UCU view on the VC's email

We wish our members and all at the OU a good and well deserved holiday.   

A number of you have contacted us about the VC's message of 11th December, and we would like to share some points made by UCU reps and other members.

1. The OU has large reserves, and does not need to rush into the budget cuts proposed by senior management. In the meantime, the political situation is changing and there is mounting pressure for ending student fees and investing in life-long learning: the demand for part-time learning could quite possibly rise!  Even if we accept the VCE's figures, the projected scale of deficits (about £30m a year) does not justify the scale of the proposed cuts (of £100m from annual turnover), and the need for investment in new systems can appropriately be funded by a small proportion of the OU’s large reserves.
    
2. If the 0.6% fall in pass/retention rates is statistically significant, could it be due to the GTP fiasco at the start of 16J, regional closures, and loss of experienced staff? This should raise serious doubts over the likely impact on retention of more cuts and further staff reductions. We need investment in front line support for students with a positive focus on retention, rather than putting more time and energy into Redesign.
    
3. There are multiple reasons for the OU slipping in the National Student Survey, which include our transitional students being pressured because modules and qualifications were disappearing. Given the disruptions of the last few years OU staff should be congratulated for keeping things together as well as we have.
    
4. Feedback from students suggests that putting everything online is not likely to improve student satisfaction. Students want a tutor who knows them, a choice of online or face-to-face tutorials, a broad curriculum and qualifications that are respected everywhere.
    
5. As for having the "right experts" in place, the OU seems to be awash with expensive externals and consultants who have little or no background in Higher Education. Many of the proposals we hear betray an ignorance of how teaching works in the front line.
    
6. We should be looking to invest in the future of the university and preserve what is good. Change needs to happen at a sustainable pace with re-training and career development for staff.

Over the last year staff represented by the UCU at the OU have faced and overcome many internally and externally created challenges. The senior management’s proposals mean that 2018 will undoubtedly be another difficult year.  But by standing and working together we will be stronger. Let’s look forward to the New Year with confidence and resolve.