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Opinions on OU tutors...

1

Just wondering what everyone thinks about OU tutors?

I'm just about to start my fourth course, but of the three tutors I've had so far, only one has been any good! He was really approachable and always contacted us to see how we were getting along etc. The past two have been rubbish - the tutor from my second course basically didn't mark our TMAs for two months and people were beginning to worry after he didn't reply to emails/phonecalls for over two months either! We couldn't do certain bits of our TMAs because he didn't submit the group discussions!!! In the end a lot of people moved to different TGs because of it.

My latest tutor is just as bad - I've been waiting for TMA marks for over a month now - she doesn't reply to anyone's emails or messages on the TGF and appears every now and then with a load of excuses as to where she's been and promising the TMAs by a certain date but they don't appear!

Having a bad tutor is demotivating for me. I mean, I only just passed my last course, it was hard having no support or feedback throughout the course. I always worried about whether I was doing things right! With my current course, I have a TMA due in in less than a week but I haven't done half of it yet because I was hoping to get feedback on my last TMA (to see if I had done the things I did wrong on the first TMA right) before this one was due in. It's so annoying! :mad:

I have the exam in less than 3 weeks and now I'm panicking :s-smilie:

What are everyone elses experiences of OU tutors? I'm hoping my next tutor will be better!

Reply 1

xaheartdx

1

I have only just started with the OU on an openings course, but my tutor is lovely :smile:

She has rang me 3 times now to see how I'm getting on and whatever and is easy to talk to

Reply 2

Vokes

10

I'm coming to the end of my time with the OU and my wife has also studied with the OU in a different area and I've found some are really good, really enthusiastic and a great help whilst others seem to see it as an inconvenience that they only do for the extra money and are aweful.

No worse than a normal uni though I guess where some are great and others see you as an inconvenience to their research :biggrin:

Reply 3

Lunarsea

2

Can't really comment as I'm only just starting my maths openings course which is the first (of many) courses I will have to take with tutors. He's phoned me once to see how I was getting on and said he'll call every fornight for phone tutorials. He seems very nice but it hasn't been a fortnight so it remains to be seen.

Can you not report bad tutors to the OU? I've never looked into it but it might be worth finding out.

Reply 4

Vokes

10

Lunarsea

Can you not report bad tutors to the OU? I've never looked into it but it might be worth finding out.

Yes you can if they are really bad but in most cases some will do the bare minimum (send all TMA's back on the last day they are allowed etc) Even known some deliberately hold on to them until the last day in their own words "because they can".

Thats not the norm by any means though. Most are good tutors, some are more proactive than others but the majority will be more than happy to help if you ring them.

As I said before, it's now worse than what happens in any uni :smile:

Reply 5

Lunarsea

2

Vokes

Yes you can if they are really bad but in most cases some will do the bare minimum (send all TMA's back on the last day they are allowed etc) Even known some deliberately hold on to them until the last day in their own words "because they can".

Thats not the norm by any means though. Most are good tutors, some are more proactive than others but the majority will be more than happy to help if you ring them :smile:

They sound lovely (the bold text). :s-smilie:

My tutor has stated that he encourages his students to email him or phone him if they have any problems. Which gives me confidence that I have been allocated a good tutor. :yep:

Reply 6

Vokes

10

Lunarsea

They sound lovely (the bold text). :s-smilie:

My tutor has stated that he encourages his students to email him or phone him if they have any problems. Which gives me confidence that I have been allocated a good tutor. :yep:

Yeah he was an idiot lol. Exception rather than a rule though thankfully :biggrin:

Like any uni they grades their students get reflacts on them so its in their bast interests to help :smile:

Reply 7

mackemforever

17

I don't have much experience but my tutor couldn't be much better.

I am doing a 6 month maths course and my tutor:

•

Lives 3 houses down from me

•

Is a good family friend

•

Used to teach at my school and taught me GCSE maths

So while my situation is very unusual it couldn't really be better!

Reply 8

Kipepeo Girl

mackemforever

I don't have much experience but my tutor couldn't be much better.

