Anyone doing U212 with the OU?

[SleepyJess]

Just wondered really.

Am panicking about the fact that we are obviously expected to work on new stuff AT THE SAME TIME AS working on assignments! This may sound old hat to some of you seasoned students.. .. but I have only done a Level one course previously (finished in Sept) where they spoon fed you everyhting you needed to know.. provided idiot-proof student notes in the assignment booklet... gave you a blow-by-blow essay plan at each handily timed tutorial....

I am panicking a bit.. Have done a couple of week's worth already but only dawned on me today how much I need to be completing each week! (Was feeling all smug because start date is not until 28th Jan. Serves me right!)

SJ x

Don't fret it babe. You'll do fine. Just work out how much you need to do each week and the time in which you have to do it.

Stay away from MN during those times.

I'm about to start AA306 and I haven't read the plays for ages. Gotta start on them tomorrow. The course starts a week on Monday.

We'll be fine.

Hi Guys

I'm about to start on S343 and S342 - third level chemistry courses - and there's no spoon-feeding here!!! The course units only arrived today and course starts on 28th Jan - so no chance of getting ahead. Still we'll be fine. Good luck both of you for your courses.

Regards

thank you stargazer. Hope it all goes well for you too.

Can't wait for the stuff to arrive. In fact, I may log onto the OU website and see what else I can be doing on this course. I'm just starting to read the plays.

Thanks for the feeling of solidarity guys. Must go and get on with it now. Also had a chat with Elbell on phone last night.. she is an Mner and an Italian tutor at Leeds.. and she had informed me that I MUST learn to prioritise and learn to cut corners. This is v.true. I write reams and reams of notes.. and then, most of the time don't refer to them but instead refer back to the course material for the TMAs!

I write far more than anyone else.. I have seen this at tuturials.. it became a standing hoke last year.. . Was determined to be different with this course.. but have already filled half a note book (thick, A4 size!) with one chapter! There I am with my highlighter.. and it ALL seems relelent and I am scared not to include it in my notes. Suddenly I have literally highlighted most of the page!

Elbell said I must force myself to read without a pen or a highlighter in my hand and then ask myself afterwards what parts I think I need to go back over to fully understand.. and that it is sometimes ok not to write anything down!

Does anyone else have this problem?? (I think for me it's a pitfall of studying alone.. I panic and think 'I must write as much as poss.. do ALL activities and ALL exercises...' etc..

SJ x

Hi sleepyjess - I can relate to your difficulties with note-taking! I'm doing DD100 at the moment, and have registered for two Level 2 courses starting in September, so I am really trying now to get my study strategies right, because my workload is going to increase dramatically.

I tend towards the opposite extreme - I find writing reams of notes is a complete waste of time for me ... I tried that approach earlier in the course, and found it was too difficult to refer back to them when TMA time came around.

I can't bear to mark my books, so I don't highlight either. I do use mind maps, although I'm not sure I do them "properly". However, I think they're a good way of brainstorming a topic, and they're easier to refer back to later on, as you have all the main concepts on a single page. Have you tried mind mapping at all?

Whilst mind mapping is useful, I am still struggling to find the right method (for me - everyone's different) to take notes that will be a useful resource later on.

My latest tack is the "read and look away" method. I read a chunk of text, then look away and summarize the main point(s) in my own words. The key I think is to force oneself to restate the ideas in the text in one's own words - that's the only way you know whether you've understood or not.

starting in October, not September - doh!

Spacedonkey I have just done the equivalent of DD100 which is DD121 & DD122. It's a good course isn't it? I was pleasantly surprised with my eventual result.. but knew I did not want to take social science any further because the 'maths' element - such as it was.. freaked me out a bit! (My TMAs were notably devoid of any actual figures.. but I got away with it!) (

What exactly is 'mindmapping'? I have forgotten!

