Sesame April/May 2002 - The Open University

SNEAKPREVIEWThisyear’s newgrads● page 5Ses ameApril/May 2002 Reaching the Open University community worldwide Issue Number 2082001 Courseresults andround up● pages 7-9Adviceontap● page 14The lenghssome tutorswill go to● page 16Help save the world from your desktop ● page 6

2 Sesame April/May 2002 Issue 208LettersShort summerresearch projectsI am a social sciencestudent currently studyingDD201. Last year I studiedDD100 and DXR220.DXR220 is a one weekresidential course thatexamines the issue of TheInformation Society. Moreimportantly than that, itaddresses the issue of researchmethodology. In oneweek it gives a ‘crash course’in what most other studentsin conventional university settingsdon’t get to examine indetail until at least masterslevel. In my new course thisyear we are only beginningto touch on some of thesemethods that are so vital toWrite to: Letters, Sesame, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AAe-mail: M.D.France@open.ac.uk Fax: 01908 652247 . Please supply your full postal address ifyou want your letter considered for publication. Letters without full addresses will not be considered.the social scientist.Would it not be possible tohave some residential weeksset aside in the summers p e c i fically for short researchprojects?Don’t underestimate thepower of the undergraduate.New ideas are the lifeblood ofthe corporate world.Some of us choose toexplore our potential later inlife. This doesn’t makeo u r ideas any less valid.Mixed with a huge dollop oflife experience, this couldmake for a potent recipeindeed!Kate AshWiltshireThe point of timeplanning quest i o n sLast year I studied MU120 and like Charley Stone(S e s a m e letters 207) I stopped sending in TMAs afternumber 4 because of the ‘time-planning’ questions, andconstant requirement to detail my ‘study problems’, my‘progress’, my ‘aims’ and my ‘objectives’.Having studied continuously with the OU for 14 years andacquired both a BA and BSc Hons and two Diplomas along theway, I just wanted a modern maths update. I have no planningor organising ability but have never missed a deadline, andhad no problems with the maths content of that course, butjust restating this over and over was not what the OU wanted.Like Charley, I just wanted to be assessed on my mathsanswers and not lose marks because I would not construct astory of an anguished, striving student, so that my tutor couldprovide ‘personal counselling’. So I completed my study of allthe course material without any assessment. As I only studyto keep my brain active this is a tactic that will be used in futurecourses if they contain study skills sections.Mike ReederLowestoft, SuffolkSesameis produced by thePublications Team of theOpen UniversityEditorJane MatthewsManaging EditorMalcolm LaneAdvertisingManager/PhotographerSheila FormanPublicationsAssistantMaxine FranceViews expressed in signed articlesare those of the contributors and notnecessarily of Sesame or the OpenUniversity. Publication of an adver -tisement or loose insert in Sesameshould not be taken to implyUniversity approval or recognition ofthe goods or services advertised. Inparticular courses advertised byother institutions relating to OpenUniversity courses are not in anysense part of those courses; nor, inthe University’s opinion, is attendanceat any privately arrangedcourse necessary for the successfulcompletion of Open University studies.Students should decide for them -selves whether they wish to attendsuch courses. Sesame is printed onpaper made from trees of managedforests or waste-based products.SesameThe Open UniversityMilton Keynes MK7 6AATel (01908) 652585(Sesame only)e-mail (editorial only):Sesame@open.ac.uke-mail (display advertising only):S.K.Forman@open.ac.uke-mail (classified advertisements)M.D.France@open.ac.ukP l a n n i n ghelps someWith reference to the letterin Sesame 207 complainingabout the ‘time-planning’question of many Level 1TMAs.I feel the reader is missingthe point of them. They arethere to help students whohave not studied for a longtime and also help to get intothe OU way of thinking.John PeachLondonRAF trainingI am a second year student with the OpenUniversity and a SNCO Air Loadmaster (ALM)on helicopters in the RAF. I recently madeenquiries into how I might be able to havepoints accredited towards my OU degree frommy RAF training.I have discovered that the Defence HelicopterFlying School multi-engine training course, whichI completed in 1999, allows a credit transfer of 20points at level 1 for pilots and navigators (commissioned),but not for ALMs (non-commissioned).There is also a credit transfer allowance of 15 pointsfor Initial Officer Training but not for the AirmanAircrew Initial Training Course.It is of great concern to me that in this age ofequal opportunities, which the RAF and the OUare extremely keen to support, some opportunitiesare more equal than others.Tim Reid, Hook, HampshireResults are recognition enoughI came close to sympathising with MickMcGuinness’ letter (S e s a m e 2 0 7 )defending the ‘whinger’ brigade untilI read the ‘Star Letter’ on the samepage.Michael Herrington takes issue with thefact that ‘undergraduates’ do not receive a‘certificate’ for completing a 30- or 60-pointcourse. Why should they?Are not undergraduates presumablystudying to graduate, which in our casemeans to complete the full 360 points?E l e c t ro n i ccopies ofT M A sPam Jarvis of Sheffield(S e s a m eletters, 207) hasmade a valid point. Inthe current climatethings are very ‘up inthe air’ with the postalsystem. Consignia isshowing no ‘quick fix’ tothe situation, and so itwould appear that thingswill not get better soon.As a new student to the OUI am, of course, even moreparanoid about TMAs reachingmy tutor in time than mostand so have sent my TMAspecial delivery. This, it wouldappear, may have caused mylong-suffering tutor to trudgedown to the post office toretrieve it, much the same wayas Pam Jarvis has.Surely the opportunity tosend electronic copies of ourprecious TMAs to our tutorscan solve the problem. I cansee that this would help invarious ways:1) With a return of receiptthrough the email, the studentis relieved of the worry ofwhether or not the TMA hasreached the tutor.2) It saves the legs and patienceof the tutors making multiplevisits to the post office.3) It saves the students theprice of a stamp.I appreciate that not allstudents have these facilitiesavailable to them so the postalsystem cannot be abolished assuch. However I would suggestthat electronic media shouldbecome an option to solve theproblems.Charles WilcocksonHarrogateI’ve done it again – forgotten toset the video and now find thattransmissions for A316 are notrepeated.I have two weeks to go before myassignment needs to be in andalthough I’ve just sent off my postcardrequesting a copy of the video I doubtI’ll get it back in time to use the materialin my TMA. Am I alone? I doubtit. So why doesn’t the OU distributethe TV programmes on video with therest of the course material? They areobviously produced on video, videotapes are now very cheap, and if thematerial is important why not includeit with the rest of our material?Bernie DoeserCheshire£10 book token for published letters and£5 book token for contributions to just a thoughtI do not recall during O or A levels beingfeted six months into the thing; and noram I aware of students in ‘conventional’universities thumping the desk for wallornaments prior to completing theirdegrees.The little brown envelope, especially if itcontains notice of high grade, is all the‘recognition for success’ that’s reasonableor necessary.David GlenWhaddon, HertsO ptional exa m sI write in support of Ascott Thomas Harris (S e s a m e207) regarding examinations being optional. Havingcompleted my OU degree in the early 1980s, Ireturned to study on my retirement in order toupdate myself, and found that I was required to sitthe examination, although it had little relevance tomy reasons for taking the course.When I was studying as an undergraduate, it waspossible to enrol for individual courses as an associates t u d e n t , which meant that you were not particularlyworking toward a degree. These s t u d e n t s had the optionas to whether to take the examination or not. If they satt h e paper then they received the same pass award a sundergraduate students. If they did not take the examthen they received a Certificate of Course Completion,provided they submitted and passed the requisite numberof TMAs.I wonder if anyone can advise me as to when thisfacility ceased and the reasons for doing so, as, ifreinstated, it does seem to fit in well with what somestudents want.Reg TomblinPeterboroughD i s c r e t i o n a r ypass marksFirst of all, thank youfor providing an interestingand informativelink, via S e s a m e, to allthings OU.Reading the letters in theFeb/March issue of S e s a m eabout examinations hasspurred me to write to you. Ihave great news to spread –apparently the examinationpass mark of 40 is ‘discretionary’!Surely it would benefit theOU to advertise this discretionarypass mark, as morepeople would complete theircourses and the OU wouldachieve better results?I did not think I would passmy module and deliberatedabout taking the exam at all.G et it ta p e dHowever, I stuck at my revision,kept writing until thebell went and I achieved 42 inthe exam – I was thrilled toscrape a pass. Well, I thoughtit was a scrape pass but nowI know that I could haveachieved as low as 35 and stillstood a chance.There were many absenceson exam day and I assumethe missing students feltthey had no hope of passing,so didn’t bother to turn up.If only they had knownabout the discretionarypowers of the Exam Board,the room would have beenfull of nervous yet hopefulstudents.Alison PateyBristolT u t o r i a lsystemsWhat is the OU policy on thetutorial system? In my final yearwith the OU, I find 29 in mytutorial group for A354, far morethan in previous years.I gather that in the first year ofthe course in my region there werethree tutorial groups. Now there isonly one. Why not abandon the tutorialsystem and change to studydays with lecturers? A morning andafternoon session would make thetravelling more worthwhile. I haveno complaint about my tutor.Indeed, he has my sympathy.Imagine marking 29 essays!Derek HoldsworthSheffieldjust athoughtI’ve just read the letterfrom Janet Wheeler inS e s a m e207 about OU studentsbeing potential proofr e a d e r s. She suggests providingcorrection sheetswith dispatches so thate r r o r scan be notifie d .On T205 last year andT306 this year I havefound that the block specificFirstClass conferencesare a good way ofnoting errors: both tocheck that my understandingis correct despite themistake, and to notify themistake to the course team.If we all did this thecourses would be word perfectin a couple of years!Viv EverestHantsAs a committed AppleMac user of many years,it is always annoying toread that the softwarerequired for a course willonly run under Windows.Having spent many anhour trying to re-installWindows and other PCsoftware (when I couldhave been studying) onlybecause my trusty G3Macintosh won’t run thesoftware, this annoyanceis amplified whenS e s a m e shows picturesof two people clearlyusing Apple Macs!Please OU, let us Machuggershave more Maccompatible software.John MorrisonWidnes, CheshireIn the article “Pleasuresand perils of life online”(S e s a m e 207), it is a pitythat the picture illustratesthe perils, rather than goodp r a c t i c e . I spotted threeobvious problems in howthe user illustrated is usinga laptop PC at home:1) No rest for wrist or arms.2) Insufficient space forbooks, reference materialand making notes.3) Hunched position maymean incorrect chair ordesk height.Mike Lloyd, ReadingHaving recently started anew job whereby attendanceis compulsory duringschool terms, it isgoing to be quite diffic u l tfor me to arrange time toattend my exam this year.Would it not be possiblefor the OU to schedulefuture examinations onSaturdays and Sundays?After all, the OU takesgreat pride in publicisinghow its students cancombine full-time workwith study so weekendexams would fit in wellwith this philosophy.There must be agoodly number of fellowstudents in a similarsituation so let’s have adebate on this.Ian Tafano, W. Midlands

Issue 208 April/May 2002 Sesame 3NewsC o u rses movef rom tape tom u l t i m e d i aMultimedia CD Roms and DVDswill replace audio and videotapes in OU course material,under a new deal which heraldsprofound changes in the 30-yearrelationship between the universityand the BBC.The BBC will continue to broadcast OU TVprogrammes but there will be a shift overthe next few years, away from course-relatedprogramming and towards ‘primetime’ broadcastssuch as Rough Science (below) whichare not related to specific courses but aredesigned to entice more people from a widerrange of backgrounds into higher education.Under the new deal, from August 2003non-print learning and support materialswill be produced within the universityand supplied to students in multimediaformat, both on disc and directly across theinternet. Production of new audio and videocourse materials by the BBC at its ProductionCentre on the Open University campus, willcease.“New multimedia materials have been usedsuccessfully by Open University coursesfor several years, and the decision to replacetraditional audio-visual reflects advancesin technology, and the UK population’sever-increasing access to personal computers,”said a University spokesperson.“The new materials – which include webproducts, DVDs, CD-Roms and other interactivesoftware – offer a more advanced andinteractive form of learning than can be gainedfrom video and audio programmes.”The university and the BBC are nowdeveloping a new partnership agreement – thefifth in their long association – which will seemore OU programmes being broadcast atpeaktime slots. Broadcasting of OU courserelatedprogrammes is set to continue untilat least 2006, but few, if any, new courserelatedprogrammes are likely to be made asthis is no longer seen as a prime means ofreaching students.According to the university: “Some courserelatedprogrammes will continue to be shownin the BBC’s late-night Learning Zone,although, with the high level of home VCRownership, broadcast is no longer relied on todeliver courses to OU students.”Research awardsavailable for ALsin arts facultyA special research scheme for associatelecturer staff in the arts faculty is lookingfor applicants for its 2002 awards.The scheme aims to recognise and supportresearch activity among part-time tutorial stafffor whom the OU is the only or primary HEemployer. ALs with evidence of researchachievement and/or research potential, at alevel comparable with that of full-time staff ofthe relevant department, are invited to applynow.Research Associateships are for three years.The benefits are access on the same terms asfaculty full-time staff to the baseline personalresearch funding allowance (currently £300a year); and the title ‘Research Associate in(subject) at the Open University’.The number of appointments is limited.Contact Yvonne Fox, email: Y.P.Fox@open.ac.uk, telephone 01908 659010, for anapplication form and further details. Theclosing date for applications is May 7 2002.MBA graduates eligible tojoin chartered managersDeborah with stag beetle and larvaAll MBA graduates of the Open University BusinessSchool are being offered automatic full professionalmembership of the Chartered Management Institute.Formerly known as the Institute of Management, theorganisation has just been granted its Royal Charter andwas re-named on April 1.Members are entitled to use the letters MCMI aftertheir name. To take up your membership contactChristine Sargent at the OUBS Alumni Association, emailc.sargent@open.ac.uk, or see the Alumni website:http://css2.open.ac.uk/oubs-alumniGrant up by £6mThe university has received £6 million more than last yearin its annual government grant, announced recently.This will enable the equivalent of 800 more full-creditstudent places to be made available. However, in line with otheruniversities, the OU has seen its research grant cut by £1million.The University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor Geoff Peters said: “Itis clear that in a tighter year generally, the OU has done verywell in financial terms.” But he warned of a widening gapbetween fee income, the cost of growth and expenditure.If you see a stag beetle, tell DeborahHarvey. The former OU student isinvolved in PhD research which couldhelp to preserve Britain’s largest beetle,whose numbers are in decline.The stag beetle, which grows to aboutfive cm long, can be recognised by its large,antler-like jaws. “The People’s Trust ofEndangered Species, my research sponsors,are monitoring the beetle’s numbers,”says Deborah. “Its role in nature is to help toPicture: Ian StrattonAppeal to join beetles fan clubThe Open University is asinnovative as the Eden Project,the John Lewis Partnershipand easyJet, according to a listpublished in The Guardiannewspaper in March.The University was identified asone of the top 100 UK organisationsin the Vision 100 research andawards programme for 2002, whichis organised by BT. The accolade isgiven to organisations that haveachieved strategic goals throughinnovative activities over the previous12 months – regardless of size,age or sector.The OU was selected for successfullyincreasing student numbers ininnovative ways, notably throughnew technology and overseasexpansion. Recent innovations haveincluded the provision of more onlinefacilities for students, includingdecompose wood, and we want to investigatewhy stag beetles are attracted to certain typesof wood.”She is very keen to receive samples of deadbeetles from readers, with details of where theywere found but, she pleads: “Don’t kill them. Ifanyone finds dead ones, please send them tome.” Deborah runs her own website:w w w . s t a g b e e t l e h e l p l i n e . c o . u k and canbe contacted on 01372 379390 or at deborahjharvey@btopenworld.comOU among top 10 0‘ v i s i o n a ry’ bodiesonline registration.The OU is the largest university inthe UK, with approaching 200,000students, and now offers 168 ninemonthcourses, 30 two-year diplomasand more than 20 degrees atundergraduate level, as well as postgraduatequalifications. It employssome 10,000 people across the UKand Ireland.The university is also expandingacross the world and has thousandsof overseas students in, for example,Russia, Hong Kong and Singapore,studying in partnership with localorganisations.Welcoming the award ProfessorGeoff Peters, Pro-Vice-Chancellor,said: “The Open University isan amazingly revolutionaryconcept, which has been copiedaround the world. It is not just aUK phenomenon – it is a globalp h e n o m e n o n . ”

