified by my lit review as I didn't know where to start until someone showed me a paper on a similar topic I could follow the format of.
I am done with moping today. I didn't get the job- someone was available to start immediately and as it was fixed term funding to cover maternity leave they took them up. Got good feedback, which actually feels more frustrating. If my participant turns up this afternoon I will be happy (right now it is more important to have data then a job!)
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Apr 2014
11:57am, 22 Apr 2014
2,206 posts
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jangles
There has been a major upheaval with the OU this year with lots of cuts in funding etc.. about a month ago our entire Sports 'course team disappeared and we're now being overseen by the youth and education people. My attempts to get any kind of chat going on the forums falls completely flat as everybody seems terrified that they'll impart some useful piece of information which could be helpful to anyone but themselves..
This is my tutor's first year in the job and I get the impression he's bitten off more than he can chew. He's always woefully under-prepared for tutorials and just ends up waffling for an hour and he rarely replies to questions via the forum or email with anything other than "call me on ****number". He appears to only pick up messages from this phone once in a blue moon, by which time I've usually muddled through.
The Facebook group is populated by idiots who turn every request for proper information into a joke, some kind of innuendo the thread is hijacked by a certain moron who turns everything into something about himself..
I'm actually really frustrated by it all.. if I hadn't already invested 3 years of time and money and effort into this course, I reckon I'd give it up tomorrow
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Apr 2014
12:10pm, 22 Apr 2014
15,176 posts
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fleecy
That sounds dreadful, jangles. How about buddying up with a couple of sensible people from the Facebook group (there must be a few despite the morons). Otherwise, I think maybe just try to stick closely to the learning outcomes you've been given for your assignments (they are used for marking) and just keep plodding on! It's such a shame when people don't use learning forums properly, it benefits everyone who uses them.
I have done a good morning's reading and got my head round a few important papers *shines halo* so it's time for a bit of lunch I reckon 
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Apr 2014
12:24pm, 22 Apr 2014
1,940 posts
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FreshStart
jangles that sounds rubbish
I've finally managed to track down the 1936 reference I had misplaced. My supervisor just phoned and we had a nice (and productive) chat. I've been told to eat more chocolate and to go for a run.
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Apr 2014
1:18pm, 22 Apr 2014
4,314 posts
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Jambomo
That sounds pretty bad Jangles, at the end of the day you have to pay a lot of money for the OU courses and you have a right to expect decent support and tuition. Is there anyone overseeing the course that you could speak to (in a complaining but not-complaining kind of way?) its hard enough doing distance learning study without getting the help you need to!
There are a lot of Universities offering distance learning courses now, are there any others running the kind of course that you are doing that you could transfer your credit onto? (only in a worst case scenario!)
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Apr 2014
4:22pm, 22 Apr 2014
56 posts
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lambkin
Ey up Jangles this sounds rubbish and Jambomo is right about you being entitles to support. What subject are you doing? I'm in the middle of a lit review in the field of psychology and I used to study with OU so I understand how hard it is to feel like you're on your own and out on a limb. Feel free to inbox me if I can be of any help x
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Apr 2014
5:34pm, 22 Apr 2014
19,267 posts
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hammerite
Ended up out for the day visiting relatives by the coast, I took my laptop with me and managed to knock out 2,000 words in just a couple of hours. Amazing what a change of scenery, lack of distraction and an impending deadline can do. I'd made practically no progress in the three days before. The essay could be a big pile of junk though!
Relatively easy week on the course this week, although I have lots to be getting on with - starting with sorting the pile of paperwork that for some reason I seem to have piled up in the dining room!
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