Editing Open University (section)

=== Teaching methods ===
[[File:Belfast - The Open University.jpg|left|thumb|The Open University in Belfast]]
The OU has used a variety of methods for teaching, including written and audio materials, the Internet, disc-based software and television programmes on [[DVD]]. Course-based television broadcasts by the [[BBC]], which started on 3 January 1971, ceased on 15 December 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 Dec 2006 |title=End of a cultural era – but OU on TV evolution continues |url=http://www3.open.ac.uk/media/fullstory.aspx?id=9898 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425114843/http://www3.open.ac.uk/media/fullstory.aspx?id=9898 |archive-date=25 April 2017 |access-date=2017-04-24 |publisher=open.ac.uk}}</ref>  Materials comprise originally authored work by in-house and external academic contributors, and from third-party materials licensed for use by OU students. For most modules, students are supported by tutors ("associate lecturers") who provide feedback on their work and are generally available to them at face-to-face tutorials, by telephone, and/or on the Internet. A number of short courses worth ten [[Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme|credits]] are now available that do not have an assigned tutor but offer an online conferencing service ([[Internet forum]]) where help and advice are offered through conferencing "moderators".

[[File:Perry C building in Open University Campus in Milton Keynes, spring 2013 (3).JPG|thumb|Perry C building in Open University Campus in Milton Keynes]]

Some modules have mandatory day schools. Nevertheless, it is possible to be excused on the basis of ill health (or other extenuating circumstances) and many courses have no mandatory face-to-face component.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} Similarly, some modules have traditionally offered week-long summer schools offering an opportunity for students to remove themselves from the general distractions of their life and focus on their studies for a short time.

The university has separated residential modules from full-time distance-taught modules. Exemption from attendance at residential schools, always as an Alternative Learning Experience (ALE), is sometimes available for disabled students and others who find it impossible to attend in person (See "Qualifications-Undergraduate" section.)

For many years the OU produced television and radio programmes aimed at bringing learning to a wider audience. In its early years, most of these were in the form of documentaries or filmed lectures. Latterly, most OU-associated programming was mainstream and broadcast in peak hours, including series such as ''[[Rough Science]]'' and "Battle of the Geeks", while older-style programming was carried in the [[BBC Learning Zone]].

In 2004 the OU announced it was to stop its late-night programmes on [[BBC Two]], and the last programme was broadcast at 5.30 am on 16 December 2006. The OU now plans to focus on semi-academic television programmes, such as many now broadcast on [[BBC Four]].
[[File:The logo of FutureLearn.svg|thumb|The Open University launched [[FutureLearn]] in December 2012 with a dozen UK university partners.|225x225px]]
The [[Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education]] review published in December 2015 found five areas of good practice and made three recommendations for improvement.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 2015 |title=QAA Report, OU |url=http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/ReviewsAndReports/Documents/Open%20University/The-Open-University-HER-15.pdf |access-date=23 October 2017 |archive-date=20 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020155617/http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/ReviewsAndReports/Documents/Open%20University/The-Open-University-HER-15.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The English national survey of student satisfaction has twice put the Open University in first place.

In October 2006, the OU joined the [[open educational resources]] movement with the launch of [[OpenLearn]]. A growing selection of current and past distance learning course materials will be released for free access, including downloadable versions for educators to modify (under the [[Creative Commons]] [[BY-NC-SA]] licence), plus free collaborative learning-support tools.

In the early 2000s, the OU researched the use of virtual worlds in teaching and learning, and had two main islands in [[Second Life]].<ref>[http://slurl.com/secondlife/Open%20University/95/48/25/?img=http%3A//i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv283/OUvirtualworlds/Second%2520Life/SLURLThumbnailOpenUniversity-1.jpg&title=Open%20University&msg=Teaching%20%26%20Learning%20in%20Second%20Life Teleport to Open University island.] Second Life grid.</ref><ref>[http://slurl.com/secondlife/OUtopia/85/56/30/?img=http%3A//i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv283/OUvirtualworlds/Second%2520Life/SLURLThumbnailOUtopia-1.jpg&title=OUtopia&msg=Social%20community "Teleport to Open Life Village"]. Second Life grid.</ref> In May 2009 these regions formed the basis of a case study<ref>[http://secondlifegrid.net.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/Second_Life_Case_OpenU_EN.pdf The Open University’s Place for Us: Providing Geographically Dispersed Students & Faculty A Place to Meet and Learn Together.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707124515/http://secondlifegrid.net.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/Second_Life_Case_OpenU_EN.pdf |date=7 July 2011}} Linden Lab Education blog, May 2009.</ref> by Linden Lab, the company which owns Second Life.

In mid-2010, the university led the list of contributing universities in the number of downloads of its material from the educational resources site [[ITunes U#iTunes U|iTunes U]], with downloads of over 20 million.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 June 2010 |title=Open University's iTunes record |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/10446141.stm}}</ref> Open University continues to adopt [[Moodle]] as the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with their own team deploying custom plugins.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 October 2012 |title=Open University's Learning Systems Update |work=Open Universities |url=http://learn1.open.ac.uk/mod/oublog/view.php?u=ram65}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=26 November 2014 |title=Plugins created and maintained by the Open University |work=Moodle Plugins |url=https://moodle.org/plugins/browse.php?list=set&id=10}}</ref>

In 2013, the OU began a [[massive open online course]] (MOOC) platform called [[FutureLearn]], which is the UK's largest provider of free online courses.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}