I am doing a 6 month maths course and my tutor:

•

Lives 3 houses down from me

•

Is a good family friend

•

Used to teach at my school and taught me GCSE maths

So while my situation is very unusual it couldn't really be better!

Haha, not too shabby.

I'm a bit worried about having phone tutorials on a couple of courses because I'm not very good on the phone. I just hope I understand. :o:

Reply 9

SunburnedCactus

11

The majority of mine have been alright, but I have had a couple who are very terse in response to emails or take aaaaages to mark work. On the flipside some are really helpful and go the extra mile to give you loads of useful feedback on your TMAs and make extra handouts and so on. Am hoping for a nice one for my final year project.

Reply 10

bubblybea

I am three weeks into my short course sk195 and have not had a call from my personla tutor. This is my first OU course and it really is a bad impression.

Reply 11

heidigirl

17

bubblybea

I am three weeks into my short course sk195 and have not had a call from my personla tutor. This is my first OU course and it really is a bad impression.

You don't have tutors for science short courses. :wink:

If you need any help, you can contact a study advisor, or go on the course forum. It's all on a pink sheet you get with your book and DVD.

I'm doing SK195 too, along with S171. I kind of wish you did have tutors though (and maybe a few short assignments or something aside from the ECA), because a lot of people start with short courses and not having a tutor means you don't really get the full-on proper OU experience.

Reply 12

lupinpooter

4

I've had six tutors during my time with the OU and they've all been fine, although one in particular was brilliant (loads of constructive criticism and general moral support). They aren't paid much so I don't expect a huge amount from them tbh.

Reply 13

Moggs

10

I've only had one so far for a Maths course I did earlier in the year. She was really excellent. I felt a bit bad I didn't have any questions and pretty much steamed through the course on my own, but if I had have needed it, she was right there at the end of the phone/email, checking up to see how I'm doing and reminding me she's there if I need her at regular intervals.

Reply 14

½+½

10

My tutor for my first course (that I dropped because it was crap) was really good. He would send out emails to us regularly, posted on the forums and would respond pretty quickly to queries. TMAs were normally back within a few days.

My other tutor is ok, he answers 'fairly' quickly to queries but he has never contacted us off his own back. I've had my TMAs back generally around 10-14 days later. He's not posted in the TG forum but not many people have. Out of perhaps 5 threads, I started 4 of them! Quiet times.

I'm hoping my S104 TG forum is more active as I'll need a lot more support with it than these other courses.

Reply 15

bubblybea

heidigirl

You don't have tutors for science short courses. :wink:

If you need any help, you can contact a study advisor, or go on the course forum. It's all on a pink sheet you get with your book and DVD.

I'm doing SK195 too, along with S171. I kind of wish you did have tutors though (and maybe a few short assignments or something aside from the ECA), because a lot of people start with short courses and not having a tutor means you don't really get the full-on proper OU experience.

Oh right! Lol. Makes sense then. But i thought, being new to the Ou with it being my first course I'd get something a bit more personal than the forum. But the forum is a great help anyway.

Reply 16

Lunarsea

2

bubblybea

Oh right! Lol. Makes sense then. But i thought, being new to the Ou with it being my first course I'd get something a bit more personal than the forum. But the forum is a great help anyway.

You get tutors with the Openings courses, which are truely designed for beginners to a subject and distance learning, but not with most of the short science courses. When signing up to OU courses, if there are no TMAs listed on the course info page, you won't have a tutor.

Reply 17

aimeelala

OP

1

Sounds like a lot of mixed experiences then! :wink:

Still waiting for my last TMA marks despite the next TMA being due in this Friday. I have contacted my regional centre and they're looking into it. My TGF is also really quiet and no one ever posts! I wish people would participate more!

Reply 18

SunburnedCactus

11

The tutor group forums are usually very quiet but the regional ones are always quite busy and usually have a bit of useful discussion on TMAs and that sort of jazz.

Reply 19

Lunarsea

2

I have more to add about OU tutors now. My tutor for S154 has been in contact and he seems great so far.

He's been encouraging his TG to post on our TGF and introduce ourselves, he's been really quick in replying to these messages on the forum and answering email. So I'm getting more excited about this course. :biggrin:

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