By Leanne Goodall

Are you trying to decide which module is right for you? It’s that time of year when many students have finished their modules and are moving on but not everyone finds it simple to choose which module is best for them. Here are 7 tips to help you pick the right module for you.

1 – Read blogs like this one

SurvivingtheOU.com was set up to aid students in their journey towards a degree with The Open University. It provides information and articles which are designed to help in some way. Browse the site to find a wealth of information and you just might find something to help you with your choice. As well as this site, there are many other blogs that are written by students and contain information about their study journey. Perhaps they might offer an inside view of one of the modules you are considering. Look about and see what you can find.

2 – OU Students Association

If you haven’t found it already then the OU Students Association (OUSA) is a must. It offers far more than just advice; it’s a student community for you to get involved with. OUSA is run by students, for students and promises that if it can’t help you then it will find someone who can. This is a great place to look for advice and information regarding individual modules.

3 – Phone the OU

This goes without saying really. The Student Support Team are there to do just that, support you. They are great at giving advice about module choices and pathways and are on hand during office hours. Give them a call and it may just ease any concerns.

Tel: 01908 541072

4 – Student Module Reviews

Almost all of the module descriptions on the OU website also come with module reviews which have been written by students that have previously done the course. Some of the reviews can be quite detailed and give a really good insight into what to expect. The STOU website has also begun to gather detailed student reviews together. Reviews can be incredibly helpful at giving you a little more information from a student’s perspective and are certainly worth reading before you make any decisions.

5 – Facebook groups

Most modules will have at least one Facebook group that students can choose to join. They are generally used to give a little support and encouragement to one another but can sometimes include files and basic materials linked to the module. A little browsing through the recent Facebook group for a module you are considering can be very insightful. You’ll find out how students coped with exams, EMAs, TMAs and the workload but be warned you are likely to read negatives as well as positives. Take it all with a pinch of salt and just try to give yourself an overview. You do have to do a little searching to find them. A good place to start might be to find the main group called ‘Open University’ (with over 11700 members) and then ask about individual module groups within that one.

6 – Ask Twitter

If you use Twitter then that too can be a useful tool for finding other students and asking their advice. My first tip would be to tweet OUSA (@OUStudents). They often retweet student requests out to all of the other students and as the OU students are a friendly bunch, they will often reply and be as helpful as they can.

7 – Other Students

Do you know some other OU students already? Ask them which modules they have done, what they recommend or what they plan on doing and why. If you don’t know any yet then start asking about in ‘normal’ life. You will be surprised just how many OU students are out there once you get finding them. Strike up the conversation with people and you’ll soon know other students and have people to ask.

Now you have some top tips to help you make your choices.

Good Luck!

Leanne is half way through a BA (Hons) in History with the Open University and enjoys writing as a freelancer as well as on her blog. Find out more here. You can catch up on all of Leanne’s excellent contributions on STOU here.

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