4 Sesame April/May 2002 Issue 208Readership surveyH ave your say on SesameWe ’ re conducting a readership survey tosee how S e s a m e can serve you better. Pleasetake a minute to complete and re t u rn theq u e s t i o n n a i re. If you have online access it wouldbe a great help to receive your form electro n i-c a l l y. It will also save you time. The form isavailable at: h t t p : / / e l s a . o p e n . a c . u k / s e s a m e /re a d e r s . h t m . Altern a t i v e l y, complete thequestionnaire below and send it to the SesameOffice, The Open University, Walton Hall, MiltonKeynes, MK7 6AA by Friday, June 7.We hope readers will be happy tocomplete this survey, but we know howbusy you all are. So as an incentive, thenames of all those who let us have theircompleted forms, either by post oronline, will be entered in a prize draw – with10 winners each receiving a £20 book token.Sesame currently appears six times a year. Do you read it...Cover to coverMost of itSome of itSkim itNone of itHow do you feel about this frequency?It’s about rightI’d like more issuesI’d like fewer issuesWhat do you do with Sesame when you’ve finished reading?Save every issueKeep it for a few monthsThrow it away/recycle itShare it with family, friends or work colleaguesBelow is a list of features which appear regularly in Sesame. Pleaserate how useful/interesting they are to you.Un i ve rsity newsStudy support art i c l e sC o u rses info rm a t i o n / u p d a te sOU re s e a rch fe a t u re sTrave l l e r’s ta l e sBook rev i ewsVC ’s viewTV tra i l e rsRe a d e rs’ lette rsFi fth columnVox Po pAnnual course re s u l t sReader holidaysC o mpetitions/special offe rsAd ve rt i s e m e n t sVery useful/Not useful/interestinginteresting5 4 3 2 1OU Student, the official publication of the Open Un i ve rsity St u d e n t sAssociation (OUSA) appears inside Sesame. How useful/interestingdo you find it?Very useful/Not useful/interestinginteresting5 4 3 2 1Please rate the following statementsSesame keeps me up to datew i th what is happening at myu n i ve rs i t ySesame helps me feel part ofthe wider OU communityI read Sesame to know whato ther students or ALs ared o i n g / s ay i n gSesame helps support me inmy studies th rough re l evanta rticlesO ve rall I am happy withS e s a m e’s qualityHave you responded to an advert in Sesame?StronglyStronglyagreedisagree5 4 3 2 1Regularly Occasionally NeverHave you ever considered taking a reader holiday?YesNoSesame is now available on the inte rnet too. Which of the fo l l ow i n gis true for you?I prefer to receive a printed copyI cannot easily access it onlineI would be happy to see Sesame published only on the internetI would prefer to have both print and online versions availableWhat, if anything, would you welcome more of?What, if anything, would you like to see less of?Is there anything else the university could do to make Sesame moreuseful to you?NAME:CONTACT PHONE NUMBER:EMAIL ADDRESS:ADDRESS:POSTCODE:

P s ychology is to pfor new gra d u a te sPsychology degrees topped the popularityleague amongst this year’s 10,000 new OUgraduates.Eight hundred graduates will receive named degrees inpsychology from the university at ceremonies taking placethroughout the UK from April – around one twelfth of the total.And of these, 624 are women.This year also marks the award of the first law degrees to103 people who enrolled in the Law Programme, run incollaboration with the College of Law, which began in 1997.Once again the new OU graduates come from every walkof life, from many parts of the globe, and with a wide rangeof educational backgrounds. The youngest is 17 and theoldest 86.Among the 10,000 success stories is Peter Bradley, whoused his OU science studies to switch from accountancy tomanaging a nature reserve.It was early pressure to get a ‘safe’ job which causedhim to follow his head rather than his heart and go intoaccountancy, he said. He is now site manager of Rye Meadsin Hertfordshire, with a budget of over £1 million. “Before Ijoined the OU I never thought this type of career was open tome,” he said.Jean Nicol-Maveyraud put the OU’s claim to be ‘open as toplaces’ to the test when she travelled with her husband’s job andher OU courses to Gabon, Brunei, Indonesia and Switzerland.She said: “Studying taught me to write and now I have writtenfor a Swiss newspaper and contributed to a website.”And there was a double success for Helen Yates who usedthe OU’s career service to capitalise on her degree by findinga career in publishing. She said: “I thought about this type ofcareer in the past but I really don’t think I would have had theconfidence to apply for anything in this field before the OUcareers advisers cemented my vague ambitions.”Success stories of OU students wereread by more than 15 million peoplelast year – and yours could be next.A new report by the university’s MediaRelations team shows 350 press articlesabout graduates – almost one a day –appeared in local and national papersand magazines, reflecting not onlythe outstanding achievements of OUstudents, but also of the university’spublicity machine itself.Students expecting to achieve theirPeter BradleyYour chance to hit the headlinesL i b r a r i a n sare on callStruggling to find theinformation you need rightaway? A new service fromthe OU library may have theanswer.Librarians on Call allows you toget instant help while you are onlineand chat your query or problemover with a member of the learnersupport team.Available on a trial basis untilMay 31 from 9am-5pm Mondayto Friday the service requiresno special plug-ins or downloads.Simply click on the Open Libr@rysite at: h t t p : / / w w w . o p e n . a c . u k /l i b r a r y, then onto the LibrariansOn Call icon.This will launch a window inyour browser where you can typein your question and chat onlinewith a librarian. Alternatively,you can telephone for help on+44(0)1908 659001.degrees this year will be offered similaropportunities to get their achievementsinto their local press – and earn deservedpublic recognition for their years of study.“It takes so much hard work anddedication to earn an OU degree,” saidGary Spink, Head of Media Relations.“Our students deserve to be the centre ofattention. We can help them to getrecognition for all that hard work.”Forms are sent out in the autumninviting people to take part in thecampaign.Your help is needed to help theuniversity shape its race equalitypolicy – which should herald a newphase in the OU’s commitmentto combating racial discrimination,promoting good race relations, andsponsoring an increasingly diversestaff and student body.While the Race Relations AmendmentAct requires the OU to develop such apolicy, the university sees it as anopportunity to build on existing wideningparticipation initiatives, according toAllan Cochrane, Pro-Vice-Chancellor(Students, Quality and Standards).He told S e s a m e: “Our aim is to gobeyond developing a racial equalitypolicy to identify the steps we will be takingto ensure our commitments are morethan just words and can be translated intopractice.“It should enable us to bring togetherpolicies and action plans that areLast year 12,000 students werecontacted and 3,500 students took up theopportunity for publicity. This meant1,100 individualised press releases weresent to local newspapers and radiostations – the year’s biggest singlepublicity exercise for the Media Relationsteam, part of the Communications Groupbased at Walton Hall.“Because the OU makes a genuineimpact on the lives of individuals, ourgraduates make great human intereststories for journalists,” said Gary.Our commitment to racialequality enters new phasecurrently dispersed across a range of areasand to ensure that they are more effective.”Professor Cochrane, who will chair aspecial Racial Equality Advisory Sub-Committee set up to champion change,said it was important to get views from asmany OU students and staff as possibleabout what the policy should look like.“We also want to know from people,whatever their ethnic background, abouttheir own experiences within The OpenUniversity.“We want to know whether and in whatways you feel your position within theuniversity has been affected by yourethnic background. Do you feel you havebeen advantaged or disadvantaged, andif so, how?”Please send your comments toMargaret Stewart, Room 113, North SpurBuilding, Open University, Walton Hall,Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, or email themto PVCSQS-GEN@open.ac.uk as soon aspossible.Issue 208 April/May 2002 Sesame 5NewsNews in briefC o mpanies onlineS I X T Y per cent of businesses are already using, orconsidering using, online training for their staff.Research from the university’s corporate arm, COROUS,not only revealed the size of the shift in attitudes to staffdevelopment, but showed that among the 1,021 organisationswith more than 500 employees who were surveyed, the OUcame out top of the list of most trusted suppliers for onlinelearning packages. Thirty per cent of those surveyed hadalready used online learning, whose advantages they saw asconvenience, flexibility and staff being able to learn at theirown pace and in their own time.It’s great@papworthGREAT@PAPWORTH is a programme developed by ThePapworth Trust, dedicated to helping graduates withdisabilities into employment. The programme is a tailor-madeservice and is available to S e s a m e readers living in, orwishing to work in, the East of England – Peterborough, Norfolk,Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Herts and Essex.Based at Papworth Everard, just outside Cambridge,the European-funded programme offers employmentopportunities, targeted work placements, career developmentworkshops and full support while on the programme.For details email: great@papworth.org.uk or call 01480357289.A modern conceptT H E OU’s distinctive logo has been branded ‘a modernclassic’ in a survey of university logos. “For a brand thatmanages to reflect the radically innovative concept that hasdefined the university for over 30 years, look no further thanthe Open University logo,” commented Jim Bodoh, director ofinternational brand consultancy at Citigate Lloyd Northover.“The mark still looks fresh, modern, accessible and utterlyunpretentious – all qualities supported by the institution’smission and market.”Peter Napier winnersT W O physics students have just been awarded the first everPeter Napier prizes, in memory of the student who left a sum ofmoney to the OU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy.Caroline Fowler-Wright of Stoke Prior collected her prize ofa book token for the best performance on S207 The physicalw o r l d, while the award for the best performance on a levelthree physics course went to Jacqueline Drew of Fleet.Presenting the prizes for 2001 study, Professor of AstronomyBarrie Jones said the prizes would be awarded annually infuture.Po stcode lotte ryWHERE you live will determine whether you are likely to beprosecuted for certain offences, according to new researchfrom the OU.Professor Gary Slapper, Director of the OU’s LawProgramme, has uncovered a ‘postcode lottery’ when it comesto offences such as not sending your child to school, driving adefective vehicle, benefit fraud and animal cruelty.Professor Slapper’s research also highlights a gulf insuccess rates in private prosecutions: while the Inland Revenuesecured 99 per cent successful prosecutions, other agenciesachieved less than 35 per cent.Opening up to ITTHE Opening Up IT database is now open! A comprehensiveguide to learning centres which offer IT access to OU studentswho do not have a computer, or who have suffered acomputer breakdown, is available at: w w w . o u i t . c o . u k. Orstudents are invited to contact their regional centre who willhelp locate the information they need on OUIT.Open Day 2002F O R those planning to visit their university on Open Day,Saturday June 22, the programme of events is now availableat www.open.ac.uk/open-day .Limited camping facilities are available as usual for visitorswanting to make a weekend of it. It is vital for campers to bookin advance, contact OU Estates at: est-openday@open.ac.ukor write to Gill Coppock at the Events Office, Open University,Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA.

6 Sesame April/May 2002 Issue 208VOXPo pVOX Pop is a chance for you to contribute. It lives onthe FirstClass Conference System. Look for Sesame in theCommon Room area of the Open University campus. To post yourVO XPop, simply create a new message and enter S e s a m eVOXPop into the field, enter your views into the body of the messageand send the message. If you’re not on FirstClass you canstill contribute – through Sesame Letters by post, or e-mail to:M.D.France@open.ac.ukWhat you wouldask the V-CIn the last issue of Sesame we asked: If youhad five minutes with the new V-C, whatburning issue would you like to raise? Hereare some of your replies.“There are a large number of errata sheets for bothcourse material and at exams. What are you”intending to do about correcting this?Ron G. Clark“A fairly high percentage of OU students are parentsand it is from this perspective that I would like to askwhether it would be possible to adapt the study timetable tomake it more parent-friendly? The six-week school holidaysmake it very difficult for many parents to study. Would it notbe possible to incorporate say a two-week study break”at some time? Otherwise, I think the OU is great!Sonja Hilborne-Clark“I would ask how she can ever change the perceptionof the OU? If the OU is still not considered a ‘proper’university, despite its increasing diversity, amd its academicperformance, then what can be done in future to raiseits credibility, and that of its students?Lesley Kandoloa”“Why does the OU send out course units piecemeal tostudents, when posting them all in one go wouldsurely save money and help those who, by some miracle,manage to get a bit ahead of the study calendar?Stuart Mealing“ ””“ ”I would love to discuss the exorbitant fees the CWEstudents are required to pay and the large increase everyyear they have to put up with in order to continue to studywith the OU.Ulrike B. ReichwaldI would like to discuss the odd way in which final marksare determined. I feel that an average wouldbe fairer.Joy ClarkFor next issue: The OU is shaping a raceequality policy (see p5). Do you feel the OUis sufficiently ‘open’ to minority ethnic groupsor do you have ideas about how it could bemore so?O U SA cardi d e n t i fies yo uin exa m sThe Students Association is offering to help out with newuniversity rules requiring anyone sitting an exam to producea photograph as well as a signature for identific a t i o n .The examination centre checks are designed to ensure theidentity of the person taking the exam.“While many students already have some form of officiali d e n t i fication such as a passport or new-style driving licence,others may be concerned that they do not have anythingsuitable,” Amanda Ryan of OUSA said. “However, the universitywill accept an OUSA membership card and all OpenUniversity students are entitled to apply for one of these.”Cards are free and can be obtained by sending a passportsizedphotograph, along with any proof of OU study suchas an official letter with your personal identifier on, plus astamped addressed envelope. However, OUSA warnsthat as it may take up to 28 days to process membership cardsit’s a good idea to apply in plenty of time. Write to:OUSA Membership, PO Box 397, Walton Hall, Milton KeynesMK7 6BE.ResearchWhen dinosaursove r- i n d u l ge d . . .The world’s oldest fossilisedvomit has been discovered in aclay quarry in Peterboroughby the OU’s Dr Jason Woodand Professor Peter Doyle of theUniversity of Greenwich.Their unsavoury find is believed tobe about 160 million years old and tohave come from the ichthyosaurs, largemarine reptiles which were commonLeftovers from another ageFRONT PAGE STORYBy Yvonne CookScreen savers which could help save the planet will begiven away worldwide as part of a massive climateprediction research project being launched this autumn.The OU’s Earth Sciences department, in partnership withthe Met Office, Rutherford-Appleton Laboratories and Oxfordand Reading universities, has won a £400,000 grant from theNatural Environment Research Council’s e-science initiativeto test and improve one of the leading computerised climateprediction models, using hundreds of thousands of personalcomputers.Professor Bob Spicer of Earth Sciences explained: “Withclimate change, so many variables are involved that we needto run the models over and over again, slightly varying thestarting conditions each time, and seeing what the spread ofresults is at the end.”The models try to simulate all the changes occurring over allthe earth’s atmosphere every few hours. And, because so muchdata is involved, they are usually run on supercomputers andtake up a lot of computer time. But by turning the bestavailable climate prediction programme, the Hadley Centremodel, into a screensaver, Bob and his fellow researchers hopeto harness PC power by persuading people to run it on their desktopmachines without interfering with their normal day’s work.“We will give the Hadley Centre model free to individuals,schools, universities, OU students and anyone who wants totake part, and ask them to run it for a specific set of conditionswhich we will supply. On average it will take about six monthsto run,” Bob told Sesame.“When they have the results they send them back to us andwe will build an enormous database with petabytes – a billionin the Jurassic era.It contains the remains of dozens ofbelemnites – squid-like shellfish – whosetough, bullet-shaped shells would havedamaged the ichthyosaurs if they had notbeen regurgitated.Wood and Doyle began their researchafter a mass of belemnite fossils werefound near Whitby on what has becomeknown as the dinosaur coast.They explained: “The Peterboroughshells, viewed under a powerful scanningelectron microscope, have revealed ‘acidetching’ marks caused by digestivefluids, proving the belemnites had beeneaten by a predator. The shells werevomited out, in much the same waythat the modern-day sperm whalesregurgitate the indigestible beaks of squidthey have eaten.”Save the planet from your screenmegabytes – of data generated by the aggregated model runs.“From the scientific research point of view it is aboutmaking the model better, and making the climate predictionsmore reliable,” said Bob.Part of the OU’s specific contribution to the project will be tomake the database user-friendly and to prepare supportingmaterial, including packs for schools with material relevant tothe National Curriculum. There are also plans to use the dataas the basis for an OU course. “This will be real science, beingdone by our students,” added Bob.Details of how to be involved will be published in a futureS e s a m e, and do note that if you’re planning to install thescreensaver on a work PC you’ll need permission from youremployer first.DA RT speeds up se a r c h e sA new service giving web access to research thesessubmitted by OU students was launched in February.DART (Digital Archive of Research Theses) hasbeen developed by the Library in collaboration withfaculties. Unlike other catalogues DART searches theentire contents of a thesis from your search term. Accessto these electronic versions of theses is available to allOU students and staff. www.open.ac.uk/library

