Changes to policy and curriculum

Developing subject knowledge for the primary years (E209) - Assessment change

In February 2021, The Open University made a change to the assessment of the module Developing subject knowledge for the primary years (E209) that began in October 2020.

The change made

Previously, TMA 04 for this module included Part 1 Project A, in which students had to work with children, and Part 2 the Collaborative Project. However, due to ongoing COVID-restrictions, it has been necessary to amend this TMA so that students can complete similar projects without working with a child and their fellow students.

This change to TMA 04 still ensures that students can demonstrate the relevant learning outcomes for this module. There has been no change to workload because of this amendment; the previous wordcount for Part 2 the Collaborative Project was necessarily higher to accommodate the contribution of multiple students.

Why this change was made

These changes have been made because COVID-19 restrictions have meant that:

• a significant number of students will not be able to work with children to complete Part 1 Project A, and
• working collaboratively within the very tight planned time frame to complete Activities 19.3, 20.3, 21.3 and 22.3 for TMA 04 Part 2 will be impossible for a significant number of students

Please talk to your Student Support Team if you need any further information. You can find out how to contact them on Contact the OU.