M253 - RIP

Wow, who thought I would have been so busy at my new job that it would be 22 days between posts on my blog.....

M253 officially finished yesterday at 12 noon and frankly I am glad to see the back of it. Susannah Relf, if you ever read this, take solace in being the only person in the 'team' who I would ever trust to work on anything with my name attached to it in the real world, and thank you very much for all your hard work.

The final 'team' project was the result of Susannah's hard work - there was very little team effort, and all in all I find it difficult to find something positive to say about the entire M253 debacle. It was a frustrating and largely negative experience. I don't feel it represents a 'real-world' situation, as is the dogma of the course tutors, and I don't feel that I have learned anything of lasting value from taking the course. This is likely to be reflected in my mark for the final TMA - but I really don't care. As long as I pass, and as far as I can see as long as you hand something in with your name on you will pass, I couldn't care less if it was with 41% or 99%/.

The entire M253 experience has left me somewhat jaded with the OU. I have found myself with a lack of motivation for the other courses I am currently undertaking, and am not sure how I will move forward when the courses I am currently studying come to an end. Has it put me off study - to a degree yes. It was so much hassle, entirely negative and when you have to balance this with other aspects of living and working it is something that is not needed. The fact that the course team recognise that M253 can be, and is, a really negative experience for a lot of students (I have the e-mails from the course team!!) and aren't really bothered by that is, for me, another nail in its coffin.

OU you may have lost yourself a customer - perhaps you should sort this course out.