Issue 208 April/May 2002 Sesame 7Course results for 2001Below is S e s a m e ’ s guide to the results ofover 300 courses studied in 2001. Check thepass rates, but don’t be put off by a low oneas results vary from year to year and anaggregate figure gives little guidance to anyindividual’s chance of success.Key to abbreviationsFin RegFreg exam (%)Freg pass (%)Exam pass (%)No. of finally registered students on coursePercentage of finally registered students examinedPercentage of finally registered students who passedPercentage of those examined who passed† A103 and DD100 have continuous assessment only on the course. The figures in the pass columnsreflect those who passed on continuous assessment.Some results still pending at time of going to press, resulting in minor discrepancies in percentage totals.Course Fin Freg Freg Exam GRADECode reg exam pass pass 1 2 3 4(%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)A103 4844 89.6 70.0 78.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 78.1A206 1572 75.3 70.2 93.2 9.0 26.7 41.2 16.4A209 833 69.9 67.2 96.2 11.7 43.0 27.0 14.6A210 1903 69.5 65.4 94.1 10.5 29.6 37.7 16.3A211 794 60.1 57.4 95.6 10.5 37.7 35.6 11.7A213 640 63.7 53.8 84.3 9.1 33.1 21.6 20.6A214 664 71.4 65.1 91.1 18.6 29.1 28.5 15.0A216 1544 68.7 66.5 96.8 10.8 36.6 36.3 13.1A220 930 56.5 53.8 95.2 11.2 29.9 31.4 22.7A221 658 62.9 59.9 95.2 6.8 30.4 40.8 17.1A231 152 61.2 58.6 95.7 8.6 37.6 35.5 14.0A295 530 52.6 51.3 97.5 21.1 47.7 23.7 5.0A296 470 48.5 44.3 91.2 44.7 22.4 15.4 8.8A297 889 54.2 44.3 81.7 29.3 21.6 15.6 15.4A316 414 81.9 80.0 97.6 11.5 45.1 24.5 16.5A354 535 64.5 60.0 93.0 9.6 30.4 34.5 18.6A420 147 73.5 73.5 100.0 8.3 49.1 33.3 9.3A421 60 75.0 71.7 95.6 20.0 37.8 31.1 6.7A422 85 67.1 65.9 98.2 24.6 31.6 35.1 7.0A425 130 65.4 63.8 97.6 21.2 35.3 32.9 8.2A426 45 73.3 66.7 90.9 9.1 21.2 39.4 21.2A427 90 51.1 47.8 93.5 17.4 30.4 28.3 17.4A428 136 70.6 69.1 97.9 14.6 38.5 31.2 13.5A432 77 50.6 49.4 97.4 17.9 38.5 41.0 0.0A811 47 85.1 85.1 100.0 17.5 82.5A812 34 85.3 85.3 100.0 27.6 72.4A813 66 89.4 86.4 96.6 16.9 79.7A817 78 83.3 83.3 100.0 29.2 70.8A818 24 100.0 100.0 100.0 29.2 70.8A819 34 76.5 73.5 96.2 53.8 42.3A821 45 82.2 80.0 97.3 21.6 75.7A822 63 81.0 69.8 86.3 7.8 78.4A823 39 92.3 89.7 97.2 16.7 80.6A827 87 85.1 70.1 82.4 27.0 55.4A828 17 94.1 88.2 93.8 31.2 62.5A829 13 69.2 46.2 66.7 11.1 55.6A831 15 66.7 60.0 90.0 30.0 60.0A832 11 81.8 81.8 100.0 33.3 66.7A833 29 86.2 86.2 100.0 20.0 80.0A834 24 70.8 70.8 100.0 5.9 94.1A837 45 95.6 95.6 100.0 32.6 67.4A838 9 100.0 88.9 88.9 22.2 66.7A839 12 100.0 91.7 91.7 33.3 58.3A860 92 70.7 63.0 89.2 9.2 80.0AA301 126 72.2 62.7 86.8 12.1 44.0 19.8 11.0AA302 455 74.3 67.7 91.1 7.1 30.8 42.0 11.2AA303 528 81.1 77.3 95.3 12.9 30.1 27.1 25.2AA304 188 78.2 77.1 98.6 6.1 48.3 35.4 8.8AA305 826 75.5 71.4 94.6 15.5 36.9 32.2 9.9AA306 551 82.6 77.0 93.2 11.6 35.2 33.0 13.2AA309 822 76.9 71.0 92.4 8.7 31.0 38.9 13.6AA311 182 76.4 70.9 92.8 10.1 37.4 40.3 5.0AA312 312 81.7 77.6 94.9 10.6 35.7 36.1 12.5AA313 306 79.4 74.5 93.8 5.8 22.6 43.6 21.8AA316 1656 82.1 74.6 90.9 9.1 32.4 33.8 15.4AA810 204 67.6 62.7 92.8 10.9 81.9AA820 148 66.2 62.2 93.9 11.2 82.7AA830 65 66.2 63.1 95.3 11.6 83.7AS283 501 66.1 63.3 95.8 8.2 29.9 37.8 19.9AT308 311 74.9 72.0 96.1 10.7 31.3 42.1 12.0B200 786 51.0 43.5 85.3 6.7 26.7 27.7 24.2B631 26 69.2 61.5 88.9 0.0 5.6 83.3BB631 629 44.4 40.1 90.3 1.8 8.2 80.3BBYN631 61 23.0 19.7 85.7 0.0 7.1 78.6B632 27 85.2 74.1 87.0 0.0 4.3 82.6BB632 878 49.7 43.7 88.1 1.8 12.2 74.1BBYN632 198 60.1 55.1 91.6 2.5 11.8 77.3BYN632 2 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 100.0B633 33 72.7 69.7 95.8 4.2 16.7 75.0BB633 632 54.3 48.3 88.9 2.9 14.3 71.7BBYN633 33 21.2 18.2 85.7 28.6 14.3 42.9B634 50 80.0 72.0 90.0 0.0 17.5 72.5BB634 886 76.0 69.1 90.9 1.3 8.2 81.4BBYN634 137 75.2 72.3 96.1 1.9 12.6 81.6BYN634 15 80.0 80.0 100.0 0.0 8.3 91.7B701 98 72.4 59.2 81.7 81.7B751 290 72.4 58.3 80.5 80.5B752 776 85.4 75.9 88.8 88.8B800 866 79.8 69.7 87.4 87.4B820 862 76.7 69.5 90.6 0.9 10.6 79.1B821 649 85.1 76.6 90.0 2.2 18.5 69.4B822 785 90.8 86.2 95.0 2.0 10.2 82.7B825 622 93.2 82.6 88.6 0.9 17.4 70.3B826 48 77.1 70.8 91.9 8.1 35.1 48.6B890 276 87.7 79.7 90.9 2.1 17.8 71.1D213 754 72.8 64.9 89.1 14.8 23.5 33.5 17.3D214 667 75.6 72.1 95.4 14.7 41.3 26.0 13.5D215 708 81.1 79.0 97.4 13.2 25.1 42.3 16.7D216 679 56.3 52.0 92.4 5.5 27.5 35.1 24.3D218 1404 62.7 57.5 91.7 14.0 26.7 34.3 16.7D309 1575 81.1 77.7 95.8 4.5 42.7 40.1 8.5D311 643 75.6 72.6 96.1 9.1 28.2 39.1 19.8D315 869 72.8 70.1 96.2 5.2 25.1 42.0 23.9D316 225 74.2 67.1 90.4 3.6 28.7 36.5 21.6D317 1900 69.5 65.4 94.1 16.7 34.0 28.4 15.0D318 421 77.0 71.7 93.2 8.6 31.8 38.3 14.5D319 294 75.2 69.0 91.9 6.8 37.6 34.4 13.1D820 355 65.6 58.9 89.7 4.7 85.0D840 91 67.0 57.1 85.2 4.9 80.3D841 77 70.1 63.6 90.7 13.0 77.8D843 112 76.8 67.9 88.4 8.1 80.2D846 14 85.7 71.4 83.3 16.7 66.7D850 29 82.8 72.4 87.5 8.3 79.2D851 22 72.7 63.6 87.5 25.0 62.5D852 18 83.3 77.8 93.3 0.0 93.3D853 8 100.0 75.0 75.0 0.0 75.0Course Fin Freg Freg Exam GRADECode reg exam pass pass 1 2 3 4(%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)D854 1 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0 100.0D856 5 100.0 80.0 80.0 0.0 80.0D860 113 67.3 58.4 86.8 5.3 81.6D862 35 94.3 77.1 81.8 3.0 78.8DA301 398 68.1 66.1 97.0 12.2 31.4 45.0 8.5DD100 10241 93.0 64.0 68.8 68.8DD200 499 72.5 71.7 98.9 17.1 38.1 35.4 8.3DDZX200 80 70.0 70.0 100.0 28.6 42.9 25.0 3.6DD302 216 80.6 78.7 97.7 13.2 50.0 28.2 6.3DD304 607 86.5 85.2 98.5 12.4 48.2 31.2 6.7DMZX871 46 78.3 67.4 86.1 2.8 19.4 0.0 63.9DSE202 3421 64.4 57.3 88.9 10.0 24.3 35.5 19.1DU310 674 80.3 78.6 98.0 6.5 35.3 45.3 10.9DXR220 348 63.2 56.0 88.6 3.6 20.9 42.7 21.4E211 223 66.8 65.5 98.0 6.7 18.8 45.6 26.8E242 708 61.9 59.0 95.4 12.8 32.9 36.3 13.5E300 397 77.1 75.3 97.7 7.2 31.7 47.4 11.4E825 188 78.7 74.5 94.6 94.6E827 181 68.5 56.9 83.1 83.1E828 246 87.4 71.5 81.9 81.9E829 237 81.9 73.0 89.2 89.2E831 367 77.7 73.0 94.0 94.0E835 177 71.2 62.7 88.1 88.1E836 317 74.8 73.2 97.9 97.9E838 330 83.0 79.4 95.6 95.6E839 158 82.3 73.4 89.2 89.2E841 203 75.4 72.9 96.7 96.7E842 133 84.2 80.5 95.5 95.5E843 193 81.9 80.3 98.1 98.1E850 96 78.1 64.6 82.7 82.7E851 58 87.9 72.4 82.4 82.4ED209 3497 65.8 60.0 91.2 9.9 28.1 35.3 17.8ED826 62 79.0 74.2 93.9 93.9ED837 103 66.0 61.2 92.6 92.6ED840 376 80.3 67.8 84.4 84.4EU208 392 70.4 62.8 89.1 6.2 34.1 28.3 20.7H801 28 89.3 82.1 92.0 4.0 88.0H802 65 87.7 87.7 100.0 19.3 80.7H804 39 84.6 79.5 93.9 15.2 78.8K100 4968 63.8 60.4 94.7 13.9 80.8K111 369 94.0 82.4 87.6 87.6K201 604 63.9 58.4 91.5 6.0 35.2 31.6 18.7K203 717 78.7 76.6 97.3 5.1 22.9 37.8 31.6K204 798 75.3 68.8 91.3 8.2 39.9 29.5 13.8K215 277 91.7 80.1 87.4 2.4 20.1 38.6 26.4K256 650 60.5 50.9 84.2 4.6 21.4 31.0 27.2K257 778 62.9 57.2 91.0 4.1 28.0 35.6 23.3K259 528 57.0 50.0 87.7 4.3 26.9 30.9 25.6K260 952 67.3 61.0 90.6 10.5 21.5 38.8 19.8K263 548 68.1 64.6 94.9 10.2 25.5 37.0 22.3K267 140 86.4 85.0 98.3 5.0 43.0 40.5 9.9K268 145 95.2 83.4 87.7 2.9 15.9 22.5 46.4K269 450 79.1 74.4 94.1 8.1 31.5 37.6 16.9K301 668 78.4 75.3 96.0 12.2 28.4 34.9 20.4K302 521 74.3 65.8 88.6 5.7 23.0 33.6 26.4L120 1137 57.0 54.8 96.1 14.8 81.3L130 432 59.5 56.0 94.2 19.1 75.1L140 685 53.9 50.9 94.6 18.7 75.9L204 435 80.9 74.7 92.3 14.5 36.1 32.4 9.4L210 426 81.7 76.5 93.7 8.0 47.7 30.5 7.5L213 245 82.9 71.4 86.2 20.2 31.0 26.1 8.9L221 678 70.2 64.5 91.8 8.4 37.6 37.2 8.6L230 282 67.0 60.3 89.9 11.1 32.8 30.7 15.3L314 378 82.3 77.5 94.2 9.3 44.7 32.2 8.0LXR122 305 84.3 70.2 83.3 83.3LXR132 53 90.6 81.1 89.6 89.6M203 710 70.8 64.4 90.9 28.8 30.8 20.5 10.7M206 4888 57.8 54.7 94.6 22.7 33.4 25.8 12.7M246 874 58.1 54.2 93.3 27.2 23.2 24.2 18.7M261 535 61.9 56.8 91.8 23.3 33.5 21.8 13.3M301 1813 69.9 63.7 91.1 9.1 30.2 31.2 20.6M336 295 73.2 67.5 92.1 15.3 35.2 33.3 8.3M337 347 55.6 48.7 87.6 18.1 22.3 25.9 21.2M343 361 66.8 57.9 86.7 25.7 25.7 20.3 14.9M346 333 68.8 60.7 88.2 8.7 24.0 31.0 24.5M358 1622 69.2 61.8 89.3 8.9 19.7 32.2 28.5M372 210 62.9 56.2 89.4 19.7 21.2 31.1 17.4M434 256 71.1 69.1 97.3 35.2 23.6 24.7 13.7M435 160 61.3 58.1 94.9 52.0 24.5 15.3 3.1M458 146 63.0 57.5 91.3 8.7 32.6 29.3 20.7M801 124 95.2 27.4 28.8 28.8M821 26 73.1 65.4 89.5 89.5M823 41 85.4 78.0 91.4 91.4M824 20 75.0 55.0 73.3 73.3M827 28 78.6 75.0 95.5 95.5M828 22 81.8 77.3 94.4 94.4M829 22 86.4 86.4 100.0 100.0M832 15 60.0 60.0 100.0 100.0M833 31 38.7 38.7 100.0 100.0M835 58 79.3 79.3 100.0 100.0M865 412 72.3 60.9 84.2 4.0 37.9 42.3MZX865 221 74.7 66.1 88.5 5.5 42.4 40.6M867 85 70.6 69.4 98.3 8.3 33.3 56.7MZX867 58 67.2 65.5 97.4 7.7 48.7 41.0M874 224 74.1 71.4 96.4 1.8 24.7 69.9MZX874 208 76.0 72.6 95.6 1.3 19.6 74.7M876 212 69.8 56.6 81.1 6.8 20.3 54.1MZX876 149 73.2 69.1 94.5 9.2 32.1 53.2M878 415 72.0 63.6 88.3 6.4 16.1 65.9M880 164 67.7 57.3 84.7 7.2 34.2 43.2MZX880 125 65.6 60.0 91.5 11.0 40.2 40.2M881 144 75.7 62.5 82.6 11.9 37.6 33.0MZX881 74 82.4 74.3 90.2 14.8 34.4 41.0MA290 355 55.2 49.6 89.8 21.4 36.7 20.9 10.7MDST242 409 79.2 74.6 94.1 23.8 35.2 22.8 12.3ME822 65 67.7 63.1 93.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 93.2Course Fin Freg Freg Exam GRADECode reg exam pass pass 1 2 3 4(%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)MS221 1687 60.2 52.4 87.1 21.3 26.4 21.2 18.2MST121 3359 54.1 49.8 92.0 19.2 72.9MST207 699 64.2 60.7 94.4 23.4 21.2 26.9 22.9MST322 315 62.2 52.1 83.7 10.2 23.0 24.0 26.5MT262 2676 56.1 51.7 92.2 24.7 29.8 23.2 14.5MT365 515 81.0 76.7 94.7 18.5 35.5 26.9 13.9MU120 3351 51.8 51.2 98.8 98.8S103 3994 57.8 51.0 88.1 16.8 71.3S190 187 28.3 27.3 96.2 96.2S191 181 18.2 17.1 93.9 93.9S193 451 51.0 49.9 97.8 97.8S194 623 37.1 37.1 100.0 100.0S195 346 31.5 30.9 98.2 98.2S204 705 61.8 57.2 92.4 8.0 35.8 29.4 19.3S207 579 60.4 50.3 83.1 15.4 22.9 22.3 22.6S246 298 67.4 61.1 90.5 21.4 21.4 33.3 14.4S247 299 68.6 60.5 88.3 21.0 24.4 22.0 21.0S260 902 69.2 65.5 94.7 14.6 37.2 28.2 14.7S267 693 63.5 58.9 92.7 16.1 26.1 26.4 24.1S268 678 73.6 67.1 91.2 9.0 28.3 29.9 24.0S269 811 61.9 56.1 90.6 9.8 29.3 38.2 13.3S280 708 68.6 62.3 90.7 11.9 32.7 27.8 18.3S281 790 55.6 51.9 93.4 15.7 37.1 28.7 11.8S292 100 21.0 21.0 100.0 100.0S324 374 74.1 62.0 83.8 8.3 27.1 27.1 21.3S327 417 74.6 57.8 77.5 7.4 21.5 27.3 21.2S328 408 79.7 74.3 93.2 11.1 34.8 31.7 15.7S330 722 67.9 58.2 85.7 4.5 33.5 27.3 20.4S339 422 88.4 83.6 94.6 15.8 34.6 26.3 18.0S343 235 68.5 59.1 86.3 23.6 29.8 23.0 9.9S344 207 65.2 58.9 90.4 21.5 28.9 25.2 14.8S357 242 54.1 50.4 93.1 25.2 22.9 29.0 16.0S365 662 68.1 48.8 71.6 4.9 23.7 27.1 16.0S802 110 72.7 67.3 92.5 16.2 27.5 48.8S803 105 72.4 70.5 97.4 27.6 39.5 30.3S804 111 82.0 77.5 94.5 17.6 24.2 52.7S810 54 96.3 94.4 98.1 38.5 19.2 40.4SD206 837 72.0 62.0 86.1 11.4 29.0 27.7 17.9SD805 182 87.9 85.2 96.9 18.8 28.7 0.0 49.4SK220 1483 54.2 48.6 89.6 13.4 33.0 30.1 13.1SM355 272 59.2 52.6 88.8 26.7 28.0 14.3 19.9ST240 399 74.9 68.9 92.0 21.1 29.4 32.1 9.4ST291 248 49.2 46.4 94.3 22.1 34.4 21.3 16.4SXR103 1597 84.2 68.4 81.2 81.2SXR204 324 84.9 76.2 89.8 89.8SXR207 241 85.5 69.3 81.1 81.1SXR260 526 85.6 78.5 91.8 91.8T171 9954 49.3 46.8 94.9 6.8 88.1T172 1395 54.4 51.3 94.2 18.2 76.0T173 1063 59.8 57.7 96.4 20.9 75.5T191 516 50.0 49.0 98.1 98.1T202 378 60.3 54.2 89.9 22.4 28.1 25.0 14.5T203 272 69.5 60.3 86.8 18.0 31.2 24.3 13.2T204 574 70.7 63.8 90.1 14.8 24.6 35.5 15.3T205 416 55.5 52.6 94.8 4.8 29.4 43.3 17.3T223 2287 52.1 45.3 86.9 10.5 27.2 29.4 19.8T235 203 68.5 50.7 74.1 15.8 13.7 20.1 24.5T236 294 63.3 54.1 85.5 21.5 23.1 23.1 17.7T237 499 60.1 49.5 82.3 11.7 27.7 25.7 17.3T265 436 62.8 58.7 93.4 12.0 26.3 39.4 15.7T293 1090 59.3 54.7 92.3 15.9 35.9 27.2 13.2T302 499 87.2 85.4 97.9 21.4 34.5 36.6 5.5T303 365 76.2 67.9 89.2 9.4 29.1 35.6 15.1T305 1262 70.0 63.9 91.3 12.0 28.2 28.9 22.2T306 346 68.8 63.9 92.9 4.6 35.3 28.2 24.8T323 214 54.7 45.3 82.9 21.4 34.2 17.9 9.4T327 455 60.4 50.3 83.3 21.1 35.6 15.6 10.9T331 153 62.7 41.8 66.7 10.4 10.4 15.6 30.2T333 138 66.7 46.4 69.6 7.6 10.9 25.0 26.1T353 165 64.8 57.0 87.9 14.0 39.3 23.4 11.2T354 171 67.3 60.8 90.4 15.7 35.7 18.3 20.9T355 150 73.3 66.7 90.9 16.4 26.4 37.3 10.9T395 507 68.4 63.3 92.5 4.3 32.0 41.8 14.4T396 790 57.6 55.9 97.1 20.2 39.1 29.9 7.9T397 82 84.1 81.7 97.1 97.1T402 74 79.7 78.4 98.3 27.1 28.8 39.0 3.4T801 123 91.9 26.8 29.2 29.2T821 99 63.6 57.6 90.5 9.5 39.7 41.3T830 78 73.1 67.9 93.0 8.8 29.8 54.4T833 95 69.5 63.2 90.9 3.0 21.2 66.7T834 125 76.0 41.6 54.7 0.0 7.4 47.4T835 72 79.2 73.6 93.0 0.0 21.1 71.9T836 68 76.5 57.4 75.0 0.0 3.8 71.2T838 20 70.0 70.0 100.0 28.6 35.7 35.7T839 35 85.7 85.7 100.0 30.0 50.0 20.0T840 61 83.6 77.0 92.2 2.0 90.2T841 44 88.6 81.8 92.3 0.0 92.3T842 42 76.2 57.1 75.0 3.1 71.9T860 82 74.4 62.2 83.6 16.4 39.3 27.9T861 38 84.2 81.6 96.9 12.5 25.0 59.4THD204 1393 59.6 52.2 87.6 10.1 32.5 25.8 19.2TU870 103 74.8 73.8 98.7 11.7 58.4 28.6TU871 77 66.2 54.5 82.4 7.8 43.1 31.4TU872 41 70.7 65.9 93.1 6.9 37.9 48.3TU874 16 87.5 75.0 85.7 14.3 42.9 28.6TXR174 100 91.0 78.0 85.7 85.7TXR248 61 83.6 75.4 90.2 90.2U205 646 69.0 59.4 86.1 10.5 27.1 30.7 17.7U206 1301 74.1 71.3 96.2 5.5 22.4 45.1 23.1U208 380 68.7 63.2 92.0 12.3 24.5 33.3 21.8U210 1428 63.5 60.2 94.8 11.5 22.8 41.8 18.7UZS210 230 87.4 77.4 88.6 2.0 15.9 46.3 24.4W200 1452 58.0 45.1 77.8 8.1 14.3 32.3 23.2W201 711 74.7 62.4 83.6 10.0 29.0 26.2 18.5W300 438 86.1 70.8 82.2 8.5 25.5 30.5 17.8W301 256 83.6 74.2 88.8 6.5 25.2 38.3 18.7

