Welcome

The Open College of the Arts (OCA) welcomes you as a new student to the college!

Welcome to the OCA Student Handbook. This guide is where you can find advice and guidance to get the most out of your studies. It will also signpost you to relevant sections and information in other areas to help you with your studies. This handbook is available to all OCA students no matter what point of study you are at, and is always accessible so you can access the support you need.

If you’re new to the college’s Online Learning Environment (or VLE) called OCA Learn, or need a refresher, make sure to visit the ‘Getting started, an introduction to OCA study‘ unit which is automatically added to ‘My Courses’. The getting started resource provides an overview of how OCA works, what to expect, links to resources, and activities to help you settle in.

The Student Handbook covers:

• Enrolment and Progression
• Planning and Time Management
• Student Finance
• Studying with Disabilities, Health Issues and Caring Responsibilities
• Mental Health and Well-Being
• Enterprise
• Extensions and Deferrals
• Withdrawals
• Assessment

Other departments you will find useful during your studies are;

• Library
• Degree Department
• OCA Spaces

Within each of these spaces you’ll find information relevant to that particular topic, as well as interactive content, quizzes, and guides to help you find information quickly and easily.

In addition at the bottom of this page there is a forum for you to ask any questions you might have, and for you to discuss and share knowledge; either one of your peers or a member of OCA staff will get back to you.

And lastly, do remember to check back in this space regularly; this is designed as a dynamic space that we aim to keep adding information to and improving access to with interactive resources. I hope that you find this space useful and wish you well with your studies.

Kind regards,

Craig Dewis

Head of Student Services.

Preparing to Study with OCA

You should work through this section if you are just starting out at OCA, returning from a break in study, or when starting a new unit.

What are your motivations for studying?

Whether you are just starting out on your OCA journey, or are revisiting this section again, it’s important to think about why you’ve chosen to study and what you are hoping to achieve.

Start with the day you decided to enrol; what gave you that final push to enrol with OCA? For some it is work related – for progression, a change of career, or a requirement for your current job. Or maybe it’s family related – a better work-life balance, something you can fit around your home life. Are you studying purely for enjoyment?

Close your eyes and visualise who or what has led you to this decision. Maybe ask friends and family for help. Is completing your studies the end goal, or a stepping stone to your wider ambitions?

Get this down on paper – or screen. Write, draw, paint, sing – however you want to do it, get those motivations down creatively and take your time over this. There will be some motivations that are important to share with your tutor during your introductory chat, for example if there is a specific development / career related motivation. You may also have more personal motivations that you don’t wish to share, and that’s fine too – include them in your own visual document as they are still important drivers for you.

Put this somewhere prominent. The wall of your study space, the door to the room, or on the front of your folder. If you’re happy to share with others, your learning log could be a good place to keep a copy too – somewhere you can easily see it to remind you why you are doing this at times when you might not feel like it!

Everyone has times where it’s difficult to find the time, energy, or motivation to study. This exercise will help you to reflect on why you have started this journey and help keep you on track.

Your Creative Space

Having your own creative space will allow you to study effectively, whether this is a studio of your own, or a corner of your dining table that you share with the family. It doesn’t matter where it is, as long as it works for you. Remember – everybody’s study space will be different!

In order to figure out what works best for you, you will firstly need to evaluate your preferences. Do you prefer to work in total silence, or do you like to have music playing quietly in the background? Do you work better sitting by yourself for long periods of time, or do you need to take small breaks?

Once you have a better understanding of this, you will be able to identify what is more suited to you. You may spend a lot of time in this space, so it will be useful to make sure that it is comfortable for you and stocked with all the tools and supplies you will need.

Do you have a vision of what your creative space looks like? Is there a particular dedicated area where all your creative ideas come to life? Is this a place where your work can be freely laid out, or is it a shared space that requires a bit more privacy?

If you have any concerns about how to study in shared spaces at home, why not post to the student forums to see how others manage their space? You can also talk to your tutor about creative approaches.

