D120 Consolidation Weekend: 2024

Description

This study weekend is an excellent opportunity to further your understanding about psychology within the context of D120 and to develop effective study skills to provide a firm foundation for the whole of your degree. It will also help you to get to grips with the various research methods covered in the module which will be so important when progressing through your degree.

The weekend will be useful to all D120 students, whether they start the module in October or will be starting in February.

Studying D120 will open up many different areas of psychology to you. Not only do you get an excellent introduction to psychology and its different areas, perspectives and theories, but it also introduces you to the various methodologies that we use to understand these areas. Early on you are introduced to qualitative methods and later to quantitative methods. You also start to use the key statistical package, SPSS. Furthermore, it also gives you the opportunity to develop your academic skills, such as essay writing, critical thinking and referencing. Gaining a solid understanding of the material and practising and improving your study skills now will give you a firm foundation to build on at the higher levels of your degree.

This residential weekend at Warwick University is an excellent way to achieve all these aims as well as meeting other students who are studying your module. The weekend is packed with lectures from experienced tutors and you will leave with an overview of the content of the course as well as improved study skills and an understanding of the methodological issues that psychologists are presented with when doing research. You will also be able to explore SPSS in a supportive environment with a chance to see it in action.

Many students find that these weekends inspire their studies, offering a different channel to distance learning by providing lectures and social opportunities that are a highlight of traditional "brick" universities. Students always comment on how friendly and supportive the atmosphere is at our weekends so there is no need to feel nervous about coming on your own.

What does the weekend offer?

This weekend offers a full programme of eight talks, running from Friday evening (8.00pm) to teatime on Sunday (last talk finishes at 3.00pm).

Attendees can arrive any time after 3pm on Friday afternoon, with dinner served at 6pm. All meals are served on Saturday, and breakfast and lunch are served on Sunday.

As well as covering course related topics and study skills, the sessions also allow students the opportunity of acquiring a better understanding and overview of the course as a whole and the option to discuss issues with the tutors. In addition it is a chance to meet up with other students studying your course. No matter where you are at with the course material or your level of study, the weekend will provide an excellent opportunity to increase your knowledge and skills.

The lectures will be centred around the various topics in the course and a development of study skills and understanding of methods will be covered in specific sessions.

Timetable

The provisional timetable is as follows:

Friday: 

7:45 -9:30pm Session 1. Module overview, major approaches in psychology with key examples and methods (Kate)

Saturday: 

9:00 -10:30am: Session 2:  How to read chapters and take notes in smart way (Alan)

11:00 -12:30pm: Session 3:  Basics of research in psychology: what, why, and how (Kate)

2:00 -3:30pm: Session 4.: SPSS – variables, X2, and t-test (Kate)

4:00 -5:30pm: Session 5: Biological Perspectives (Frederick)

Sunday:

 9:00 -10:30am:  Session 6:  Interpreting results, writing research reports and creating research posters (Kate)

 11:00 -12:30pm:  Session 7: Essay writing (evaluation and integration) and study skills (Janet)

 1:30 -3:00pm: Session 8.: Learning - from rats to humans (Frederick)

*No specific advice on TMAs will be given.

Tutors

The tutors on the weekend are highly experienced and are selected for their unique areas of expertise and different teaching styles.  One thing they have in common is their ability to explain things simply and clearly.

Professor Frederick Toates is Emeritus Professor of Biological Psychology at the Open University, where he has over 41 years experience of teaching and tutoring. An author on DE100 as well as many OU other courses, including SDK100, DE200 and SDK228, his book  Biological Psychology (3rd edition, Pearson Education, Harlow) forms a popular and recommended text in a number of universities throughout the world. He has also had a book on B.F. Skinner published.  Fred has taught undergraduate classes not only in the UK but also in the Netherlands, Moldova, Romania, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and the USA. Many of you will know Professor Toates from his involvement in the student forums, where he often provides very helpful and timely explanations in response to students' queries.

Dr Kate Hammond has been an Associate Lecturer at the Open University for nearly 10 years, teaching on a variety of psychology modules at level 1, 2 and postgraduate.  She has been an OU student herself for many years as well (PhD, BSc, MSc - in that order). Her PhD looked at political spin and leadership in Ancient Rome - but almost as soon as she completed it, she discovered psychology, opening up a whole new career path.   As a Business Psychologist she teaches in the Faculty of Business, for example, on leadership courses and the MBA research module.  She has also taught at Kingston University and Birbeck University of London.  Her research interests are in social identity and leadership.  She has also regularly trained students in psychometrics and was on the committee of The Psychometrics Forum for several years.  She has authored the online section on Personality on D110 and hopes many of you will recognise her from the D120 Welcome Forum.  This is her first time with the OUPS and she is really looking forward to it.

