Student and tutor module reviews

W100 was a flip of a coin subject choice for me. I had no previous academic law related exposure, and found myself thoroughly enjoying the course! W100 is extremely well structured, and easy to follow. You really get a sense of progression with the study materials and the eTMAs. I also found the course materials to be extremely informative and interesting.

I read student reviews of this course before I started and scared myself into thinking I had bitten off a little more than I could chew, since I never considered myself to have great academic skills but my course tutor was very supportive and approachable.

I highly recommend this course to anyone wanting to try something new or anyone with the slightest interest in Law. I would advise that you are strict with the study planner and do your best to not fall behind with reading as it can sometimes feel a little daunting. This course is by no means 'easy', but is most rewarding when met with the right amount of dedication and commitment.

I am now eager to progress to W200.

Jordan Firth

Course starting: February 2012

Review posted: April 2013

I found the course very interesting and a great introduction to the law. It introduces a student to legal interpretation and research, the effective presentation of arguments together with the broad aspects of criminal and civil law. Surprisingly for me I found criminal law fascinating; EU law less so.

Although a Level 1 course it is not lightweight, however the topics and essay subjects were not only relevant to current issues but fascinating to explore.

The OU's years of experience provides students with a supportive, challenging and enjoyable learning experience.

Karen Tait-Lane

Course starting: February 2012

Review posted: December 2012

I took this course as an "add-on" out of interest to my "actual" OU degree (Classics and Religious Studies), and found that although it may seem completely unrelated it has really helped me in my studies across the board!

It is FASCINATING. Not only has it taught me what I need to know for general knowledge purposes (The EU, how law is made, justice and human rights etc) it has given me a continued interest in case law. It has taken subjects which some may find dull and made it incredibly accessible and exciting. Learning about the problems in the James Bulger case, the differences between EU Child Rights and African Child Rights and everything in between....

The only problem is that now my friends and family all hate me for having intelligent opinions on things they just say is "Wrong"....

Would highly recommend.

Emma Trindall

Course starting: February 2011

Review posted: July 2012

I found this course interesting and learnt a lot from it. However, I did find the first half of the course tough and had a few low marks. After receiving my TMA 04 result I felt like quitting. I am glad that I didn't though as my marks greatly improved over the last four assignments and pushed my overall grades up to a pass 2 level. By completing the course I not only completed another module towards my degree (crim/psych) but also gained a certificate in legal studies.

TMAs 1, 2 and 4 were problem style questions, which is where I got my lowest marks, and TMAs 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 were legal essays. I much preferred the essay questions to the problem style questions but everyone is different! Although I had struggled with the first half of the course by the end of it I was seriously questioning my future and considering changing my degree route to study law. I eventually decided against this and am sticking with the crim/psych route, which I feel is the right decision for me but I can certainly see why people study law and it is an experience I will never forget.

I would definitely recommend this course, but I would also advise anyone to stick it out until the end as (in my opinion) the second half of the course is much better than the first.

Course starting: February 2011

Review posted: June 2012

I really enjoyed this course. I was expecting to have to spend hours reading volumes of boring material but instead found the course fascinating and extremely interesting. Whoever designed this course did so in a way which was really well thought out as it was all about really current and interesting topics and really got me thinking about cases which I had already neatly packaged and stored away in my mind as fully understood!

This is a course which everyone should study as it contains really important information as to how our society works which I can't believe that I didn't already know!

Top marks for the designers of this course for making law 'interesting'!and for the tutor who was great and extremely helpful.

Anne Assheton-Salton

Course starting: February 2011

Review posted: May 2012

I really enjoyed this course. I found that there were so many different topics to keep me interested throughout the module. I would recommend this course to anyone interested in law.

Jenny Belte

Course starting: February 2011

Review posted: April 2012

This is a great course to start with if you are interested in the law but have never studied it before. It lays down a good overview of how law is made and how it is then implemented and gives a good solid base for further study.

I found the tutorials useful and fun, my tutor was always helpful and made the tutorials welcoming. She always got back to me quickly when I e-mailed her with something that I didn't understand and gave good advice and criticism on each of the assignments.

Overall a good starting point for further study in law.

Priya Agheda

Course starting: February 2011

Review posted: January 2012

I really enjoyed W100 and would definitely recommend it to anyone with an interest in Law. I found the course materials very interesting, well laid out and easy to understand. My tutorials were fun to attend and very helpful. My tutor was a great help and very supportive. A tip for future students - make sure you stay on track with the study plan as it's extremely hard and stressful to catch up if you don't! Overall a very nice course.