8 Sesame April/May 2002 Issue 208CoursesNew courses to te mpt yo uSo little time, so many choices, and now it’s that time of year againwhen more OU courses are launched to tempt you to study. J a n eMatthews and Peter Taylor-Whiffen sample just a few...Childhood revisitedA course to help people understand the electronicenvironment of the 21st century will be launched byThe Open University next year.MOSAIC Making Sense of Information in the ConnectedA g ewill be delivered via the web and aims to equip students tofind, manage and use electronic information more confid e n t l y.The 10-point (U120) course will teach participants a rangeof tools and techniques for searching for and organisinginformation models, structures and terminology used ininformation literacy; and a range of skills including how toNurses and midwives who act asmentors for their student colleagueswill be able to benefit from anew course Assessing practice innursing and midwifery.Developed by the university on behalfof the English National Board forNursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting(ENB), the course materials willenable those mentoring pre- and postregistrationstudents in clinical practiceto gain support with and recognition fortheir role.The course encourages participantsto develop both the professionaland educational skills required formentoring and assessment in the healthsector.Reviews of the working environmentand appraisals of the practical opportunitiesfor mentoring in day-to-day workChildhood will be explored in greaterdepth than ever before when theOU launches a fascinating newcourse next year.Children’s perceptions of their world, theirrights and the impact of modern culture will bemajor themes in this innovatory course – whichwill also be the core introductory course in thenew named degree, BA Hons Childhood andYouth Studies.It is broad-based and covers the full agerange, from topics related to early childhoodthrough to teenage years.For Martin Woodhead, course chair, U212C h i l d h o o d is the culmination of 25 years’work at the OU.The result is an interdisciplinary course thattakes in, among many others, sociology, anthropology,psychology, social history,cultural studies and children’s rights.perspectives“A major feature of this 60-point course isthat we include the perspectives of youngpeople themselves, interviewed around theworld, especially in the video and audiomaterial,” Martin added.Three major audio-visual case studies runright through the course, looking at what itmeans to be a child in three very different citiesaround the world. The course team worked withthe BBC filming the stories in Oakland,California, Cape Town in South Africa andChittagong in Bangladesh. They cover issuessuch as living in poverty as well as affluence,play, friendships, peer culture, family life, schooland work, and also the children’s views on whenthey stop being children.“Talking with some of the young peoplein Bangladesh was a revelation,” Martinexplained. “For a start, I assumed that everychild would know how old they are. Living inthe UK, we categorise young people accordingSupport for those who support otherssituations also form part of the six-monthcourse.Said course team chair PamShakespeare: “The course enables us tooffer recognition for the considerableamount of hard and creative workpeople put into mentoring, often in busyjobs with many demands.”The first course presentation takesplace in May 2002, the next are inFebruary and August 2003.I n to the info rmation age with the OUuse a structured approach to develop a search question.Librarian Gill Needham, whose department is piloting thecourse with the faculty for education and language studiesfrom this May, said: “We all now have to live in theinformation age and whether or not we are studying we needto be able to handle information in an electronic environment.“It might be for helping children with their homework, bookingholidays or supporting lifelong learning activities. The courseis online and very interactive. Students who have been testingthe material for us said they found it useful and enjoyable.”to age. Knowing a child’s age tells us what stageof development they are at and at what stagethey are in school.“But in a place like Bangladesh a lot ofchildren don’t know how old they are – it’s notimportant. Those who earn a living while, say,around the age of 10, have already joined theadult working community, while others fromwealthy families who attend an Englishspeakingschool until they are 18 are still seenas children until they finish their education.“This means the youngsters from affluenthomes, even though they’re in a country as pooras Bangladesh, have far more in common withsome children in California than they do withmany of their peers in their own country. Wefound posters of the Backstreet Boys on bedroomwalls in Chittagong as well as in Oakland.”U212 has been designed as an introductionto the growing field of Childhood and YouthStudies and includes such diverse topics asgendered childhoods, innocence and experience,family, work and school, children’s lore,children’s literature and multimedia childhoods– as well as how the experience of childhooditself is ever-changing.“The course and whole degree programmehas been produced through collaboration,especially between the OU’s Faculty ofEducation and Language Studies and theSchool of Health and Social Welfare,” saidMartin.He believes U212, like the degree of which itforms a core part, is comprehensive and broadenough to meet the needs of a wide range ofstudents.“Hopefully it will appeal to people with a widerange of interests in childhood,” he said. “Thiscould mean students involved in the voluntarysector or education, health or childcare work.It could mean parents – but we don’t evenassume students have access to children. Itshould be fascinating to anyone interestedin childhood – even if it’s simply their own.”Geology studentsprepare to climbevery mountainScale the heights with a new third level short courseoffering six days of practical geology in the ScottishHighlands.Designed to provide experience in practical fieldworkand the laboratory follow-up required for an earth sciencesq u a l i fication, SXR339 Ancient mountains: practical geologyin Scotland also complements teaching in its linked courseS339 Understanding the continents.The greater part of the residential school will bedevoted to field trips, possibly including visits to thedeformed rocks of the Dalradian basin, the Caledoniangranites, the plate margins in the Highland Border Complexand the volcanic rocks of East Fife. Evenings will includelaboratory sessions and tutorials while course materialsinclude a book focusing on the geological history ofScotland.As places on the 10-point course, start date May 2003, arebeing offered on a first come, first served basis, students areadvised to reserve as soon as possible.

