Student and tutor module reviews

This is a brilliant course which I studied as part of my Computing and IT degree. The books that accompany the course are very good and there are accompanying screencasts to watch. I found these really helpful and only wished there were a few more.

There is an online quiz for each chapter which you can take as many times as you want: these are great to help revise the material.

I attended quite a lot of tutorials and found them really helpful. Each one revised a chapter, so were a good opportunity to ask questions. The only drawback was that most started from the start of each chapter. Usually the end of the chapter was not covered, even if you attended two or three tutorials from the same chapter. So it would be better if tutors liaised a bit.

The tutors on the forums were also fantastic if you had a question.

The course starts off at an easy level but gets increasingly harder.

I really enjoyed the course as it is so well put together, it was a great experience though a lot of hard work.

Course starting: October 2023

Review posted: November 2024

I studied MU123 as part of a computing and IT degree. I studied it alongside Introduction to computing and information technology 1 (TM111), something I highly recommend. The maths in TM111 is covered in MU123.
I enjoyed MU123, but found it challenging towards the end. It is a good first module to get into the routine of studying, and the feedback from my tutor was helpful.

Course starting: October 2021

Review posted: September 2022

This was an interesting and varied module. I studied this as part of my Open Degree rather than towards a maths/science qualification. The feedback on assessments from my tutor was succinct and helpful. The textbooks were clear and easy to understand. Some things were more basic and had been studied at school, there were some areas I hadn't come across before but the study materials were sufficient. I spent a similar amount of time on this 30-credit OU level 1 module as I did on the 60-credit OU level 2 module I was simultaneously studying, so I'm not sure how the weightings are calculated. Overall it was well presented and easy to study.

Course starting: October 2020

Review posted: November 2021

I completed this module as part of my Computing & IT Level 1 studies.

My personal experience with maths varied from not minding it in primary school to really hating it in secondary school and vowing never to touch it again. Then over the years at work, I started to realise how useful maths can be and how wobbly I am with it and need to brush up on my maths skills.

So I went into the module with a big sigh of "just get it over with" and ended up completely loving it!

After not studying maths for over 20 years, I felt that all the topics covered have been relevant to my wider study. Materials were easy to follow and tutorials were very helpful.

My 15-year-old self would certainly never believe she would come to not only understand but actually thoroughly enjoy studying such topics as statistics, quadratic equations or trigonometry later in her life.

Eliza Jakomulska

Course starting: October 2020

Review posted: September 2021

I wanted to do a maths degree, but hadn't studied maths since GCSE in 1989 (!) so this module was a great way to ease me in. It covers lots of the basics and also got me into the swing of studying again after many years off. My tutor was brilliant, really helpful and supportive. A perfect introduction to my studies.

Course starting: October 2019

Review posted: March 2021

I really enjoyed this module.

I found the materials very supportive taking you from straightforward concepts to the limits of (my) limited mathematical comfort zone and stuff I might have known at some stage but certainly forgotten!

My tutor was excellent and I definitely enjoyed and valued the experience of attending the tutorials (early in the module before shutdown).

For me, the tutorials and relationship with a tutor is one of the things that makes the expense of the OU worthwhile - as opposed to simple online learning. I hope these are re-instated after the current situation eases.

To anyone wobbly on maths - I would certainly recommend this module!

Jane Louisa Tocher

Course starting: February 2020

Review posted: January 2021

This module was well paced and I feel it was not overly daunting to subjects that I had no previous experience with.
It featured a lot of examples, in written and video format and provided students with the opportunity to handwrite coursework or use a Word processor.
Overall, I enjoyed the module and feel I have better confidence in my mathematical abilities now.

Course starting: October 2019

Review posted: August 2020

Nice re-introduction to mathematics after a break of 20 years. It starts really easy. Books C and D were slightly more difficult, but it was great to refresh basic mathematical concepts.

Course starting: February 2019

Review posted: May 2020

I found this module to be extremely useful, having left school over 10 years ago I felt my maths skills were lacking. This module was an excellent refresher and started with the very basics. You can submit photocopies of your calculations however, I did use MS word. The only 'downside' was that I thought that being a 30 credit module, it would be half the work of B100, which I personally felt it was not. That being said, I do not regret completing this module and feel a lot more confident about any financial aspects of future study!

Lisa-Ann Grant

Course starting: October 2018

Review posted: May 2020

I loved this module. I did it alongside another and this one was a de-stresser. It guided you in slowly and didn't presume your maths level. Had good explanations and fab tutors.

Course starting: October 2018

Review posted: August 2019

I found the above module very interesting as I am already working in a secondary environment and I made use of the resources in my lesson. I used the similar shapes with my colleagues and across the department.

Course starting: February 2018

Review posted: July 2019

I did this module as I was thinking of becoming a teacher. I also wanted to help my child with homework.
The books were great used in conjunction with the online tasks.
The tutor was very supportive and I found the online and classroom tutorials in Glasgow very beneficial in understanding what was required from the tutorials.
I would recommend the module to anyone who wants to improve their maths skills and communication and understand how maths applies to real life situations to solve problems.

Course starting: October 2017

Review posted: March 2019

This has to be one of my favourite modules so far with the Open University. MU123 starts from a very basic level of maths and slowly builds you up - week by week. The books are great! lots of examples and explanations throughout and practice questions.

I was nervous about taking this module at first, but I do not regret taking this. I'm looking forward to applying my new mathematics skills in my economics modules!

My tutor was amazing throughout the journey, if I didn't understand a topic he would always make the time to explain. Very attentive with emails also. My tutor made this a very enjoyable experience for me. The feedback on my assignments was always very detailed and helped me to understand where I had lost marks.

I would highly recommend this course to anyone who is interested in maths.

Course starting: October 2017

Review posted: September 2018

Having taken A-Level Maths in 1998 and failing abysmally, I was not sure what to expect from this course. I was in for a pleasant surprise. It eased me back into the mathematical way of thinking, provided lots of exercises to reinforce ideas and made the whole process enjoyable. There was lots of tutor support on offer, however I was able to keep ahead of the workload and did not use it, still it was a comfort to know it was there if I needed it. I would say the level of Maths started on par with GCSE's and moved up to A-Level standard, but it was easy to keep up as one idea progressed to another. I feel well prepared to start MST124 in a few months time.

Course starting: October 2017

Review posted: August 2018

MU123 is the ideal introduction to mathematics for those looking to improve their knowledge of the subject, pursue further education in a mathematical subject, or simply review the fundamentals.

As someone who had revised their mathematical knowledge extensively before starting a degree, I expected MU123 to be very dull. To my surprise, MU123 managed to fill a number of important gaps in my knowledge and kept me intrigued by consistently providing examples of how the techniques are applied to real-world problems.

Mathematics has a reputation in schools across the United Kingdom for being dull, confusing, and repetitive. The authors of MU123 have done a fantastic job of explaining the techniques you are using and why they are important, such that no exercise feels pointless. The module wants to spark a passion for mathematics, and I strongly believe it will succeed for most students.

Jacob McCann

Course starting: October 2017

Review posted: August 2018