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Mode of study

All of this module’s study materials are online. Online materials are composed of pages of text with images, audio and video clips of 0-30 minutes long (all with transcripts and/or subtitles), diagrams, interactive media, animations and multiple-choice self-assessed quizzes. Online materials also include links to external resources, online forums and online tutorial rooms. Printable alternatives are provided for some module content, but this does not include videos, interactive media or animations, all of which are core study material.

Tuition strategy

This module has online tutorials. Although not compulsory, tutorials will help you consolidate your learning.

Working with others

At specific points in the module, you will be required to work with other students and while your participation is not assessed, the outcomes from some of the activities are. This includes looking at, and commenting on, others’ work, reflecting on others’ comments on your work, and working together with fellow learners to complete practical experiments. You will be guided through this by your tutor. If you&/courses/s111-accessibility-statement/39;re unable to work within a group environment, alternatives are available.

Practical work

Online and home-based practical work forms a required component of assessment. This includes some collaborative group work. The simple home experiments will require some basic kitchen, DIY or garden equipment, including (but not restricted to): a kitchen weighing scale; a means of freezing water; re-usable plastic and glass containers of various sizes; a clock or watch; galvanised nails, copper wire and electrical cable; items of fruit or vegetables; offcuts of cardboard. If you are unable to undertake the experiments, we will provide alternative ways to enable you to take part.

Questions in Science (S111) also introduces you to the use of an online laboratory, and an application for sharing your experimental work with other students, called OpenStudio. Alternative study materials and advice have been prepared to enable students who are unable to take part in these activities to successfully study the module.

Mathematical and scientific expressions and notations

Mathematical and scientific symbols and expressions are used throughout the module and you will be required to use such notation within assessment.

Diagrams and other visual content

The study materials contain a considerable number of diagrams, graphs, and photographs, as well as video content. Reading, interpreting and producing examples of these is an important part of the study of this module and is assessed. Figure descriptions are provided for most figures. Transcripts and/or subtitles are provided for most videos.

Finding information

You may be required to search for, and make use of, third party online material and this is assessed. For example, S111 uses an online database of exoplanets to consider the habitability of planets outside our solar system; the Royal Society of Chemistry’s interactive periodic table to find out more about the chemical elements; and Google Earth™ to discover more about our own planet. Alternatives for required/assessed research material can be provided to enable you to meet the learning outcomes of the module.

Specialist reading material

In this module you will be working with specialist reading material such as mathematical notation and chemical formulas. These are delivered online. Equation descriptions are provided in most cases.

Assessment

This module has tutor-marked assignments (TMAs), which you must submit via the online TMA service and interactive computer-marked assignments completed online.

Feedback

You will receive personal feedback from your tutor on your submitted Tutor-Marked Assignments (TMAs). This will help you to reflect on your TMA performance. You should refer to it to help you prepare for your next assignment.

Schedule

All Open University modules are structured according to a set timetable and you will need time-management skills to keep your studies on track. You will be supported in developing these skills.

Specialist software

This module uses specialist symbols that are not covered by standard accessibility tools. The module materials use the following specialist software/symbols: MathML and LaTeX, ChemDraw and Jmol, and may not be fully accessible as a result. You will not be assessed on your ability to produce any of these formats; only to read them.