Issue 208 April/May 2002 Sesame 9Three new ways of writingThe first short courses from the arts faculty are likely to have awide appeal to both new and existing students who want toexplore an interest or improve their skills.A171 Start writing for the internet, A172 Start writing essays a n dA173 Start writing family history focus on some of the university’smost requested areas and should be available from 2003.Though details are subject to change, all three will be worth 10 pointsand will involve around 72 hours of study over a 12-week period.Start writing for the internet is designed to help students respondeffectively to the growing need to be able to communicate online. Itwill cover, for instance, the special demands the internet makesof us as writers, netiquette, reading from the screen and frompaper, writing emails, online discussions, how to avoid beingmisinterpreted and legal considerations. The second half of the coursefocuses on writing for web pages, underpinned by exercises andactivities which demonstrate that communicating effectively meansbeing sensitive to the reader, the medium and the genre in whichyou’re writing.Start writing essays is intended for those returning to or new tostudy who are frightened of writing essays. It aims to build confidencethrough a mix of strengths and weaknesses diagnosis, structuredI n f e c t i o u sd i s e a s e sex p l o r e dAIDS is on the increase, TB hasreappeared in our schools and hospitalwards now regularly close to prevent thespread of infection.But why do such diseases travel sorapidly, why do they affect some populationsmore than others, why are new infectious diseasesappearing and how can they be controlled?New from the science faculty for 2003,S320 Infectious diseases looks at howthe causes and control of such diseases canbe understood only through a study ofbiological information in a social context.Using a wide range of case studies, it alsoexamines the effectiveness of strategies usedto combat disease, from vaccination and drugsto public health measures.One of the course’s aims is to helpstudents develop the skills to undertakeresearch of infectious disease and a keyelement of S320 is an emphasis on projectwork, leading to a study of an infectiousdisease of their choice.P s ych o l o g yfor th e21 st centuryA distinctive vision of psychology inthe 21st century is the aim ofthe new course DSE212 E x p l o r i n gpsychology.The course is designed to helpstudents understand the range of theoriesand perspectives that psychologistsuse and the research that they do. Italso offers an opportunity to examinethe ways in which psychologicaltheories and research are applied, bothin everyday life and by professionalpsychologists.A particularly exciting feature ofthe course is its emphasis on understandingeveryday life. This coursewill help to prepare students forother OU psychology courses andhelp them to develop the researchand ICT skills they need in the newmillennium.If the stakes were high 10 years agowhen the first global conference onsustainability was held in Rio, how muchhigher are they, post September 11, asnations prepare to meet again in Augustin Johannesburg?Against a background of aid agenciesmoving into Afghanistan, the Middle Eastmoving further from peace, whole swathes ofthe world experiencing the devastating effectsof climate change, and technology widening thegap between haves and have-nots, there couldscarcely be a more timely course than the OU’sU213 International development: challengesfor a world in transition.Given the scale of that transition over the lastdecade, the toughest challenge of all for thecourse team must have been deciding what toleave out. U213 divides neatly into two sections:the first introducing the main issues andputting them in their historical context; the secondoffering a chance to explore three from fiv ethemes in greater depth – sustainability, poverty,technology and knowledge, displacement,transitions; all of it underpinned by the themeof inequality, which is at the root of the eventswhich have shaken our world over the lastdecade.Its other critical theme is that internationaldevelopment is not about what Oxfam orMédecins Sans Frontières is doing in Africa butabout what all of us who share this planet doexercises, individual feedback and practice. Themes include effectiveuse of English, essay planning, making the case and editing your ownwriting. A final block on improving your writing looks atwriting in different genres – including the exam essay – as well asclassic mistakes and how to avoid them.Start writing family history takes students beyond simplygathering information about the past to writing history. Though its focusis on family history, as the area most accessible to students throughphotographs and people’s stories, the course will also demonstrate thebasic principles of historical study: identifying sources, interpretingevidence and selecting examples. Key topics in this fascinating courseinclude using official documents such as the Census, wills and medicalrecords, first person narratives such as letters and diaries, visualevidence and an exploration of oral history.For information on featured courses and a widerange of other new courses visit the OU’s websiteat: www.open.ac.uk or phone 01908 653231.Second year forstudy withFe r n U n i v e r s i t ä tThe OU and its German equivalent,the FernUniversität, are now into thesecond year of a pilot scheme thatgives students from both institutionsthe opportunity to study each other’scourses.“We are looking for another group of OUstudents with good German to take thecourse on offer from the FernUni aspart of their German Studies programme,”explained Dr Liz Manning, assistantdirector, OU in the North. “Their coursefees will be waived and successful completionof the course will contribute 30points towards a number of OU nameddegrees.” Owing to high interest in thescheme last year, the FernUni is willingto fund up to 25 OU students. “The course,which comprises three modules onGerman history and politics, will begin inthe autumn and finish in the March, so itdovetails quite nicely with the OU year,”said Liz.For more information, contact LizManning at the Regional Centre inNewcastle on +44 (0191) 284 1611.Registration for the scheme will be on afirst-come, first-served basis.Bold course seeks tore - examine deve l o p m e n tevery day of our lives, and the choices we make.Helen Yanacopolous (co-ordinator of U213’stechnology and knowledge theme) said:“What this course does is challenge notions ofwhat development is, the notion that it is‘out there’, which is why we took ‘thirdworld’ out of the title. International developmentmeans we in the north and west are partof it.”Course team co-chair Gordon Wilson echoed:“Social justice and global citizenship have beenthe driving forces behind this course.”Further proof of the OU’s determination to‘reframe development’ is the bold decision tomake U213 one of two core courses in the university’snew International Studies degree. “Tothe best of my knowledge there is no other UKinstitution which does this,” said SimonBromley, chair of the degree board. “Most focuson the rather small bit of the world which hasthe wealth.“In putting the concerns of the majority ofthe world’s population at the core of our programmewe may get our students to think aboutthe international in new ways and open themup to listening to a diversity of voices.”Both course and degree programme appearat the same time as a new InternationalDevelopment Centre which will act as a focusfor cross-faculty research and teachingpartnerships and raise the profile of internationalstudies at the OU.V C ’ sV I E WProfessorBrendaGourleyDon’t justwatch theworld go byThis issue of S e s a m efeatures two newcourses with an international focusand stories from different parts of theworld. These serve to remind us of whata cosmopolitan community the OpenUniversity is and how very internationalhigher education has become.Conventional universities seek to be moreinternational so their students will have anappreciation of other cultures and values.This appreciation must be the mark of aneducated person but it is increasingly alsothe mark of a more employable person. Moreand more organisations understand thatdiversity is important to the quality of theiroperations. As their markets become moreglobalised and their reach to other countriesmore important to their business success,they appreciate the benefits of understandingcultures other than their own. Conventionaluniversities enthusiastically recruitinternational students and work to make thecampus experience one where students cometo encounter other cultures.The OU is of course not a conventionaluniversity – anything but! It can howeverseek for its students those same qualities. Itcan give them student experiences in theteaching and learning domain. It can provideopportunities to meet other students althoughit cannot engineer the composition of thegroups that students choose to join. It can givean opportunity to participate in chat roomsand virtual groups that span many countriesand many cultures. Indeed the studentorganisation itself has provided students witha wonderful facility for online conversationand the participation rate is quite remarkable– and growing.I would encourage students to grasp theopportunity to make friends and colleaguesacross countries and cultures by whatevermeans they have at their disposal. Not leastof these opportunities is enabling them tolearn another language. This must be one ofthe most direct and effective ways to acquirean insight into another culture. And who wouldhave thought it would be possible to teach thisat a distance in the way that the OU does? Thisis one more barrier that the OU has breachedand several languages are being taught withthe help of all the various media forms we nowhave at our disposal.There is another and perhaps moreimportant reason to grasp whateveropportunities we have to become more awareand sensitive to other cultures. Nothing couldhave made it more obvious than the ghastlyevents of September 11. We live in a worldwhere we are increasingly interdependent.No society is cocooned from another. The richwestern societies might have thought theycould put up ‘golden barricades’ but no moredramatic breach could have been imaginedthan the crash into the World Trade Centre.As tides of refugees fall upon the shores of therich nations of the world, as the search forbasic human rights becomes ever more urgentand important to us all, we need to tryto understand what it means to be a globalcitizen.I would hope that the OU encourages andindeed, makes it possible for its students toengage in this quest and also to understandits importance. That it is likely to havepersonal and career benefits is, in a way, abonus.

Walk inu n s p o i l tC o rf uf rom £329Explore unspoilt Corfu withescorted walks andincluded excursions. Theresort has always welcomed itsBritish visitors and is famed forfriendliness, scenery andclimate. This holiday is offeredexclusively to readers of S e s a m efor May to October 2002.The road to Arillas on the northwestcoast wanders through peacefulhillside villages far from thetourist mainstream before descendinginto olive groves and pine treesdown to the clear blue sea.September and October are idealfor warm seas, ripe fruit and balmyevenings; April and May for the wildflowers, twinkling fireflies andamorous bullfrogs.It’s a chance to step off the beatentrack into unspoilt villages, pickyour own oranges and figs off thetrees and drink crystal clear coldspring water. Our holiday includestwo escorted walks (approx. fourhours each), exploring villages,monasteries, a working bakery andthe fantastic views of offshoreislands and the forbidding coastlineof Albania across the Ionian Sea.You will walk along ancient donkeytracks through olive groves fromArillas through San Stephanos,Magoulades and Kavadades.Also included is a full day coachexcursion visiting many of thefamous resorts including Koulouraand Kalami where the Durrellfamily lived and Gerald was inspiredto write My family and other animals.No holiday to Corfu is completewithout visiting Paleokastritsaand the whitewashed monasteryperched on the cliff, overlooking thetiny bays of clear blue sea.A Corfu shopping trip is alsoincluded in the price, giving you achance to buy your souvenirsamongst the maze of tiny shops sellinglocal art, leather, pottery, touristgifts, honey and local sweets, copiesof icons, carved olive wood, handmadelace, silver and 14 carat goldjewellery. The unique beauty of C o r f utown owes much to the mixture ofarchitectural styles left behind by theByzantines, Venetians, Russians,French, Italian and British.Your accommodation in Arillasis in privately owned apartmentsof the highest quality, located inquieter areas not more than ten minutes’walk from the beach.For a free colour brochure of theapartments and the resort, or tobook, just telephone TravelsmithLTD (ABTA V1290/ATOL 1917) on01621 784666 or 0870 748 1000quoting C100.Issue 208 April/May 2002 Sesame 10HolidaysE u ropean CityB re a kss ave up to 25 per centEurope has never been so accessible or so affordable – and withour special offer, you can choose from a selection of two-nightcity breaks, flying on scheduled British Airways services andsaving up to 25 per cent off brochure prices.So whether you want to cruise the canals of romantic Venice or fairytaleCopenhagen, explore historic Lisbon, take in the sights and sounds ofnewly-vibrant Berlin or stroll the beautiful boulevards of Paris – there is aholiday to suit you.Prices start from £155 and include flights from Heathrow or Gatwick, bedand breakfast hotel accommodation for two nights and all taxes, includingthe new passenger security surcharge.These European City Breaks, organised by Travelsmith UK Ltd (ABTA G5222/ATOL 1917) can be taken up to October 29 2002, subject toavailability.Prices per person are: Venice viaGatwick, two nights at the 3-star Alsolih o t e l , from £259; Copenhagen viaHeathrow, two nights at the 3-starCopenhagen Mercure hotel, from£205; Lisbon via Heathrow, twonights at the 3-star Executivehotel, from £219; Berlin via Heathrow,two nights mid-week at the 4-star Park Plaza hotel, from £199;Paris via Gatwick, two nights at the3-star Rivoli hotel, from £155.Extra nights can be added andother hotels may be available onrequest.For further details or to book yourEuropean City Break just telephonethe Travelsmith reservations line on0870 748 1000 or 01621 784666and quote reference C167OU toqualify for the special rates.D e p a rting We d n e s d ay 28 Au g u st7 nights half boardFrom only £44 9This holiday is a magical cocktail ofstunning mountain scenery in threecountries, fascinating visits to theCava wine district and Barcelona and anever-to-be-forgotten ride on Le Petit TrainJaune – the Little Yellow Train throughthe French Pyrenees.The adventure begins with a flight to Reusin Spanish Catalonia. Two nights are spenthere with time to visit the Cava wine districtand the magnificent monastery at Montserrat.Then it’s on to Andorra for four nights in thepicturesque principality surrounded by thehigh peaks of the Pyrenees. Andorra has a splitp e r s o n a l i t y . While it has enjoyed separatestatus since the middle ages it has alwaysowed allegiance to the Catalan Bishop in SeoD’Urgell and the French Government. Todayboth French and Spanish are spoken althoughCatalan is the national language. Anincluded excursion aboard Le Petit Train Jauneprovides a unique way to view Andorra’swonderful mountain scenery. There is also anoptional trip available to Andorra La Vella,capital of the principality.A lengthy stop in the vibrant city of Barcelonaon the last day, with time to visit the amblasand the city’s many other attractions, concludesthis amazing holiday.Accommodation based on shared occupancyof twin-bedded rooms is on a half board basis,with two nights in Spain and four nights inAndorra. Flights from local airports to Reus. Afew single rooms are available at a supplementof £75 per holiday.Full details of this holiday and the optionalexcursions available from: Preferred TravelServices, 56 High St., Kibworth, Leicester, LE8OHQ. Tel: 0116 279 3929, fax 0116 2793214. Email: mail@preferredts.com quotetour number 1464. (ABTA W3692 & G9806)Preferred Travel Services is a trading name of High Concepts Limited Reg. in England No. 4000185. Reg. Office: Christopher House, 94B London Road, Leicester LE2 0QS. ABTA NO. W3692. ATOL NO. 5537