SJ x

It's an excellent course, yes! The statistics/economics side of it is less interesting for me too, but I'm thoroughly enjoying the more theoretical aspect of it. It seems to me a lot of people doing DD100 are wanting to go on to Psychology degrees, and yet there is little in the way of psychology content in the level 1 course, although it's supposed to be interdisciplinary. It seems to focus mainly on sociology.

Anyway, mind mapping. It's a diagrammatic way of making notes: you put the topic in hand in the middle, and branch out from there with all the related "stuff". (Articulate, aren't I?!) There's a brilliant book about mind mapping (actually he's written several) by Tony Buzan, which explains the theory behind the technique and gives lots of tips on the best ways of using mind mapping (I think it's called The Mind Map Book - it's about £6 in Waterstones and well worth investing in).

Mind mapping doesn't suit everyone, but I think it's important to experiment with lots of different techniques until you find a method that works for you. I'm still experimenting here ...

SJ, here's a link to more info about mind mapping

That mind map link looks really handy. Have book marked it. Thanks.

So anyone out there doing an Arts Degree with OU? More specifically anyone doing Shakespeare like me? The excuse to go and watch plays was fantastic!

Ah I see SD thankyou. Well I already do quite a lot of spider diagrams.. which are roughly the same thing.. but have to watch I don't dereriorate into a great many 'legs' which also end up having copious notes attached to them if I'm not careful! My 'spiders' are very deformed!

Meant to say, I too used to have issues about writing in the course books.. (another reason my (lovely I just want to point out!) tutor group used to laugh at me - I would NOT write on the books! Glad to hear I was not the only one! I got over it though. My tutor pointed out that I was doing myself something of a disservice in not clearly marking relevent parts.. (although now I do myself a disservice marking too much!!)

I suppose if you want to flog 'em on Ebay (or sell them on in the the OU mags) then NOT marking them is worthwhile.

You do know though that when we refuse to mark the books, we are behaving in the mindset of school kids!!! These books are OURS.. bought and PAID for.. we are ALLOWED to put pen on them!!

SJ x

lol SJ. Bought and paid for indeed!

Well... ok.. mine are paid for by the state (how did you know that?!).. but they are still mine.

aha, but I use mini post-it notes instead, thereby marking points of reference without ruining book!

The problem with underlining and highlighting in books is that as your ideas develop you may actually disagree with what you had previously found to be most relevant.

That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it

Well the stuff's all here.

Just reading through now. And about to watch more athletics lol.

I've a feeling I may be MIA for a while cos this is a heavy duty course.

what's the workload like at level 3 MoL?

heavy!!!!!!!!!!!

OK well that's a given!

but in terms of number and length of TMAs? Do you do a final project?

it's a literature module. So there will be lots of essays and a written exam.

6 TMAs and 3 hour exam [wry smile]

TMAO1-5 are 2000 words each and TMA06 is 4000

Thanks MoL and good luck with it

I'm doing two level 2 courses concurrently, and was thinking of following that with two level 3s, but I have a feeling the workload might be too great ...

Not two level 3s. You'd kill yourself babe. Are they 60 pointers or 30 pointers I didn't think they allowed you to do two 60s in one go.

Enjoy your studies. I'm finding it a little hard to read my hefty Shakespeare book in the bath. It requires great strength to hold it up for minutes at a time.

Have been reading away though. Just popped on here whilst I wait for the veg to finish, then I'm back onto my studies.

So would it be a better idea to do one Level 2 and one Level 3 together? Yes, both 60 pointers. I want a degree in four years!

doh, I meant to add that yes, you are allowed to do 120 points in a year. Some people even manage 150, although you have to convince the OU you can handle it before they'll allow you to do that. But 120 points is commonplace - there's an OUSA conference called "120 pointers"!

now... that's worth knowing for next year

Maybe a level 2 and 3 would be good together. Still if you have the time and think you can handle the essays... then go for it!

I'm going to give serious consideration to doing a 120 pointer next year.

I'm going to look at that conference.

btw.... how do you write emails on the OU site. I seem to keep sending the tests to myself... maybe I shouldn't be lazy and should do the practise thing.