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Kate Blackham

Summer holidays 1: getting ready for more Python, student survey on tutorials and writing my FHEA essay

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Edited by Kate Blackham, Wednesday, 3 July 2024, 15:45

I was searching for a book in the online library when I stumbled upon the fact that the OU library has (what appears to be) full access to the O'Reilly learning website including vast numbers of Python on-demand courses, books and videos (link only works for logged-in OU staff and students):

https://learning-oreilly-com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/search/?q=*&type=course&topics=Python

I need to add this resource to the list of Python resources I share in my tutor group forums. If you do visit this, note that in my case the cookies associated with O'Reilly seem to 'break' the automatic logging into the OU website/Moodle/intranet. Nothing a quick cache clear out can't solve, but somewhat annoying.

I discovered that there was a student survey run in May of this year into student perception of online tutorials, the results of which have just been released as an internal report. There's lots to think about and I will be coming back to it a lot as I contemplate how to improve my own tutorials. Several things stood out, there was mention of going deeper than the materials and preparing for the TMAs, the need to avoid it becoming too lecture-like (which is actually easily done if the students aren't chatty) and that they're often tired at the end of a long work-day. This is something I talked about with my Staff Tutor. After some discussion with my husband (a fellow Christian) I'm going to attempt to run all my tutorials next year on Sunday evenings. I know this is going to lose some potential students who would prefer a day of rest on the Sunday. I'm thinking that probably though this day/time will be more beneficial for more students than my normal Tuesday and Wednesday evening tutorials. And personally, Sunday hasn't been a day of rest for many, many years. My husband is a deacon in our church so we always are among the first to arrive at church to set it up (we meet in a school building and have to set up the seating, PA system, Sunday school, creche, refreshments, Bibles and other literature, etc. equipment every week) and always among the last to leave after everything has been put away. Saturday has long been my rest day.

Oh yes, and I have to write that FHEA statement. My mentor and my husband assure me I am 'on it', I feel less convinced and if honest I am struggling to motivate myself to knuckle down and get on with it. I think I need a holiday.


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