11 Sesame April/May 2002 Issue 208On courseS h a ke s p e a reon the wingDid you know Shakespeare invented the word‘bedroom’? Or that he coined ‘courtship’, ‘glow’,‘manager’, ‘leapfrog’ and even ‘alligator’?Even apart from the Bard’s unparalleled contribution tothe English language, his life, times and works provide afascinating source of study – and not just for students.The OU Shakespeare Society welcomes anyone with an interestin history’s most celebrated writer to explore the Bard phenomenonwith fellow fans.“Shakespeare was the best writer we have ever had,” saysmembership secretary Brian Foster. “His work has not datedat all, which is an extraordinary achievement. It is as relevanttoday as it was when he wrote it.”Members get the chance to share their thoughts andexperiences of Shakespeare’s work in two-day seminars atStratford-Upon-Avon, often featuring actors, and in thesociety’s regular magazine, A Groat’s Worth Of Wit, whichincludes essays, interviews, book and film reviews and aUK-wide listing of theatre performances.“The society is particularly helpful for students on AA306Shakespeare: text and performance and A210 A p p r o a c h i n gl i t e r a t u r e, but we welcome anyone at all who shares ourinterest and wants to learn more,” adds Mr Foster.The society, which has a website at: h t t p : / / h o m e t o w n .a o l . c o m / g r o a t s w o r t h / i n d e x . h t m l, costs £12 to join for ayear. Cheques should be made payable to OUSS and sent toMr Foster at 3 Sedgley Close, Middleton Junction, ManchesterM24 2SP.Shakespeare always makes for fascinating study and thissociety helps to make learning fun, which is ever a good thing.For, as the society’s members are already aware, knowledgeis the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.H ow I surv i ve dscience fri c t i o nSo how was it for you? Your first OU course isbound to feel like a leap in the dark, but youcould end up seeing the light... as C a t h e r i n eWa d d i n g t o n, who lives in Bradford, discovere dwhen she signed up for S103.Discovering Science (S103) was the course title,a prerequisite for an OU named degree in NaturalScience (with Physics), and was part of my gameplan.I have been interested in general science and, particularly,astronomy, for most of my life and would have placed myunderstanding towards the upper end of ‘lay scientist’.Whilst not arrogant enough to expect a particularlyeasy time, I didn’t expect that study at foundation levelwould change my outlook a great deal. I was in for a realshock!S103 and The Open University gave me the ride of my life,an incredible gallop through some of the most exciting sciencetopics I have ever encountered. Block one was a gentle startbut far from dull. Across the country hundreds of potatoes weresacrificed as struggling scientists performed their first realexperiment, to discover the water content of an average spud.The stench hung around my flat for days but it was a badge ofhonour to me. (My dried potato looked like an ancient tombrelic, so I know I did the job well!)knowledgeableThe pace quickened as we backed up in time; accompanyingearly scientists in their endeavours to make sense of chemistryand physics. We went in deep and fast on occasions butthe course materials were excellent, and for me theexperience was one of being accompanied by a very sure andknowledgeable friend.I believe I discovered OU ‘boot camp’, a rather humblingexperience, but no doubt necessary. It didn’t matter how hardI tried, or how perfectly I thought I’d answered a TMA question,these were always posted back adorned with oodles of‘tutor ink’ dispensing what often seemed like capricious advice.Gradually I learned that tutor ink made sense and was bestread with humility.I learned amazing things from S103. Some of these wereobvious, I suppose, but I hadn’t really thought about thembefore. For instance, I’d always assumed that trees were hardand solid because they’d taken up solids from the earth throughtheir roots.Organic chemistry taught me that nature builds treestuff mainly with atoms taken from water and carbon dioxideextracted from the atmosphere. I learned that a lot of thingsare made of hydrocarbons as they’re called; trees, insects,humans, plastics, Big Mac burgers; in fact leaving out themetals and rocks and a few gases in the atmosphere, it’s allhydrocarbons folks. God has the ultimate ‘Meccano set’ andthe whole planet is alive.I enrolled for the geology field trip to the east coast of Yorkshireand spent a perfect sunny day wandering the coast with otherS103 students looking at fossils and studying rocks. We wereasked to collect a few pebbles from the beach and identify them,describing their geological history. Our tutor asked me aboutone of my samples and I enthused liberally about the Jurassic,describing how my little rock had formed all those years ago.(In mind’s eye I could see dinosaurs roaming the area).She gave me a sad knowing smile and said: “It’s concrete!but you’re not the first or last geology student to make thatmistake!”panicAnother aspect of OU study that became familiar to me wasthe rising panic and occasional very late night as I struggledto meet a TMA deadline. Was I the only student drivingclandestinely through the night to post a completed TMAthrough my tutor’s door, and hoping he wouldn’t wake andclock the time? I posted my ultimate S103 TMA at four minutesafter midnight on the day of a non-extendable deadline andcrept away like a thief, shaking with fatigue, to catch up onmuch needed sleep.It’s easy to spot an S103 student in the final weeks beforethe exam. They can be found wandering in a dream mutteringnonsense like “Susie pulls dandelions firmly” (the electronsubshell filling order in an atom) or “Please carry off fullygrown slugs” (Phylum, class, order, family, genus, species).This behaviour becomes more extreme as the exam dateapproaches, but, thankfully, the post-exam recovery period israpid.avalancheI did rather resent the avalanche of OU mail that droppedthrough my door after registering for my next course. For a fewweeks I had my life back again, so I put all the OU mail into aconscience-pricking nasty little pile until the new year.This year I’m doing ‘Anathematics’ – MST121 U s i n gm a t h e m a t i c sand MS221 Exploring mathematics. I’m alreadybehind with some course work, but the old behaviour patternshave re-established themselves again. I’m hauling out of bedat silly hours to complete something vital before I drive off tomy work.Am I enjoying it? Oh yes!● Tell S e s a m e readers about your courses. Write to: S e s a m e,The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA.Scene from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s DreamIf you would like your society to befeatured in a future Spotlight pleasesend details to Sesame@open.ac.ukTel: 01908 652451.Catherine Waddington – study with the OU changed her outlook on science

Issue 208 April/May 2002 Sesame 12Happiness is an OU conference – at least, it is if it’s aboutpositive psychology.Well-being, joy, personal strengths, wisdom and creativityare all covered in this field of the science, which studies positiveaspects of experience to try to improve the quality of individualand community life.OU psychology graduate Ilona Boniwell joins OU staff JaneHenry and Dr Richard Stevens on the committee arrangingthis first European Conference on Positive Psychology,which is organised by the British Psychological Society’sConsciousness and Experiential Psychology Section and itsWessex and Wight branch.Ilona, who is also president and founder of the EuropeanStudent Committee for Positive Psychology, attained her fir s t -class degree in 2000 and is now working on her PhD thesis onthe optimal use of time for personal well-being.The keynote speakers for the event – at King Alfred’s College,Winchester, UK from June 28-30, 2002 – include formerAmerican Psychological Association president Prof. MartinSeligman (pictured above), and Prof Peter Warr from theUniversity of Sheffield, a recipient of the BPS’s President’s Awardfor outstanding contribution to psychological knowledge.For registration and further details contact Ilona at3 Tolstoi Road, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset BH14 0QJ, on 01202251 378 or email: ilona@nt world.comConferencesW hy psychology study at th eOU is winning new audiencesLet’s think positiveThe distinction certainly mattersto us, which is why we aremaking a fuss! In its last issue,S e s a m e carried a report (Getorganised) of a workshop we ranfor the OU Systems Society in Londonon ‘Living Systemically: a space forpersonal exploration’. The workshopwas about helping people tochange aspects of their lives, notjust about organising themselvesbetter. But, more importantly, theword systemic in the item was misquotedas systematic, which has avery different meaning. This is acommon misunderstanding, so theeditor has given us this opportunityto explain the difference.The word systematic implies a linear,methodical, planned way of doing things.For instance, when you plan a holidayyou might make a list of things to do andthen tick them off when you’ve done them,to ensure that you haven’t forgotten anythingimportant. It’s common sense to besystematic in such circumstances.However you can also find yourselftrapped in messy situations from whichthere seems to be no way out. Part of theproblem is that these situations developover time and because of their inherentcomplexity they can’t be solved once andfor all. You live with them as part of yourdaily experience, they evolve as circumstanceschange, so the best you can do isto address them from time to time andaim to improve them.Systemic thinking can help you toexplore these kinds of situations and gobeyond common sense into uncommonsense, in order to break out of trappedways of thinking.The technology faculty offers an undergraduatediploma in systems thinkingand practice, and if you study this youwill learn to think and act systemically.Treating a situation systemically meansstepping back to perceive, think aboutand understand it as a whole, in all itscomplexity and interconnectedness.You’ve probably experienced situationswhere someone – perhaps a manageror a politician – has intervened to addressjust one aspect of a problematicsituation. But because of their limitedunderstanding of the situation as a whole,Blame ancesto rsfor our behav i o u rApplying the theories of Darwin to the development ofhuman behaviour as well as our bodies is a controversialscientific area, which is explored in a conferenceorganised this summer by the OU Psychology Society.Supporters of evolutionary psychology believe the roots ofsome of our social behaviour in the 21st century have a directevolutionary link to that of our distant ancestors. Are men, forexample, most likely to be jealous because their partner sleepswith someone else, but women more likely to be worried abouttheir partner falling in love?These two rather different forms of jealousy have developedbecause of their relative value in ensuring reproductive successin past generations, according to Texan psychologist DavidBuss. Since humans first walked the earth, women would havechosen their mate carefully for his ability to reproduce andsupport the development of healthy offspring, while men, withmore extensive capacity to reproduce, would have been moreinterested in achieving multiple matings.Evolutionary psychology is, say its proponents, even a rootof moral behaviour, organised religion and altruism. LedaCosmides from the University of California believes wepurchase Christmas and birthday presents – depending on whomthey’re for – with a certain expectation that the recipient willbuy us something of similar value, because of our distantancestors. Currency may have changed over the years – food,forming alliances, commercial transactions – but our belief ina fair and just deal has its origins in our evolution.Key speaker at the conference, at Nottingham University fromJuly 5-7, is Paul Ekman, an American lecturer who will talk ondifferences and similarities in emotions among people ofdifferent cultures. Other topics include mate choice and parentingstrategies, human aggression from an evolutionary pointof view and the evolution of culture. Another topic – ‘Is autisman extreme form of the male brain?’ will be presented by SimonBaron-Cohen who is, as well as an autism expert from CambridgeUniversity, the brother of Sacha Baron-Cohen – TV’s Ali G.Conference fee: £175 for OUPS members and £190 for nonmembers,including full-board campus accommodation. Initialenquiries to Denise Ward on 020 8876 9803 or email: DeniseMWard@aol.com . To book: Irene Baumgartl at PO Box 404, BromleyBR1 2WW, on 020 8315 0049 or at: Irene@baumgartl.fslife.co.ukSystematic or systemic –does it matter?Tony Wright and Karen Shipp of the technology facultyrespond to an article in Sesame 207.Tony Wright and Karen Shippthe intervention has had damagingunintended consequences elsewhere inthe system. Acting out of a systemicunderstanding means not ignoring thoseaspects of a situation – often to do withhuman interactions and feelings – thatare too complex to measure or test.This may all sound rather serious, butyou can often gain new insights throughcreative or playful activity, and this iswhat we did in the workshop. Althoughthis event was for people who have studiedsystems, we plan to offer another laterin the year, which will be open to all.Watch this space. (If you want to knowmore, contact Karen at the OU on 01908659770, or Tony on 01223 584666).R i c h a r d ’ snew job is amedia eventThe OU is planning a named degree in MediaStudies – and has a new professor to help see itthrough.Richard Collins (pictured above) joined the social sciencesfaculty in January and will be developing courses based on asubject he says the university has already been involved withfor decades.“Popular culture has formed a part of OU study almost rightfrom the start,” says Richard, the university’s first professorof the subject. “There was a landmark course in the mid-1970s,Mass communication and society, and arts and social sciencesfaculties have offered courses with media aspects. Nowwe’re taking it that much further.”The rise in the popularity of the subject among students refle c t sthe increasing role the media play in all walks of life, he adds.“It’s becoming ever more important to the economy, it’sresponsible to a certain degree for globalisation, it has a hugeimpact on the internet and you can’t consider politics today– and the role some say spin plays in government – without alsoexamining the media,” he adds.“There’s a great demand from students of all ages to learnabout the subject. More and more young people, for example,are taking media studies A-levels and AS levels. But there isless opportunity for teachers to be trained in the subject.Putting that right is a priority for the faculty of education andlanguage studies.”Richard will start to do so by gathering a committee to puttogether the content of two Level 2 courses, Introduction tomedia studies – scheduled to run from 2005 – and I n t r o d u c -tion to film and TV studies, planned for two years later.“We’ve done the first trawl of colleagues to see who is aroundand interested in coming on to the committee,” he says. “Andanyone who would like to be involved but hasn’t beencontacted is very welcome to get in touch with me. It’s veryimportant that someone who is interested is not left out.”Richard gained his experience through fellowships in theUSA, Canada, Australia and South Africa and his extensivecv also includes a stint teaching media studies at the LondonSchool of Economics and a spell as deputy director of theBritish Film Institute.And he is sure a named degree will be very popular amongOU students for a number of reasons.“The media has become an increasingly attractive careerin itself, but an understanding of media studies also greatlyb e n e fits the person in the street,” he says. “Media skills arerequired more and more in corporate communication, forexample, and in this day and age, can help anyone to understandmore about the world we live in.”G a ry upholdsthe lawThe first professor of law has been appointed at the OU,home to the UK’s largest law school which now has 3,000students.Dr Gary Slapper, currently Head of Law Programme as wellas a regular expert commentator in the national media, hasbeen given the Chair in recognition of his ‘path-cutting researchin the area of corporate crime and his prolific publication ofbooks and academic papers over 15 years’.He said: “Law touches virtually every aspect of our lives. Itregulates everything from embryo to exhumation, and neithernational presidents nor global corporations are beyond itsreach. I hope I can use this privilege to help promote thewidening of legal debates, and the range of participants in them.”

