Induction resources

Note: Some of these resources are refreshed for each induction and will only be uploaded close to the start of the Induction event. Some links will not work until you have OU sign-in details which you receive at registration.

Find your month/year start date in the Induction presentations folder in the Researcher Development Programme Resources and Recordings MS Team (sign in needed)

October 2026 induction slides and resources

Graduate School Induction October 2026 programme (Word), PhD induction, 29-30 September 2026

STEM Faculty PGR Induction October 2026 programme (Word), 1 October 2026

October 2026 PhD induction presentations (Sharepoint folder) (sign in needed; you may need to request permission to view this folder)

Graduate School Director's Essentials: Resource Pack (Powerpoint)

Key links

Forms and Policy
Contains all the links for the Regulations and information about fees and funding.

PGR Manager (sign in needed)
The administration system that you will use to keep track of your maximum submission deadline, submit your upgrade and progress reports, and submit your final thesis. You can also request annual leave and study breaks.

Regulations and milestones

Graduate School Director's Welcome and regulations slides (Clare Warren talk; in Induction presentations - sign in needed)

Research Degrees Regulations
Lays out the regulations that govern research degrees at the Open University.

Research code of practice | Research at The Open University

Wellbeing

Getting started on your PGR journey slides (Helen Bowes-Catton; in Induction presentations - sign in needed)

Student wellbeing | Graduate School Network (open.ac.uk) (sign in needed)

Community

PGR Community Team (access code thh1sgn) (sign in needed)

OU Club affiliated clubs (for OU Staff and PGRs)

Open SU Groups & Societies (for OU students)

Training

Introduction to Core Research Skills and Methods Training for New PGRs slides (Jude Taylor; in Induction presentations - sign in needed)
My Learning Centre: Researcher Development Programme (RDP)
Researcher Development Programme Resources and Recordings MS Team (access code ir2smh0) Current GS training takes place here, includes recordings (sign in needed)
Research skills Standalone training modules and videos (sign in needed)
Library research support training

IT and websites

Introduction to PGR Manager slides (Ellie Milnes-Smith/Mate Szenyan; in Induction presentations - sign in needed)
Introduction to OU online platforms – Library Services (Yvette Howley in Induction presentations - sign in needed)
IT support | Graduate School Network
Wi-Fi at the OU | IT (sharepoint.com) (sign in needed)