Tutor Feedback

I haven’t posted anything on this blog for quite some time. I am currently preparing for the end of module exam for W102. I definitely ought to pick up the pace of posting updates, else I will fall behind on my intended goal… to document my learning through this blog.

Today though, I want to write something about tutor feedback, given in the OU through an ‘Assessment Summary’ in HTML format (it opens with your web browser), and through comments that are placed on your assignment document, which is submitted in Microsoft Word format.

The comments are usually about what you missed in answering your Tutor Marked Assignments (TMAs) so that you got lower marks that you could have gotten otherwise. In other words, the comments are your tutors’ way of showing you where you fell short in your answer, and how you can improve in the future.

For those new to OU, and I’m sure there are readers who are, it is difficult not to take critique of your work personally. It is tough to accept that your ‘best’ you turned out is being criticised and taken apart by someone else. I know it took me some time to get get over a feeling of resentment and some feelings of disappointment and even anger. Even my self-reflecting parts of my TMAs were uncomfortable; it is difficult in the most extreme ways to realise that you are putting less effort that you can, or that you are not focused or any number of other reasons why you are under-achieving. Even to admit you don’t understand the material is something a person may not admit.

But once I put those negative feelings aside, and began to follow the advice, I saw a definite improvement in my marks and my presentation skills. My learning and self-reflection also improved dramatically. Now, I score in the upper 80s in all my TMAs.

I’m not saying that as a boast. I’m saying that I took the opportunity to learn from past mistakes, and put personal feelings aside and took the suggestions as lessons for improvement. Guess what? It works! I have been working on ‘tweaking’ my answers so that I can move into the 90s, and I have been pestering my tutors for tips and tricks.

Do I feel guilty for pestering them? Not at all. For the most part, I have found that my enthusiasm transfers to them, and they are just as eager to see me succeed. And they are paid to spend time helping me, so I do not feel as if I am in any way taking them away from something more important or personal to them. I lost that ‘guilt’ a long time ago. This is another thing OU student may short-change themselves in… your tutors are there to help you and not contacting them when you need help is putting yourselves at a distinct disadvantage.

For those who do not know, the OU LLB is a really tough degree. In fact, one of my tutors informed me that the ‘Year 1’ work at OU is something year 3 pupils at the traditional universities will have trouble answering the questions set.

That is not to discourage you. It just means that the work is actually better organised, better presented and definitely more in-depth than the traditional ‘black letter’ learning.  When you graduate from OU law, you know your shit better than many LLB students. And you will take that to the bank.