Why not share your creative space with us in the padlet at the end of this section? You could post to the student forums, or tag the social media channels with a picture. Share a picture, a painting, or a description of where you feel most creative.

If you’d rather, you could make notes instead on what you’ve identified will be needed for your space. Use whatever method you prefer and share it on your learning log and the forums to share approaches with others.

What do you need to succeed?

By now you should have looked at your motivation for study and your creative space. We really recommend you do this, as distance learning is all in the planning.

Now consider what could prevent you from getting the most out of your studies. Can you see any challenges to your learning? If you consider these before you start your studies, you can have strategies in place to refer back to.

You might have already identified some challenges while considering your motivations and study space. Let’s work through an example below.

“I found it difficult to carve out the time to study around my work and family commitments.”

1. I considered whether I could make any changes to my work commitments;
2. I sat down with my partner to look at how we could balance family time, and time for my studies;
3. I planned study time when the local library would be open where I could go to do my reading in a peaceful environment with no disruptions;
4. I discussed with Student Services how I could spread my studies over the full unit timeframe.

Now apply this to the challenges you identified. What could you put in place now to reduce the likelihood of this happening? What could you do if it did happen? Do you know who to ask for help?

Start by taking steps to guard against the issues and post your plan to your learning log. It may be that your issue is a common one, such as studying with health issues or full-time work commitments; why not ask your peers how they deal with this on the student services forum?

If there are any hurdles that you feel you cannot overcome, get in touch with Learner Support via learnersupport@oca.ac.uk.

Goal setting – what do you want from this?

We’ve already looked at what your motivations for study are, and there may well be some overlap here.

Now is the time to think about what your goals are. Having goals to work towards can help keep you motivated, and give you a sense of achievement when they are met. We all have things we want to achieve in life but to make this happen we need a plan, or it remains an aspiration rather than our reality.

First think about the bigger picture – what is your end goal? Is it completing the degree, completing the degree with a specific result or in a particular time frame? Some goals are more subjective – improve a certain skill or complete the course for enjoyment. Think about what this looks like for you. Write this down, or create something visual such as a mind map / spider diagram.

What do you need to achieve those goals? These may form your interim goals. If your goal is to complete the degree in 6 years, the interim goals are the checkpoints on the way – where do you want to be in 2 years, in 4 years? Maybe your interim goals are personal – work up to attending a study visit, or gain confidence with sharing your work. Make sure the goals are specific. Again, write this down, or create something visual to refer to.

I want to exhibit my work by the end of Year 3. I will attend a study visit before my first unit is complete.

What do you need to achieve these goals? Look at each goal in turn and think about the steps you need to take to meet that goal. If you’re making a mind map you could add these to it directly:

You should revisit these goals throughout your studies, assessing whether they are still relevant, and whether you need any help to achieve them.

Finally, what are your short term goals? At least one of these should relate to your time planning, and culminate in your first assignment submission. Maybe your goals are practical – create a study plan, join the library, sign up for a study visit. Perhaps they’re more academic – research a particular artist, read a particular book. Again, keep these specific and give a timescale. Then think about what you need to achieve these shorter term goals:

Display your goals in a way that works for you. Put them in your learning log, and on the wall of your study space. Make an action plan of what you need to do for your short term goals and use a calendar to book this in, and schedule in time to come back to your goals. Share your goals on the padlet at the end of this section and see what tips other students have for keeping to them.

If you need any help with this feel free to contact learnersupport@oca.ac.uk.

Remember to discuss your proposed submission dates with your tutor, and enjoy your studies!

Preparing for Study [Padlet]

Join us and post your motivations for study and share with peers on your course and across OCA.

Student Journey Overview

Your student journey can be structured into four steps; Getting Started, Study, Assessment and Progression. This will vary depending on which course you are studying. For instance, a degree student will have a different progression route to a personal development student. However, each step is an important part of your journey.

