Today is the first of September, and the Open University Creative Writing student website opens soon (September 8th), although the course itself does not start until October. I am excited and a little nervous at the same time. The thought of being on a program where success lies within my power rather than government remit fills me with optimism. I cannot wait for the course to begin!
Before enrolment, I researched several creative writing programs at other universities. Unfortunately, the description of the inner workings of the OU MA was relatively opaque. This lack of clarity is very unusual for the OU, at least in my previous experience. Being persistent, I read around a lot of student blogs and wore out my welcome with Google. Eventually, I decided on the OU MA program anyway, based mainly upon their depth of experience in providing tuition remotely.
The preceding two years at the University of Liverpool showed me how disruptive COVID was to studying at traditional brick-and-mortar universities. Avoiding a repeat performance seemed paramount. Overall, the University of Liverpool did a great job in unprecedented and trying circumstances. Still, it seems pointless to attend a university to use physical resources if you cannot access them because of lockdown and COVID restrictions. OU, here I come!
This post is an informal guide, and I am not affiliated with the Open University, other than being a student there. I aim to address some questions I had during enrolment, hoping the answers I found will prove informative to others. The course will probably change little until they replace it in 2026, but check if you are reading this after 2021.
MA Creative Writing at the Open University
The Open University (OU) is almost exclusively an online university, with only a few PhD students and some staff at the Milton Keynes campus. There is no induction, or “freshers'” week, to speak of. Although most of what you need to know is available through your StudentHome login, it is worth mentioning a few things that may help if you are new or considering coming here for your degree.
Course Composition
The MA Creative Writing course (F71) comprises two modules (A802, A803), completed over two years.
A802 is the first-year module, scheduled to remain until replacement in 2026. The final presentation of A802 will begin in October 2025.
The OU assess A802 via three Tutor-Marked Assignments (TMA in OU speak) and a single End of Module Assignment (EMA). The EMA, in this case, is not an exam but is a significant piece of work. Passing A802 is a prerequisite to enrol in A803, which is the year two module. A802 is 60 credits, and A803 is 120, making the 180 credits required for a master’s degree.
Course Assessment
The OU typically provides a very structured guide to TMA questions. A careful reading and well-developed response to these guides often all but guarantees a good mark. This course, at least at present, looks significantly different. The big difference is that feedback is usually tutor generated. Here, students give feedback to each other similar to a writer’s circle. Participation in an online group forum is part of the mark, along with your critique of the work in question. While I have no great concern over sharing my work in public, I am deeply curious about how this assessment method ensures fairness.
Footnote
If you have read this far and are still wondering about the relevance of the featured image of a tree, please don’t.
The tree at the top of the page is part of the stock images contained with this WordPress theme. I thought it was a beautiful image, and so it stayed.
Although the Open University campus at Milton Keynes is quite pleasant, they do not have trees as wonderful as the header image.
