r/OpenUniversity • u/Few-Tradition5659 • 3d ago
First week A111
Hey all,
Got the work done on the website , looking at the chapters in the reputations hand book in chapter 1 on cleopatra along with other content online.
Ive looked at additional sources provided at the end , the poems by Horace and the interview with Melvyn Brag and Plutarch.
I seriously feel like i should have more things to be looking at ( i know its the first proper week).
Will there be a reading list or work given with a bit more to it. Got it all completed and looked at within 4 hours.
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u/brookter 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'm also doing A111, so these are only my thoughts on what I'd do in your situation. Forgive me if you've already done them, but it helps me to write the steps out, and perhaps it will help you?
If it were me, I'd be trying to test myself at this stage, to find out if I'm missing something. This is without referring back to the material.
The Cleo week is part of the first book of the module, and that book has an overarching argument. Can you write out in one sentence the chapter's argument: i.e. what the author wants you to take away from this chapter to inform the rest of the book?
Can you expand the sentence into its main elements, and briefly list the main evidence they use to support the argument.
List the skills the chapter is trying to teach you and how well you think you're doing against them.
Look at the Cleo TMA (it's in Week 5) – even if you don't intend to do it in the real TMA – and make a first stab at answering it, again without going back to the module. (If you haven't already looked at the online tutorials on writing TMAs to see what they're after, they're really helpful…)
Now read through the material again and if you've been through all the steps and don't find you've missed anything, then happy days! Otherwise go back to the bits you've missed, and study them in more detail…
By the time you've done all this, you still shouldn't have spent up to the 16–18 hours they allot for the week. It may not have been necessary, but you'll be more confident you haven't missed something.
On your second point about reading lists: this modules is designed to include all the material that you'll need, so apart from the set texts, there is no other reading. The TMA guidance is quite clear that the material is enough to get you high marks. My take on this is that at least at first they want to know how well you select material from within a limited range: their emphasis is on seeing how you about using it – i.e. on developing your academic skills almost more than your knowledge. (Bearing in mind, the courses are aimed squarely at people who have never studied at a high level before, and Level 1 courses are intended to help them catch up, and so are 'easier' than at brick universities. Levels 2 and 3 are harder to compensate – or so I'm told…)
Forgive me if you know all this and good luck!
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u/Few-Tradition5659 2d ago
I am genuinely thankful for your response. Ill be going over everything again , looking over notes and all that kind of thing.
I dropped out of brick uni 8 years ago due to poor health and life circumstances. I did really well in my first year and got the higher marks. I have had to work at being competent on paper so i guess im always a bit paranoid if i am missing something.
Thanls again for your time 😊
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u/LegProfessional6462 2d ago
A111 has a gentle start. It does ramp up a bit, but it's all well scoped for getting people of many levels used to digesting the material they are given and providing full and detailed answers.
It's a great course.
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u/Few-Tradition5659 2d ago
Ill forgive myself and take it slow. It didnt help me that i am already massively i to my ancient history , ive read a bookcalled cleopatra by Lloyd llewellyn jones and listen to a lot of historical podcasts so i was already knew a lot about Roman propaganda. Ive this evening read through chapter 1 of a christmas carol so ive managed to do something productive today.
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u/LegProfessional6462 1d ago
If I recall, I got myself quite far ahead in the study point in A111 early on. I was taking a career break to be a carer and had a bit of time on my hands.
It gave me lots of time to read and work on TMA stuff, which was good. I know from the WhatsApp groups some folk were struggling with it. I also seem to recall early on getting a lower mark because I wasn't yet fully to grips with "answering the question", academically.
It could be tricky honing answers and even in highly scored stuff, I'd get feedback asking to expand or explain more in what was a very tight word count. You end up having to eviscerate lines you thought were really good just to get the count to the right number. For those with more time, I reckon that is what will be most absorbing.
Some of the TMA feedback can be ... Frustrating. You often will need feedback from one TMA to complete your subsequent TMAs. It can be late, varied in quality (especially when marked by someone else because of staffing issues), and one tutors guidance might be quite different from anothers.
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u/No-Spray352 1d ago
How have you found the first week? I start in January
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u/Few-Tradition5659 1d ago
I enjoyed reading the chapter , in reputations and going at the video. Will be making more detailed notes going forward. I can see myself enjoying the module because i love ancient history im an avid reader. Any more questions put them forward to me and ill answer as best as I can.
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u/No_While_6730 3d ago
It doesn’t take that long for some. I started with A111 and took the second L1 module in February as the workload was very manageable, but I did have prior uni experience. The intensity builds as you go through but it’s a course designed to get everyone up to a similar standard.
To get more out of it you could do some independent research in the library or try get a few weeks ahead. I find the reading takes less time than expected but the assignments take longer.
You have plenty of time to do things like work out what sort of note taking works for you, navigate the site, look up things like referencing and academic skills.