Getting Started

Whether you’re at the beginning of your student journey or have been with OCA for some time, you can be sure to get off to the best start by looking over the course unit you have just enrolled to. This will give you an understanding of the expectations of the unit and help you plan your time. You’ll find your unit under ‘My Courses’.

The day you receive your welcome email is the start of your 14 day cancellation period, so it’s important to access your course through OCA Learn at your earliest convenience, to ensure it is the right one for you.

At the start of each course unit an introductory chat or email with your tutor can help you settle in, so send your tutor an email introducing yourself. Tutors work for OCA one or two days a week, so response times will reflect this.

Think about what you want to achieve from this course and build a study schedule around your goals. You might want to refer to the Preparing for Study section for useful tips around goal setting and motivation.

You might also want to check out the Student Discounts you could be eligible for, and make the most out of being a student!

Study

You will work through exercises, projects and research points, leading up to an assignment. Your assignment will tell you what to do and what to send to your tutor. You will find all the resources you need within your course unit or through the Library. You will also find it useful to engage with your Department, where you can find additional resources and interact with other students and tutors.

You are allocated a different personal tutor for each course unit that you enrol onto with OCA. Your tutor will provide either written or video feedback on your assignment. Assignments are submitted through your course unit on OCA Learn in each section of the course unit.

Assessment

For degree students, when you have completed a course unit, you will submit a portfolio of work to an assessment event. You need to apply to submit to an assessment event, which happens three times a year in Spring, Summer and Autumn. There are deadlines to apply and submit your work, so make sure to plan these into your study schedules.

Foundation and Personal Development students are not required to submit for assessment. Once you have completed your course, you can request a certificate of completion.

Progression

For degree students, while you prepare for assessment you can enrol to your next unit. As you progress through the course, you will build up the required 360 credits to achieve a BA Hons.

There are criteria you need to meet to be eligible to enrol to your next course, depending on where you are in your course. Check out the Enrolments and Progression section for further information.

For Foundation and Personal Development students, once you complete your course, now is the time to reflect on your student journey and decide how you would like to move forward. Would you like to enrol on another course? Or perhaps you’re now ready to study at degree level? Take this time to think about what you have learned, and if you’ve achieved your goals for the course.

Student Email and Forums

Student Email

By enrolling on a course with OCA, students agree to the use of a personal OCA email account provided by OCA for email communication related to their course, including with OCA Head Office, their tutor and other OCA students.

Your student email also contains your six digit student number.

You may receive important emails via your OCA email address, so make sure that you are checking these regularly. Please read our Email and Communications Policy for more information on how you can use your OCA email address safely and responsibly.

If you’re ever locked out of your student email, please contact techsupport@oca.ac.uk for assistance.

If you find it easier to manage in terms of receiving emails and messages, you can forward your emails from your OCA account to a personal account. When you access your OCA Gmail account, you need to click on the settings cog icon in the top right hand corner (see below image), and then select the tab that says “Forwarding and POP/IMAP.” From here you can add a forwarding address to send your messages to. Please remember to use your OCA Gmail when sending messages to OCA and to your tutor.

GMail Settings

Student Service Q&A [forum]

Student Forums

Alongside your email account, you can participate in the Student Forums. The forums are where you can discuss aspects of the creative arts and your practice with other students and tutors.

We have a number of different forums; there’s one right here which is for questions and answers with Student Services and your peers, but there are other forums run in your department spaces and courses, as will as OCA Discuss.

You can find relevant forums to you through your Subject Department, which you can find under ‘My Courses’.

Planning and Time Management

All OCA courses, stages, and units have set timeframes allocated to them which is the time available to complete that particular course, stage, or unit. These are set out in the Academic Regulatory Framework. See the section below for full details on all of the individual timeframes attached to each element of study.

You may have your own timeframes in mind for completing your course and your reasons for them. For instance, if you are studying a Foundations unit for enjoyment, your motivations may be quite different to someone studying towards a degree.

As long as they’re within the maximum permitted timeframes, feel free to agree these plans with your tutor.