Issue 208 April/May 2002 Sesame 13Travellers talesA flower bloomsin Addis Ab a b aIkutha women collect waterVillagers benefitfrom a well ofOU kindnessBy Malini SenBonface Ndili’s crusade for water began with a visitto his childhood village Ikutha in Kenya after anabsence of 10 years. He went back to visit hisgrandmother and was shocked by the hardships facedby people in his village because of water shortages.Bonface, who is pursuing a Diploma in Social Welfarewith the School of Health and Social Welfare, iscommitted to taking water to the village.“An elderly woman and her daughter, who had given birththree days ago, were visiting my grandmother. The youngmother had not had a wash for weeks. She said she had just onedrink during the delivery. Young girls fetch water between schoollessons, mothers leave children for hours, sometimes for a dayand-a-half,to walk a distance of 20 to 60 miles to the river.“I felt I had to do something. I discussed it with my motherwho said: ‘It has been 25 years since Independence and thegovernment has done nothing about it. What can you do? Willyou go to heaven and bring water for the village?’”partnershipsIkutha is the gateway to the popular safari park Tsavo. Theroads around the park have been developed and electricitylines have been drawn through Ikutha to supply power totourists. The village does not enjoy similar facilities – butBonface plans to provide a well.He said: “The OU course has taught me three key things: tofocus on people, assess a situation and build partnerships.”For any action to be taken, he needed the support of thevillage. “Women are the most affected by the water crisis andI needed to know what they felt. I told them: ‘I am notpromising the world. But I will go back to England and try andraise funds either to set up a water pump or to dig wells.’“Water is integral to human existence. Besides being importantfor health and sanitation, it is a source of livelihood. A steadysupply of water would help irrigate the land, feed livestock andtherefore generate income,” said Bonface, adding with a smile:“Since my return to England, my water bills have gone down.”Bonface’s tutor Anne Radforth, who has been verysupportive, said: “I share his vision and I am proud of what heis doing.” Anne is helping Bonface to set up a charity to fundthe project. He has named the project Maisha Bora (meaning‘Life Good’ in Swahili) and is determined that the villagers beself-reliant. “They should feel proud of the project andhelp in maintaining the well,” he added. Bonface would behappy to receive any kind of support, contact him at:bm.ndili@talk21.com or on 01773 520722.Like the Open University, tutorsgo every w h e re as the BusinessS c h o o l ’s M a u reen Whitehead-L a u s m a n n explains in thisreport.Traffic is heavy on the way backfrom the tutorial venue; threelanes of cars in each direction,with drivers constantly switchinglanes, hoping to make some headwayin the stop-and-go queue. I crane myneck to see what is up ahead and seea donkey grazing on the grass vergewhich separates the lanes. But it isnot the donkey which is holding usup, nor is it the goats being herdedalong at the side of the road. This istypical rush hour traffic on the BoleRoad in Addis Ababa.My first visit here was a few years agowhen more than 100 of Ethiopia’s topmanagers and government officials setoff on B800 Foundations of seniorm a n a g e m e n tas a first step towards theirMBA. Since then I have returned 10times to deliver tutorials. As the studentshave progressed and graduated, so haslife in Addis. Roads have become busier,buildings have become newer and taller,and signs for Compaq, Dell and BM havesprung up along the Bole Road. Bole iswhere the International Airport and manyembassies are situated and, since 1997,the MBA centre provided by the Ethiopiangovernment for OU students.The Bole Road leads past MeskelSquare, a favourite meeting place forrunners in the city. My driver dropsme off at the palace guest house whereOU tutors are accommodated. Thesoldiers guarding the entrance eye mesceptically as I go through. The temperatureis pleasant as I walk through thegardens to the residence; although Addisis almost on the equator the climate ismild owing to the altitude of almost 2,500metres.The palace guest house itself is a twostoreyvilla. Its contents were describedby a colleague on a previous visit as astrange mixture of old colonial furnitureand ’60s MFI. Although Ethiopia wasnever fully colonised, a fact evident in theindependent mentality of its people, theinfluence of the Italian occupiers isevident in architecture and lifestyle.Sometimes when I can no longer faceanother traditional meal of injera (a typeof bread which looks like a pancake) andwot (a spicy sauce) I go out for pizza,spaghetti and cappuccino.As I am the only guest I reside inbedroom number one, and am lookedafter by a host of staff, some of whomserved in Haile Selassie’s court orremember the times of the militarydictatorship of Mengistu when, I am told,Tito was also a guest in bedroom numberone.thirteen monthsOne of the ladies on duty tells medinner is at one o’clock, which is 7pmby our clocks. The mealtimes no longerconfuse me as on my first visit I soonlearned that most Ethiopians set theirclocks from dawn to dusk. I still struggle,though, with the Julian calendar followedby Ethiopia, which is seven years andeight months behind the Westerncalendar. However, as it consists of 12months of 30 days and one month of fivedays, Ethiopia’s tourist board can boastof thirteen months of sunshine.Street scene in Ethiopia’s capitalThe OU’s development of its language coursesrecently took another step forward with theappointment of Jim Coleman.The university’s first professor of languages is working ona 10-year strategy to facilitate research into the subject, asignificant development for a department that was formedonly a decade ago.“The OU didn’t offer any language courses at all until the1990s,” says Jim, who came into post at the end of last year.“When it did, there was a treadmill of course creation whichleft little room for research.“People might think ‘language is language, we speak, sowhat is there to research?’” he says. “But we’re looking tofacilitate how language is taught, to make it a comfortableexperience for students.“When you learn a language you become someone else. YouIn the free time between tutorials Iget a chance to explore some of the sightsof Addis. I take a taxi to Mercato, Africa’sbiggest market where you can buyanything from a cow to a comb. When Ipass the row of sewing machinists Iremember Michael Palin had his trousersrepaired here in Around the World in 80D a y s. Back in the city I cross the piazza,another legacy of the Italians, withcolourful architecture and small, bustlingshops and cafés. Next, along ChurchillAvenue to buy Ethiopian coffee and othersouvenirs.Although poverty is evident everywhere,it seems the number of beggarshas fallen over the years of myvisits. The people are dressed either intypical Western clothes or traditionalEthiopian dress. My lasting impressionis of a colourful bustling city, which ismaking progress fast. The name given tothe city by Taytu, wife of EmperorMenelik II, just over 100 years ago, ondeciding to settle there, seems apteven today. Addis Ababa means NewFlower and to me it is a flower which isgradually opening to full bloom.Picture: Raewyn SoerJim breaks through the language barrierlearn the knowledge, such as the words and the grammar, butyou also develop skills – how to make sounds and interact. Itbecomes a subject about personal identity and attitude.Research into how people can learn a language, especially ata distance, doesn’t just embrace linguistics, it coverseducation and even psychology.“Our research has got to be not just about teachinglanguage, but teaching people how to learn a language andbuild their confidence. You speak a language better throughuse, speaking, listening, reading and writing, and we’ve gotto help students who have only the minimum of face-to-facetutorial contact.”He adds: “The OU is the only place with the long-termperspective and resources to make a success globally ofdistance language learning. I always had a great respect forthose who are now my colleagues.”

14 Sesame April/May 2002 Issue 208Study supportHelp to stay the cours eEmma helpswith mentalh e a l t hJanet Murphy and John Grundy – bringing a personal touch to advice and supportBy Jane MatthewsIt’s a familiar moment for manystudents. One month into the course –and you have a growing conviction thatyou may have made the wrong choice.At the South Regional Centre John Grundytakes the call from an anxious student signedup on a level two science course. Her panicis obvious: “I can’t cope. What do I do?”At the next desk Janet Murphy isfielding a call from someone wanting to knowwhether his courses to date can be countedtowards a named degree – or whether he’ddo better to keep his career options open bychoosing the general multi-disciplinary OUdegree.Across the room Janette Troska is guidinga new disabled student through the kinds ofhelp and support she might need.The region has five educational adviserson hand to offer advice and support to its20,000 students. And you don’t have to watchthem at work for long to see how successfullythey manage to buck the trend towards thesort of impersonal call centre currentlyengendering phone rage in even the mildestcaller.questionsEnquiries are currently running at anythingfrom 1,000-2,000 a week, a substantialincrease from previous years even takingaccount of those times when every studentseems to have a question: ahead of manycourse starts in January, around the time ofthe first TMA in March, and a huge surge inOctober when many are thinking abouttheir next course and worrying about exams.One reason for the vast increase is theeasy accessibility of other advice routes, suchas email, with a single click taking youthrough to advisory services from the OU’swebsite.But in the south 70 per cent of studentsstill prefer to pick up the phone. They mayspeak to the Student Services team for awide range of questions from registration tofinancial assistance; educational adviserssuch as John, Janet and Janette for morecomplex matters; and associate advisers –all also current tutors – for more course orstudy specific queries.Of course the lines between what constitutesinformation, guidance or advice areblurry. Often a seemingly straightforwardquestion, about a late TMA for instance, turnsout to be the tip of an iceberg of difficultiesthe student is experiencing, requiring a wholerange of people to be consulted and involvedin supporting him or her.Which is why all of those involved inhanding out help operate on the understandingthat the 200,000 people studying withthe university remain 200,000 individuals.Two months into the job – though he was asenior teacher for many years and is also anAL in languages – John points to a card on hiswall from a student for whom he helped negotiatecredit towards a diploma for a coursehe’d done outside the OU.saying yes“Last week we had a call about a studentwho won’t be able to complete her degreenow because of serious illness. We spoke tothe dean and the faculty has agreed toproduce a special certificate and present itto her,” John says.“The family was so grateful. We are nothere to say ‘no’ but to say ‘yes’ if we can.”Janette echoes this. She has just spoken toa number of tutors to identify a support groupfor an isolated student who can’t get totutorials. “Really as an adviser you are anadvocate for the student, providing a linkbetween them and everyone else in theuniversity. I work on the basis that it’spossible to help. You can generally dos o m e t h i n g . ”“Every call is different,” Janet concurs. “Itcould be seven minutes, it could be half anhour. Yesterday I spoke to someone who saidshe was just phoning to let us know she waswithdrawing from her course. When westarted talking it turned out she was havingtrouble coping with a young family and somefamily sickness. So I suggested instead ofwithdrawing she should think about presentationtransfer. Keep the books and readthrough them in preparation for next year.“All she could see was withdrawing but infact talking it through together she decidedpresentation transfer was a better option.”“We don’t make the decisions for thestudent,” says John, “But I often find myselfusing the word ‘possibility’. It’s abouthelping them see what their choices are andwhat they really want.”Assistant Director John Marshall managesthe educational advisory team: “You need aperson who is skilled in helping studentsclarify their own thought processes. Aboveall it means carefully listening.”personalHe also sounds a caution, recalling thatonce upon a time the OU, like every highstreet bank, was able to offer a personalinterview and a personal relationshipwith its customers – in the OU’s casethrough the soon-to-be-defunct role of tutorcounsellors.He says: “The replacement supportsystems have the real advantage of instantaccess to up-to-date computer records, butthe disadvantage is that the staff memberwill not have personal knowledge of theindividual. This risks leaving students withsome sense of alienation. Though we havegrown up with this call-centre culture I thinkthere is a reasonable subset of our studentswho still prefer the personal touch.”One response to this challenge in the SouthRegion has been to use the phone proactively,contacting students considered vulnerablefor any number of reasons – from havinglaunched into the OU at level two or three tohaving failed to hand in their first TMA – andoffering guidance and educational support.Student Services Manager (Courses andEnrolment) Mike Wills, who oversees 12Student Services Assistants, says that thetwo topics enquirers seem most confusedabout are credit transfer and named degrees.“There’s an awful lot of good stuff on theinternet now but many people still wantmore,” he says. “As the OU gets morecomplicated we are lucky in having a veryexperienced team, many of whom have takenOU courses themselves so can really answerquestions fully.”Support for students experiencing mentalhealth problems has been given a boost withthe introduction of a new Mental Healthadvisor.And the first thing postholder Emma Flynnwants to do is hear from S e s a m ereaders who havea success story to tell. Their profiles will featurein a brochure. She explained: “This will offerpositive role models to other OU students andhelp raise awareness that students withmental health diagnoses are just as capableof achieving as any other student and notnecessarily more demanding, which seems to bea common misconception.” It will also highlightthe support that is available.Other priorities for Emma, whose previousexperience includes co-ordinating an eveninghelpline for mental health service users, writingshort courses aimed at confidence building andsocial reintegration, and voluntary work for MIND,are gathering more resources to help staff andtutors support students, and developing trainingin relation to mental health.progressiveShe told S e s a m e: “The OU is regarded asalready being very progressive in mental healthand we have some very good resources: a videofor staff training, audio tapes for students and theMental Health Toolkit for staff and tutors whichwas revised in 2000.“Education can be a wonderful means ofrehabilitation for people who have been sociallymarginalised by mental illness. With theright support it can offer a route back intoother forms of meaningful daily activity which areoften essential for longer term stability andfulfilment.”If you have a story to tell contact Emma via theDisabled Student Services Section at Walton Hall,or by email: e.l.flynn@open.ac.uk .D e c o d i n gtutor speakYou’re about to do your first TMA on thisyear’s course – but how do you ensure thatit becomes part of your learning experience?By following S e s a m e’s simple guideto decoding tutor speak, that’s how….This is a well-presented argument(You haven’t grasped this at all but you typeneatly)Might be worth pursuing(How could you miss this out? – it’s crucial!)Perhaps you could have given this moreemphasis…(And so is this)Suffers from a little repetition(Padding just doesn’t work)Incorporate more course materials(Lay it on with a trowel if you want a decentmark)Interesting(Priceless tutors’ catchall term)I’m not sure what you mean by…(This is drivel)This is a significant improvement(We both know it couldn’t have got any worse)I look forward to seeing you at the tutorial(Please come, I get so lonely)With thanks to arts student Sid Brown.

