October which sees the start of my third OU module for my BSc in Design & innovation (T217 Design Essentials) is still some way off.  The anticipation of the start saw me searching out for new forums this weekend.

Normally the OU provides asynchronous forums as part of the course:

1) A tutor group forum for the smaller cohort that are studying together with the same Associate Lecturer.

2) A module wide forum where the focus is on discussing the course content and process.

3) A café forum, which is for more informal discussion potentially related to the course, but also things that are vaguely connected.

These are useful, if not essential, but they only open a few weeks prior to the course and close three months after the module ends. Whilst there is also a permanently open design degree forum, its use is VERY low. Most informal connection seems too be done through other channels:

A) Facebook – For this module two forums exist: A general group for the module and then a specific one for the 2020/2021 cohort.

B) WhatsApp – I have not found a WhatsApp group yet for this module, but my two previous modules, U101 and U116 had them, so I assume someone will start one before October.

Both of these are really handy for peer support and allow students to keep connected beyond modules. Whilst the groups are pretty quiet at the moment, I would imagine more people will join in and start discussing the course closer to the start.

The OU does provide a clear social media policy for its students. it is pretty simple and common sense. The key point in it for me is “Information on social media channels may not be reliable or accurate. If you are unsure about something relating to your studies or The Open University in general, contact your tutor or Student Support Team.” This is particularly important when discussing assignments and what is in or out of bounds or when people discuss policies, such as delivery time for an assignment.

I have had a look at twitter also, to see if students or faculty are active there and I can’t see much use of the hashtag #T217 unfortunately.

Looking forward to starting!