Your goals will be unique to you so take time to reflect on what’s important as you begin your studies and regularly check if you are on track to meet your goals, if they need adjusting or if you need support to meet them.

Use this section to familiarise yourself with course timeframes and discover useful planning and time management tools.

In addition, see our section on Extensions, Deferrals, and Interruptions to learn more about the extra time available to you if you need it.

Your course timeframes are provided on your profile, under Student History. It will advise you of your level and unit timeframe, and also the academic year you enrolled to each unit.

Course Timeframes

You may have your own timeframes in mind for completing your course and your reasons for them. For instance, if you are studying a Foundations unit for enjoyment, your motivations may be quite different to someone studying towards a degree.

As long as they’re within the maximum permitted timeframes, feel free to agree these plans with your tutor.

Your goals will be unique to you so take time to reflect on what’s important as you begin your studies and regularly check if you are on track to meet your goals, if they need adjusting or if you need support to meet them.

Use this section to familiarise yourself with course timeframes and discover useful planning and time management tools.

Undergraduate Degree Timeframes

Students have a maximum of 12 years to complete a BA Hons course with OCA. This timeframe begins the day you receive your first welcome email at the beginning of your course.

For example, if you received your welcome on 12th April 2020, therefore your 12 year time-frame ends on the 12th April 2032. By this date, you should have completed all units and levels that make up your degree.

Within the 12 year time-frame are unit and level timeframes, and deadlines to submit for assessment.

Stage Timeframes

OCA degrees are structured into three stages (instead of three years) so you’re able to manage study around other commitments.

Students have a maximum of three years to complete each stage. Your ‘stage time frame’ begins from the day you enrol to the first unit of a stage.

To complete a stage, you must have completed all required units for that stage by the end of your stage timeframe.

As each stage allows three years of study time (9 years in total) this means you have 3 years of additional time, which you might use to have study breaks between stages, or you may need to seek an extension or deferral if something unexpected happens.

If you were to take a break between units at the same stage, the time that you take counts towards your stage time frame unless you request what is called an interruption. This can be done by emailing Learner Support at learnersupport@oca.ac.uk.

Unit Timeframes

Units have their own time-frames within the stage timeframe, depending on how many credits a unit is worth. A 40-credit unit must be completed within twelve months, a 60-credit unit within eighteen months.

If you start to study two or more units at the same time (that is you start the units on the same day), you would still only have 12 months to complete those units. This is why we advise against doing this. If you would like to study at a quicker pace we recommend staggering your start points so you have more time available to complete your units in case something unforeseen happens.

The only exception to this is at Stage Three (HE6), two 40 credit units taken concurrently have a 24 month completion timeframe. This is to reflect the higher level of study that this represents and the effort that is required.

Unit time-frames begin the day you receive your welcome email for that unit.

To complete a unit, you must have received all your assignment feedback from your tutor within the unit timeframe.

Unit timeframes cannot exceed stage timeframe and stage timeframes cannot exceed the overall 12 year degree timeframe.

For example, if you enrol to a unit 40 credit unit with only 6 months remaining on your level timeframe, you will only have 6 months to complete the unit.

 

Assessment Timeframes

When you complete a unit, you will submit this unit for assessment.

Assessment happens three times a year, in Spring, Summer, and Autumn. There are deadlines to apply for each assessment event, and a set period of time to submit your work.

You can review the assessment deadlines here.

You do not need to submit a unit for assessment within your unit or level timeframe, but you need to submit to the first or second available assessment event after your completion date.

Your completion date is the day you receive your final assignment feedback from your tutor e.g. if you completed on the 15th March, your first available assessment event would be July as the deadline to submit for this event is 30th April, and your second available assessment would be November.

You can enrol to your next course unit while you wait for your previous unit to be assessed, however there are some stipulations when you progress from one level to another.

Study Breaks

Study breaks are breaks in study that students plan independently. Reasons for a study break might include a holiday, a particularly busy time at work, or family commitments.You do not need to inform OCA if you are planning your own study break, unless for an extended period of time (more than 3 months).

