Newly Funded Projects - 2025 - 2026

Exploring students’ experiences of racially inclusive assessment practices in online distance learning. Developing a best practice model 
Anna Judd-Yelland and Paula Addison-Pettit

Autoethnography as Pedagogy and Pedagogical Assessment: An Ethical and Critical Case Study
Paul Reynolds

Building student community ECYS
Shona Clark and Carol Nolan

Leading a racially inclusive pedagogy working group for Modified Seminar Workshops on a Level 2 module
Mel Green

Current Projects - 2024 - 2025

The Journey of the Early Childhood Student (Phase 2: Mattering and the Early Childhood Student
Joanne Josephidou 

Moving on up? Childhood and Youth undergraduate students’ perspectives of postgraduate study  
Jon Rainford & Kate Oakley 

A journey through Level 2 study: Exploring the study experiences of students aged 18-25
Helen Lee

‘Study With Me’: exploring social approaches to engagement and academic progress in a distance learning environment
Kate Oakley

Demystifying criticality - scoping the potential of an Interactive writing tool 
Bob Hallawell

Developing reflective practice in initial teacher education: a collaborative approach to tool-kit design 
Catharine Bleasdale

Designing inclusive assessment task guidance on taught postgraduate study: a co-creation project
Judy Chandler

An exploration into Gen Z students’ experiences, attitudes and agency in choice of digital tools when collaborating on group work
Poppy Gibson

Previous Projects

2023 - 2024

Student experience of assessment at Postgraduate level
Judy Chandler

Developing professional conversations to enable student learning and mentor professional development 
Grace Clifton and Cath Bleasdale

The journey of the Early Childhood Student 
Joanne Josephidou

Student retention and the affective impact of distance learning 
Joan Simons and Linda Plowright-Pepper

Navigating freedom of speech and inclusive pedagogy: teaching politically charged topics online in Level 1 Childhood and Youth
Naomi Holford

Learner experience of online study with micro-credential courses 
Amanda O'Shea

2022 - 2023

Initial Teacher Education and the use of video technology in Open University Partnership schools
Alison Glover

An exploration of staff perspectives about anti-racist and inclusive assessment (ARIA) in ECYS
Paula Addison-Pettit

Creating harmony from Discord ™: Using innovative technology to create a sense of community in distance education
Mel Green

Physical activity and academic performance outcomes: a longitudinal study
Mike Trott 

Investigating the effectiveness of ISSS in the module Exploring childhood and youth (E232)
Dorothy Barcroft and Claire Richardson

Understanding changes in study intensity among BA (Hons) Education Studies (Primary) (Q94) students
Lore Gallastegi

Evaluating the 22J pilot ‘OU Sport Black Students Network'
Jim Lusted

The emotional labour of online discussion forums: insights from personal affective responses
Lucy Rodriguez-Leon 

Optionality in assessment on E209 
Jen Aggleton

2021 - 2022

What is a tutorial? An exploration of ‘learning event literacy’ on student experience
Jane Dorrian

A student mental health confidence framework for Associate Lecturers  
Joan Simons

Student as partners. Student and staff module co-creation through ‘change laboratories’
Helen Hendry

How can we work with students to promote and develop good academic conduct? 
Jackie Musgrave and Diana Hardie

Exploring the study journey of level three female students from South Asian backgrounds 
Kate Breeze and Sadaf Rizvi

Effective mentoring in Initial Teacher Education – what works and why? 
Alison Glover

Creating an online environment that enables undergraduate distance learners to think for themselves
Sarah Lightfoot

2020 - 2021

Co-researching the learning experience of black sport and fitness students: a staff-student investigation
Jim Lusted

PGCE Practice Tutors – preconceptions, perceptions and actuality
Clare Lee

2019 - 2020

50 narratives @ 50 - Students lived experience following postgraduate study: personal, professional, and academic trajectories
Carol Azumah Dennis

An exploration of students ‘experiences of tutorials on two large Level 1 modules
James Roy

Writing for the Professional Doctorate (WPD): students’ and supervisors’ practices and perspectives
Jackie Tuck

Who are our Education Studies (Primary) (Q94) concurrent students?
Lore Gallastegi

2018 - 2019

The impact of embedded academic literacy activities in ‘Listening to young children: critical reflections’ (E229) module, on students’ assessed academic writing
John Parry

A case study on the use computer simulation to foster interprofessional learning and development among online and distance education students
Sharif Haider

An evaluation of the Three Gains Employability model 
Joan Simons

Integrating inline discussions into online learning guides: the experience of teachers and learners
Pam Foley