TMA Feedback - Deflated

Does anyone else get like this?

I’m only in my first year and on my first module and not studied since A-Level days which was 17 years ago.

I achieved 90 on TMA01 and just received 75 on TMA02 which I think are great.

However I have 2 concerns …

1. My tutor said I went off topic for some of my essay and this made me feel deflated. Any tips for this area?

2. Even though referencing was not part of the marking grid for the first 2 TMAs I know from TMA 3 it is and I want to get this right, however it seems what I read online, what the OU module website says and what my tutor says has all conflicted. Should I be clarifying this further with him to ensure I am on the “right page” as him re referencing?

Thanks.

Reply 1

Veet Voojagig

That's some good feedback there! Far better to have something to work on, and to know where you went wrong, than to have no clue. It would be far worse if you got a really low mark for a TMA, with no meaningful feedback whatsoever.

Long story short, learn to love feedback. It is how you improve. Without it, you have no idea what your weaknesses are and what you need to be working on. Getting deflated about it is only going to make your experience a miserable one, because feedback becomes much more critical in levels 2 and 3. By then, you are expected to know what you're doing. You will need a much thicker skin.

Also, don't forget that your tutor is there to help. If you feel you are having trouble staying on topic, ask them for advice. They know your work better than any of us, so will be able to provide much more specific suggestions.

As for referencing, they are not going to be overly strict on your first attempt. You do get a fair bit of leeway at first. However, it is important to clarify with your tutor if you have any doubts. Furthermore, the module website will give you the standardised format. Always best to stick to that so that it becomes second nature. Each tutor may have their particular idiosyncracies, but if you stick to the OU standard, you have yourself well-covered.

Open University

Milton Keynes

Reply 2

Matilda_Moo

If you're using MS Word to write your TMAs, then you can have the references of the resources you use automatically populated into a bibliography - my OU course asks for Harvard referencing, yours may differ, but the information on what format they want should be in the covering TMA information. All you need to do is add the information into the citations bit of word, and then you can select the source you've referred to as you're writing your TMA.

Not correctly citing sources used is a serious offence and you could be accused of plagiarism.

Reply 3

Mark_.

Original post by Matilda_Moo

Not correctly citing sources used is a serious offence and you could be accused of plagiarism.

Which is why it’s strange when you have the module website saying one thing and your tutor providing you with feedback saying another, so there is no consistency.