OU Survival Guide to: First Year TMAs

Brain Mapping

Your first, shiny new box of study materials arrives from the OU and you're full of excitement and perhaps a little bit of apprehension too.

Your box will vary depending on your module, but my first one (for AA100) contained:

• Welcome letter (with box contents)
• Study companion
• 4 OU textbooks
• 4 OU DVD sets
• 2 OU illustration books
• Assignment booklet

First of all, make sure you have everything in the box that the letter says you should have! If anything is missing, call the number provided and they will get the missing item(s) out to you.

Have a quick read through the study companion and put a tab in the section where it tells you about referencing - you WILL refer back to this a LOT, I promise!

Remember, you have around a month to prepare yourself for the start of your module. If you can, try to get ahead with the reading - you'll feel much better during those weeks where getting reading time in to your normal routine feels impossible. 

Next, go through the assignment booklet. It will mean next to NOTHING to you at this stage, but it will give you an indication as to which subjects you will need to give extra attention to. I always keep the assignment question to hand when I read through an assignment-based chapter and I refer back to it when I'm making my notes.

I'm going to skip ahead to actually tackling the assignments now, because your first actual weeks will be laid out in the online study planner.

I *shock, horror* highlight sections of the chapter in yellow as I read through it for the first time, picking out sections I feel are key. Use a pencil to make notes in the margin for anything you think is interesting or would make a good point in your assignment answer. I also make notes in an A4 pad, as I feel I understand a little better when I read back my own writing and notes.

Next, READ the assignment advise - the OU is great at giving you hints as to the learning outcomes of each TMA and what they think you should focus on. You'd be silly to ignore the guidance notes.

Then I go back through the chapter with an orange highlighter and pick out the really important things I want to mention in my answer. Be sure to make a note of the page number and source of any quotes - you'll regret it if you don't, because those quotes hide when you go back through the book!

Remember to have an introduction that briefly lays out what you plan to cover in your assignment. Then (depending on the word count) mid-paragraphs which flow through to your conclusion. Be sure that you ANSWER the question, and that the conclusion clearly states your answer.

I have little spider diagrams which I use with examples and points I want to make, then I try to bullet point them in the order I intend to use them in my answer. As you write, this order may change. And that's okay! Personally, I try to finish my first draft about 2 weeks before the deadline; this gives me a chance to put it to one side and forget about it for a few days. Then I'll go back through, reading it with "fresh eyes" and make any amendments I need to.

I like to have a version of my TMA uploaded a few days before the deadline - just. in. case. I'm a planner - I plan for the best, and the worst! At least if anything goes wrong at the last minute, you have an assignment submitted. 

Probably right up until the moment you finish your final draft, you will think you don't know anything about the subject and will fail the assignment. Then you will have a 'eureka!' moment when you re-read what you've written, and realise that you actually know more than you think!

Good luck with your first TMA!

Laura xx