Deferrals are different to study breaks.

A deferral is applied for through the Extensions and Deferral Policy because a student is unable to study for a certain period of time due to mitigating circumstances outside of their control. If a student is granted a deferral, they are not expected to study for the time they have indicated, and this time will be added to their unit and level timeframe.

The maximum time a student can take a study break is 12 months, meaning they are not enrolled to a course unit or are not submitting for assessment. If you are taking an extended study break , please be aware your unit and levle timeframe will not be paused or extended unless agreed beforehand via a deferral or extension application. 

Foundation Courses

Foundation students have a maximum of 24 months to complete the course they have enrolled to.

When dedicating the recommended 10 study hours per week, you will likely complete the course between 12 to 18 months.

Foundation Students do not submit for formal assessment. At the end of the course, students can request a certificate completion.

Personal Development Courses

Personal Development students have a maximum of 24 months to complete the course they have enrolled to.

When dedicating the recommended 10 study hours per week, you will likely complete the course between 12 to 18 months.

Personal Development students do not submit for formal assessment. At the end of the course, students can request a certificate completion.

If you are studying a course for personal development that is a unit featured on a degree, you may be able to transfer to degree study if you would like to study for accreditation. Please be aware that if your timeframe to complete would be adjusted to a maximum of 12 months, or if you have already passed the 12 month period on your course, your end date would remain the same. This option is only available for those studying Level 1 course units.

MA Courses

There are three intakes each year for the MA courses in October, February and June.

The course is studied over two years, and spilt into three 60 credit units, studied over approximately 28 weeks, and requires 21 study hours per week. There is usually a one week or two week break between each unit.

Your tutor will provide you with any assessment related deadlines.

Extensions, Deferrals and Interruptions

Occasionally students may encounter circumstances that disrupt their ability to study and need to apply for more time, or a break from studying, to help get back on track. Below is a summary of the Extensions and Deferrals Policy which you can read in full here. We recommend reading the policy prior to making an application.

What is an extension?

An extension adds more time to unit and/or level timeframes to help students catch up their studies during or after a period of disruption. Any student who experiences delays to their studies may be eligible to apply for an extension. Delays must be unforeseen, outside a student’s control and be likely to prevent the student from completing their unit or level of study within the permitted timeframes.

What is a deferral?

A deferral provides a break in study to a unit when students are aware of any upcoming disruptions that will impact their ability to study. Any Foundation, Personal Development or Undergraduate student* who requires a break of three or more months (but no more than 12 months) during a unit may be eligible to apply for a deferral.

*Postgraduate students should refer to the section on Interruptions. Deferrals do not apply to Short Courses.

What is an interruption?

If you are studying a Postgraduate course, an interruption is a break in study where you return at a fixed point in the future (usually the start of term); these are applied for in a similar way to extensions, but are reviewed and agreed by the Programme Leader.

On an undergraduate course, an interruption is a confirmed absence between units in a given stage. For example, you’ve completed the first unit on your degree, but want to take a three month break before starting unit two; provided that you inform OCA then this is called an interruption and that break does not count towards the time you have available for that stage. To apply, all you need to do is email learnersupport@oca.ac.uk for this to be requested. Please note that you will still need to enrol to the next unit within 12 months in all circumstances.

Am I eligible?

In order for an extension or a deferral to be agreed, the student must adequately demonstrate that the circumstances were outside the student’s control, were unforeseen and unforeseeable, and relevant to the affected period/time-frame.

Examples of circumstances which may be accepted include, but are not limited to:

• personal illness/health
• illness of close relative or dependant
• bereavement
• sudden deterioration of a long-term condition
• loss of employment
• pregnancy or maternity leave (where the application is for a deferral during a unit)

What supporting evidence do I need?

Supporting evidence is required in all cases, with the exception of the three-month deferral which is instead based on an impact statement. This must be from an independent, third party professional / qualified practitioner and include dates relevant to the affected period in question. Evidence should not include photographs / images, except where these are photographs of documentation.