Natasha Richards

Course starting: February 2011

Review posted: January 2012

This was a very interesting course, my 4th with the OU and by far the most demanding in terms of the amount of reading which needed to be undertaken. Having said that, I had a wonderful tutor, and the material was well written and compact enough (a separate module for each month) that I could carry the book I was working on about with me for revision. I achieved a respectable mark even though I had some major family issues and illness to deal with along the way. DO NOT GET BEHIND WITH THE READING is the best tip I can give you. I am now studying W200 and hope to gain a QLD.

Course starting: February 2011

Review posted: January 2012

An excellent staring point for anyone seriously interested in the Law even if you have not studied to degree level before. A crash course in the English Legal System and an introduction to EU Law. I loved it and felt at a loss when the course finished yearning for more. I am now undertaking study on W224.

The materials are written in blocks that are each assessed on a monthly basis. All information can be found in the written materials set out in paper backed text books for each block with supplementary readers incorporating articles and cases so no external books are required. Amazing when you look back to block 1 and see how far you have come by the end of the course in problem solving skills.

An added advantage is that there is no exam at the end but a slightly longer TMA covering a broader aspect of the course as an examinable element. I managed a respectable score and give credit for this to our excellent tutor who was approachable most days for queries and provided unfailing study support. I would recommend W100 to anyone who wants to ascertain whether Law is for them.

Course starting: February 2011

Review posted: December 2011

This course can be a good introduction to Law and be useful in gaining a general overview of the English legal system.

I would not recommend taking it in parallel with W200 however, as the frustrations of not being able to refer to the greater knowledge and understanding of issues that are gained in the Level two module detract from any enjoyment this module offers.

A common theme that frustrates throughout the Law courses is the University's approach to legal research. Despite research being a key area of legal practice students are discouraged from doing any kind of research other than from the course books and text books (W200 excepted). While I understand that not every student has the time to research outside of the course books, and should not be penalised for this, it is frustrating for those that can research that it is inferred that using legal databases etc. will be penalised in any eTMA. This position persists at the higher level modules.

A good overview of the Legal system but not really relevant to further study of Law.

Course starting: February 2010

Review posted: April 2011

I have to say this course is not for the faint-hearted. Having a young family and trying to do this course at times was very difficult, however I had a fantastic tutor who encouraged us not to give up. The tutorials were very good and taught me a lot. If you do choose to study this course please do not miss a tutorial as these are very helpful to you and will help with your studies.

This course can be daunting at times especially if you have a young family to care for and like me just back in education but just keep going and it will be fine, I managed to complete all my ETMAs and passed and I recently received my certificate. The overall course was worth the effort and I would recommend this course to anyone who has an interest in Law.

Course starting: February 2010

Review posted: March 2011

I found W100 a very enjoyable course. It was my first course of 60 credits at higher education and I struggled at times with the workload because of health problems, however the support I received was excellent, the tutorials were very helpful and the materials were all very self explanatory.

I would recommend the course to anyone with an interest in law and the only piece of advice I would give is to not be disappointed if you don't get as high a mark in the TMAs as you would like, it is a struggle to get those higher marks.

Course starting: February 2010

Review posted: January 2011

The course is well-structured, especially for those who haven't studied for a while as in my case. The tutor-marked assignments also cover a range of topics which makes sure you have aquired the correct knowledge. I would like to say that if you have already done Law at A level then it may not be useful to spend a year doing W100 as everything is repeated, albeit in more depth, in W200.

An important point to note is that you must aquire all 360 points within 6 years otherwise your Law degree(QLD)won't count. The OU don't make this very clear and several students on my course were unaware of this. Not good if you are raising a family or need to take a year out.

As for the cost, I received financial assistance from the OU which I was grateful for. Had I have paid in full, I don't think it would have been value for money compared with courses in subjects other than Law. I am aware that the area needs constant updating but it's still hard to see how the cost is justified.

Course starting: February 2009

Review posted: June 2010

As a psychology student I took this course purely for interest in law!
This is a demanding and quite complex course for Level 1, however I learnt a great deal with this course. I can now watch court programmes and know exactly what they are talking about.

I did enjoy this course and my tutor was extremely helpful!

Course starting: February 2009

Review posted: January 2010