Suspicion of the nuclear industry has been a fact of lifesince the mushroom clouds seared their way deep intopublic consciousness. Half a century on, fear of whatterrorists might do next, and the huge row over Sellafie l d ,mean the debate is generating as much heat and fury as ever.The OU’s Ray Mackintosh experienced this at firsthand when theBBC invited him to comment on a journalist’s suggestion that the trickmight be to ‘rebrand’ nuclear physics with a new name.Recalls Ray: “The producer assured me that Brian Hanrahan, whowould interview me, was a ‘sweetie’… I was told that the interviewwould be introduced by some visual images. Those images turned outto be, of course, film of the Hiroshima mushroom cloud. They werefollowed by the ‘sweetie’ saying with great emphasis: ‘You do have aproblem don’t you’.”The international community of nuclear physicists rejected therebranding idea but did agree on the urgent need for a public educationcampaign. They drew up a programme which would include atravelling exhibition, where local nuclear physicists and the publiccould meet; a website featuring educational material for the public andteachers; and a popular book.It is the last of these which Ray, Senior Lecturer in the Science Faculty,has been most closely involved with – and which has just resulted inthe publication of the beautifully produced Nucleus: a trip into theheart of the matter (Canopus 2001).Seeing beyo n dthe bombNucleus: a trip into the heart of the matter,Canopus/Johns Hopkins University Press,price £14.95Its aim, which is to ‘bring the wonders of nuclear physics to a broadaudience’, carries no hint of irony. In every lavishly illustrated page,every fascinating aside (did you know, for instance, that there are moreatoms in a single glass of water than there are glasses of water in allthe earth’s oceans) the book demonstrates the central role of nuclearphysics in our exploration of nature.Says Ray: “That people associate us wholly with some of thesinister applications is something we live with. I know hundreds ofnuclear physicists and only one of those has ever had anything to dowith nuclear power. This is a campaign to explain to the public whatit really is. The implicit message beneath all of the text is that nuclearphysics is about nothing more sinister than understanding theuniverse.”The book demonstrates that without nuclear physics we simply couldnot understand the processes by which some elements were made inthe Big Bang, and the rest made in exploding stars. Nuclear physicstells us why there is more iron than gold in the world.Then there is its crucial contribution to areas such as medicine. Indirect contrast to its image as bringer of destruction, each day in theUS alone some 47,000 medical operations – many of them life-saving– would not happen but for nuclear physics.Says Ray: “The spin-offs in medicine are much more important thanpeople realise, yet a 50-year old spin-off known as nuclear bombs arethe only things the public associates with the subject.“It is as if the only thing people know about chemists is that theyinvented TNT and mustard gas.”Ray’s experience producing OU courses played a fundamental rolein working with three international nuclear physicists to write and producea book aimed at a generalist audience, particularly the schoolsmarket. The book has been adopted by Johns Hopkins University Pressin the US which should ensure its financial viability: at £14.95 the UKedition is priced to sell rather than to return any royalties.Despite this success, he is realistic about the contribution the bookmay make to nudging public understanding of his branch of science alittle further forward. “A single book is not going to change public attitudesbut you never know who is going to read it. What we have done isset down a marker to show nuclear physics is a central part of our understandingof the physical world. In the time I have been working in scienceit has changed very much from being an interesting specialisationto the point where suddenly all of physics becomes connected.”Reviewed by Jane MatthewsIssue 208 April/May 2002 Sesame 15BooksG e t t i n gthat jobHandling Tough Job InterviewsHow To Books, price £8.99.Julie-Ann Amos is a human resourcesconsultant who has doubtless seenenough employment hopefuls sitbefore her to know exactly what she istalking about. It makes her eminentlyq u a l i fied to take the reader through everysingle stage of a recruitment process – inenormous detail.The book gives a wealth of sound advice,including good hints on how to make theright impression, the best questions to ask,how to approach negotiating a salary, takinga psychometric test and how you should treata regular interview differently from one witha recruitment agency or a head-hunter.But perhaps she should have stopped there.Few people, after all, could fill 119 pageson how to prepare for an interview, but MsAmos manages it with a welter of additionaladvice which perhaps would be better placedunder the heading Patronising Tips For TheUnutterably Stupid.These serious suggestions include: makingsure your zips are done up; avoidingtalking with a mouth full of biscuit; and – I’mnot making this up – not turning up for theinterview while on drugs.There’s also a section that seems designedto help transform the self-assured intervieweeinto a gibbering bag of nerves. It lists thethings you can expect to do during the first 30seconds – “knocking on the door; seeing theinterviewer for the first time; walking in;saying hello; shaking hands; taking off a coat;sitting down; accepting or declining a drink.Wow! A lot goes on, doesn’t it?”.The Inte rnet Job search HandbookHow To Books, price £9.99.K n owing your bodles fro myour baw b e e sThe Collins Dictionary of Scottish History, by Ian Donnachie and GeorgeHewitt. Harper Collins, ISBN 0 00 712 1857, price £19.99Afamous Scottish statesman onceremarked: “History doesn’t repeatitself. Historians repeat each other.”Although obviously intended as a bon mot,there is more than an element of truth in theassertion. It is therefore refreshing to comeacross a history book that relies heavily onrecent research and the considerableexpertise of its authors. The o n g o i n gcollaboration between Open Universitylecturers Ian Donnachie and GeorgeHewitt has resulted in a valuable additionto the catalogue of Scottish historicalreference material.The Collins Dictionary of Scottish Historyis a wide-ranging, single volume work coveringmajor personalities, important events andkey themes from Scotland’s past. The alphabeticalarrangement of the dictionary offersquick access to entries and chain referencingbetween related topics. Many interesting andwell-written biographical notes are included.Social historians will also find much to interestthem. In addition to recording the peopleand events of great historical significance,there are entries for everyday activities.Traditional trades and occupations such asfishing and textile manufacture are recordedalong with great industries like shipbuilding.Informative appendices provide outline maps,population statistics, royal family treesand other useful data. The appendix of‘Scots Weights, Measures and Money’ offers acharming glimpse of some archaic unitary terms.If you need to know how many ‘mutchkins’ thereare in a ‘chopin’ or how many ‘bodles’ in a‘bawbee’ you will find the answer here.The criteria adopted by the authors for theinclusion of dictionary entries were ‘relativehistorical importance and the findings of recentresearch’. These are, to some extent, subjectivecriteria and not everyone will concur fullywith their selection or the degree of emphasisplaced on particular subjects. One may wonder,for example, why ‘immigration’ (albeit afascinating subject) should be allocated eightpages while ‘emigration’ commands only a coupleof columns. The Scottish diaspora mustsurely be a major topic of worldwide interest.However, this apparent disparity in no waydetracts from the book’s importance as a solidand reliable work of reference. A volume ofthis size cannot, and does not, claim to be comprehensive.But there is ample coverage ofmost major themes. The much-studied ‘Enlightenment’period and its associated luminariesreceive the attention they deserve, and studentsof Scotland’s more recent history willfind the volume a particularly appropriatevade-mecum. Although the occasional entrymay be less than generous in its scope, thereare useful bibliographical references and linksto alternative entries and other sources.Future editions would benefit from the inclusionof an index, as chain-referencing alonecan be a somewhat long-winded method ofarriving at the required information.The Collins Dictionary of Scottish Historywill undoubtedly prove an invaluable referenceasset to all students of Scottish historyand is highly recommended.Reviewed by Roy HendersonYou can’t blame the authors of T h eInternet Job Search Handbook f o rthinking such a tome would be a goodidea. It’s a big world out there and, if youwant specific information, you’re goingto need all the help you can get.Andrea Semple and Matt Haig’s 200 pagesof friendly, well set-out advice does go someway to assisting job-seekers through the mire.For example, the book provides usefulpointers about preparing an online cv,choosing a trustworthy recruitment site,making use of the best search engines and, inshort, helping the reader to make specific,relevant applications for specific, relevant jobsthrough specific, relevant sites.I would hazard a guess that those who willbenefit most from this work are people whohaven’t applied for a job in a while. This bookincludes sites which encourage you to fill outforms to see the type of work to which you maybe suited, which struck me as strange –whathappened to applying for a job that wouldactually interest you?For all its strengths, the main drawbackwith this book, or any like it, is that, with thebest advice and will in the world, the internetwill always be so unwieldy and untidy that themost straightforward of queries can still beimpossible to answer.Which means that while the book assertsproudly that “more than 50 per cent ofjobseekers have looked for a job online”, itdoesn’t mean they found one. I tried at leastfive top-rated UK-based job sites and was toldmy field of interest, journalism, “returned nomatches”.Reviews by James MilldaleTitles can be ordered online fromAmazon through the OU’s bookshop:w w w . o p e n l i n k . o r g. Every purchase madevia this site creates a contribution to theOU Foundation.

16 Sesame April/May 2002 Issue 208The last wordT VT R A I L E R SRough ScienceBBC 2, from May 7Always check press for latest programme details.It’s the Caribbean in the middle of July. The temperatureis in the nineties. The humidity is in the nineties.Just resting in such oppressive heat is exhausting.Then some bright spark says he wants you to usenatural materials to make ice.“You’ve got to be a scientist with a sense of humour to dothis,” says OU lecturer Mike Bullivant. “You’ve also got to beprepared to make yourself look a bit of an idiot on national TV.”Strangely, the idea of failure was one of the attractions whichlured Mike onto the latest series of Rough Science. The OU/BBCseries dumps six scientists on a tropical island and asks themto use their professional knowledge and their environment tosolve a series of science-based challenges – and they’re notalways successful.“Often the first attempt failed,” recalls Mike. “But science ismore about failure than success. For every experiment thatworks there’s a string of ones that don’t – from which we learn.Persistence is the key.”Mike, a chemist and chair of S205 The molecular world,joined two physicists, a virologist and a botanist for eight weekson the tropical island of Carriacou off Grenada, where theirchallenges, in the name of science and good TV, also includedcreating an underwater torch, predicting the weather andmaking fireworks.“It wasn’t a deserted island – we were on the edge of a townof about 5,000 people,” says Mike. “And we were given tools –it wasn’t about survival. The producers who dreamed up thetask did give us a few things we wouldn’t be able to source onthe island, but they left us to find the rest.“For example, as a chemist, it was my job to make gunpowderfor the fireworks. The BBC provided me with sulphur butI also needed charcoal, which I got from burned wood, andpotassium nitrate – which I extracted from bats’ droppings!”And therein lies the key to this fascinating series – it is, tosteal a phrase, the appliance of science. The ability to use, orat least understand that you could use, even the most basicmaterial to great effect.“These experiments threw us all back to nature,” says Mike.“It also showed how much science is a collaborative process.We all contributed ideas and came up with solutions together,but it wasn’t just us – quite often one of the film crew wouldmake a suggestion which would help us to solve a problem.”Apart from its entertainment value – and like the first R o u g hS c i e n c e series it’s likely to hook viewers – this show is anadvertisement for the impact that science has on virtuallyevery aspect of life and why, according to Mike, it’s in everyone’sinterests to learn a little about the subject.“Science is such a fundamental part of our lives,” he says.“GM foods, ozone layers, car engines – it’s all relevant. I thinkwe all need to take an interest.”And he’s hoping the series will prompt people to take advantageof the OU’s wealth of science short courses. “They’re interesting,they’re an excellent way to dip your toe in the water andthey’re good value for money,” he says. “I would love to see morepeople studying science and if this series encourages them tothink about the excitement of experiments, I would be delighted.”Would-be scientists can decide by visiting the website:w w w . o p e n 2 . n e t or tuning in to watch Mike and hiscolleagues ‘struggling’ in the Caribbean heat.“Of course it was enormous fun to go out to a tropical islandto make a TV programme,” he says. “But believe it or not, therewere hard days and we did struggle. The heat drained us andthe TV cameras made it a pressurised environment. It soundsstrange to say it got a bit tense, but I was really disappointedif things didn’t work.”Peter Taylor-WhiffenMike BullivantTu to rial inPo rt Sta n l eyLeft to right – Antony McCord, Eileen Powell and Andy Bell at Port StanleyArts tutor Eileen Powell brought awhole new meaning to the phrasedistance learning when she droppedin to help two foundation course students– in the Falklands.Eileen “just happened to be passing” PortStanley while on a cruise to Antarctica, soarranged a tutorial with Antony McCord andAndy Bell, who are both serving with the RAF.“I just had to take the opportunity,” saidEileen, from Bromsgrove, West Midlands,who teaches A103 An Introduction to thehumanities to BFPO students.“They had both done their preliminaryTMAs prior to beginning the course, and I liketo help students to get started. It was too gooda chance to miss.”Eileen, a wildlife and environmententhusiast, was holidaying on the MV MarcoPolo and knew the ship would be allowing itspassengers to spend a day in Port Stanley.“I knew before I left England that Antonywas studying, so arranged to meet him there,but by the time I found out about Andy it wastoo late to get a letter to him,” said Eileen. “SoI asked Antony, who didn’t know Andy, if hemight be able to find him.”the Falklands factorThe meeting was arranged for the morningof January 4 but had to be put back to theafternoon after Eileen’s transport had to waitfor the weather to change before landing. “Imanaged to contact Antony before he left forwork to explain, and he just arranged to doanother shift,” she said. “He was verysanguine – he called it the Falklands Factor!”Eileen finally got ashore at 11am and“looked at penguins” before meeting theservicemen, based at Mount Pleasant, forlunch, then enjoying a two-hour tutorial in thelounge of the Upland Goose Hotel.“It was great to meet them at the beginningof the course. Under normal circumstanceswe could only be in touch by email, phone andconference,” said Eileen.Antony, a squadron leader who is spendinga year as management planner for the RAF’sislands headquarters, said the meeting was a“great introduction” to the OU.“When Eileen phoned me to arrangethe tutorial, Andy and I were a littlesurprised!” he added. “But we were impressedwith the dedication and tenacity the OU tutorsdisplay to ensure face-to-face contact withstudents.”Andy, who said his wife Kathleen was “alsomaking the most of our time away” bystudying DD100 An introdiction to the socialS c i e n c e s, thinks their meeting may have beenthe most southerly OU tutorial ever held.great fun“American tourists and islanders werebemused at our antics – passing around theillustration book and reading extracts ofpoetry,” he added. “Nonetheless, it was greatfun!”Andy, an army captain in command of 460Port Troop RLC, responsible for unloading themonthly ship which supplies the Falklands,also enjoyed the “very sociable” tutorial.“It was a broad discussion of the course overlunch and a few drinks in one of Stanley’spremier restaurants!” he said. “But it was alsoan opportunity to get some very welcomefeedback on our pre-course study.“But the weather meant it nearly didn’thappen,” added Andy, who is studying to“broaden my academic horizons” and givehimself a mental challenge outside a workenvironment. “If Eileen hadn’t been able tocome ashore, it would have meant Antony andI handing in TMA 01 late!”And Eileen said she was more than happyto make time for the tutorial. “With realdistance students you have to take this sortof chance when you can,” she said. “It didn’tin any way interrupt my holiday – it added tomy enjoyment of it.”It’s not the first time she has gone out of herway to encourage students. “Last year I wentto Calgary in Canada for a skiing holiday andheard one of my students was based there,”she added. “We ended up having an apres-skitutorial!”FIFTHCOLUMNHere’s your chance towrite 350 to-the-pointwords on an OUsubject that gets rightup your nose – andwe’ll pay you £50 forthe privilege.Stop thissexist ageismsaysJeanNelsonThe OU has an excellentreputation for upholdingequality in themain areas of discrimination.So it is easy toassume that there are noproblems.As a mature female graduateof the university I offersome comments on ageismand sexism within the institution.Why is there a linkbetween ageism and sexism?Well, I don’t believe that menthink they grow old. Fewseem threatened by their ownflab or wrinkles. Also, youngwomen students hesitateto join a group containing apreponderance of elderlywomen.I remember sitting beside a30-year-old female student inthe bar at summer school asshe looked around (it wasfilled with elderly femalestudents) and said loudlythat when she joined TheOpen University she hadthought that studentswould be younger. No-onechallenged the remark.Students and tutors whoare sensitive to forms of discriminationcan be insensitiveto discrimination to olderpeople, particularly olderwomen. Do they take themseriously? Not always, unfortunately,when tutors givemore tutorial time to men andto younger women than isgiven to older female students.No one wants to be thoughtof as old, which is hardlysurprising in a culture gearedto youth and beauty, largelyin the female of the species.And yet one would welcomesome acknowledgement of thephysical difficulties encounteredby older people atsummer school and tutorials.Perhaps if men wereaffected by this age thingthere would be some changes.You see, I’ve noticed that if anageing male student is havinga difficulty, he can expect lotsof care and help from femalestudents. Alas, young men donot flock to support ageingladies.Jean Nelson is a playwrightwith performances on stage,radio and TV. She combinedthis with a nursing career andbringing up a family. Afterretirement from nursing shewas introduced to OU study byher daughter and gained herBA (Honours) in 1998.