Dr Alan Pechey has been teaching OU psychology courses for over 20 years. He is currently a tutor for both E219 and DE200; but has tutored for many years on OU child development and cognitive psychology courses and is a popular tutor at OUPS Weekends. He has assisted in some course writing and has been an  OU exam marker. He has an MA (in cognitive development) and a PhD (looking at human memory) from Cambridge University. Aside from his OU teaching, he worked for many years as a consultant in Organisational Psychology; advising organisations (e.g. Barclaycard, Scotland Yard, local government) on how to adapt to new technology; how to change work practices and how to present information more effectively. Alan is a very engaging speaker, with a passion for psychology and students find his extensive knowledge and enthusiasm highly motivating.

Janet Simpson has been teaching with the OU for thirteen years. She currently teaches on E219, DE200, DD210, E102, DD102 and D120. Janet also marks E219 EMA scripts. Janet has extensive experience of teaching psychology from GCSE to undergraduate level, with a specific focus on helping students to  acquire effective study skills, including critical thinking. As an ex OU mature student, Janet is passionate about lifelong learning, having gained an MSc, and a BSc (Hons) in psychology as well as an MA and a BA (Hons) in English. All studied with the OU. This has given her insight into the student experience. In the early days of her first degree in psychology,  Janet worked full-time as a Rheumatology Nurse specialist, lecturing and delivering workshops to patients, nurses and doctors. Janet has a  particular interest in childhood trauma and resilience, and is currently exploring this from a psychoanalytic perspective, with a view to developing this into a PhD proposal.

Feedback

These are some of the comments that students have made about our weekends in the past:

'The weekend is really excellent in every way - perfectly organised and the tutors excellent'

'Really enjoyable. I found the weekend really stimulating and thought provoking. Will definitely be coming back to another one'

'With both tutors I felt able to question and query anything - they were both approachable'

I enjoyed them very much, they were very imaginative and I felt like I learned a lot and they presented very well

'I've enjoyed myself tremendously. It was informative and has consolidated the material in the text book and left me with a greater enthusiasm than I had before, which was probably high to begin with.'

'Very stimulating! Full of insight and camaraderie. I think it will be very helpful to complete the module'

'There was a variety of lectures. Everybody was very friendly - tutors and students alike.'

I just wanted to say what a great event it was at Warwick University this weekend. Really constructive learning and skills development. Met some really fabulous people. Thanks are due for great organisation and presentations. Hope to see some folks again in London next month. On with the TMA then! Thanks Frederick Toates!

What to expect

The lectures are conducted in management conference seminar rooms within the University campus, and you will have been provided with a timetable of talks and lecture notes before you arrive.

You can choose how you spend your time. If you book the residential package then you will have a very comfortable ensuite room in management conference facilities complete with bedding, towels, a hairdryer, coffee-making facilities and desk. Wifi is also included.

The full cost is inclusive of all meals, including Friday night and Saturday night dinner. There are no extra costs involved (except for drinks at the bar!). As well as your room and all meals this includes refreshments at break times, extensive handouts which are only available to attendees, revision of key course material, advice on revision techniques and assessment, welcome drink on Friday night. Non-residential places are available for a reduction, and the same breakfast, lunch, dinner and all tea/coffee/snack breaks during the day are still included.

The welcome briefing and the bookstall are great opportunities to meet the tutors and other students over a free glass of wine or soft drink. Our OUPS committee member will also introduce themselves so you'll know who to contact if you have any questions. You can enjoy your meals with a group of students in the comfortable dining room. The food is fresh, healthy catering, and there is something to entice everyone.

Finally, whilst most students leave exhausted from the learning and socialising, they comment that it is such a worthwhile weekend, and we see many of them each year as they progress their studies!

Free places

We will be offering 2 free places on this weekend event. This offer is only open to OUPS members and the students will have to pay their own travel expenses. Students can only apply if they have not received a free place from us previously. The applicant will need to be able to demonstrate that they have financial hardship and will need to provide proof of current receipt of benefits (such as a scan/photo of the front page of the pay award letter, giving name, address and the date of the award)  or evidence of low income (for example a screen shot of a bank statement showing salary and carers allowance) as well as a covering letter with a short personal statement of no more than 500 words.

Applications should be made before 11th December and we will inform applicants if they have been successful the following week. Please email your applications to info@oups.org.uk. Any queries should be addressed to info@oups.org.uk

Venue

The weekend takes place at Scarman Conference and Training Centre, University of Warwick. Both accommodation and lectures are located in the same building unless you have been informed otherwise.

Warwick is an award winning conference venue with excellent facilities. Access to the sports facilities, including the swimming pool, are included in the price. The university's central location with excellent transport links makes it easily accessible from all over the UK and Europe. There is ample free car parking.

Accessibility

Click here for information on accessibility, parking and other related facilities.

Travel and directions

Click here for satnav postcodes and directions to the University of Warwick.

For campus maps go to Warwick Campus Maps.