How do I apply?

Applications should be made on the relevant form. Please title your email accordingly (Extension Application, Deferral Application or Interruption Application), and send your application form with any required supporting evidence to learnersupport@oca.ac.uk.

Students will receive a claim receipt email when the clerk has checked the application for completeness, and a decision from the panel within 20 working days of their claim receipt.

Applications should be submitted prior to a student’s unit and/or level time-frame. In exceptional cases where it can be shown it was not possible to submit at the time, we will consider retrospective applications provided they are not outside of the course deadlines.

How to apply for Extensions and Deferrals [Quiz]

This short quiz is designed to help you through the process of applying for an extension or a deferral. We recommend you take this short quiz before making your application as this covers the grounds normally considered for an extension or a deferral, and also the evidence you might need to provide in support of your application. There is also additional information you can get including what you might need to do depending on how much time you are requesting. If after taking this quiz you need further support, contact learnersupport@oca.ac.uk who will be able to help.

Extension Request Form [PDF].

Deferral Request Form [PDF].

Enrolments and Progression

This section will inform about progression routes, such as degree pathways, enrolling from one unit to another, or progressing to the next level of study.

When can I enrol to my unit?

Enrolling to a unit on the same level (stage)

You can enrol to your next course unit if you have completed your first unit, or you have received your third assignment tutor feedback. If you would like to overlap your units, please only submit an enrolment form when you have received the required feedback.

Enrolling to your first level (stage) 2 unit

To enrol to Level 2, you must have completed all the required course units at Level 1. This means that you have received all assignment feedback across each unit, and have achieved 80 credits at assessment – meaning you have received assessment results for two of your units at Level 1.

Please be aware that if you decide to enrol to Level 2 while your final Level 1 course unit is being assessed, if for whatever reason that unit fails at assessment, your Level 2 studies would be put on hold while this was addressed, and it would not pause your Level 2 time frame.

Please only submit your enrolment form for your first Level 2 unit when you meet the above criteria.

Enrolling to your first level (stage) 3 unit

To help prepare you for Level 3 study, you are invited to have a progression discussion with the Programme Leader of your degree course. This gives you an opportunity to discuss what to expect and suitable tutors.

You will need to have this discussion, have achieved a minimum of 60 credits at Level 2 and completed your remaining 60 credit unit (all assignment feedback received).

When you’re ready to have your progression discussion, contact coursesupport@oca.ac.uk. Once you’ve had this discussion, you can then submit your enrolment form.

How do I know which unit I am studying next?

If you’re a personal development learner, you can choose which course you study next.

For degree students, this will depend on your course. In some instances, there will be elective unit options, where you can choose from a variety of units depending on your interests. In other degrees, all your units will be core, and your options of study will be built into each core unit instead.

Degree students will always need to follow their degree pathway in the order required and work through the levels (stages). For example, you will need to complete all the required units at Level 1 before you progress to studying units at Level 2.

You can find out the units you need to study by visiting your degree information page at oca.ac.uk, where you can review the degree pathway and the programme specification.

In most cases, your degree study will look like the infographic below – though some degrees have three 40 credits at level (stage) 2 and 3 also.

How do I enrol to my next unit?

Students can enrol on their next course unit by submitting a returning student enrolment form through oca.ac.uk. If you’re unsure how to do this, watch the video below.

The online enrolment form may ask you to select multiple elective units. At the end of the enrolment form, you will confirm which unit you are enrolling to next out of your earlier selection, as students only enrol to one unit at a time.

You can also submit a continuing student enrolment form to enquiries@oca.ac.uk with the email subject as ‘Enrolment Order’.

How to Enrol to Your Next Unit .

How long does it take to process my enrolment?

Enrolment forms are reviewed within 5 working days. Once your enrolment is accepted via email confirmation, OCA will next get in touch on your course start date. While you are waiting to be enrolled, check out the course sample and unit descriptors for your next course and find out about the learning outcomes and the type of equipment or software you may need. 

You will have indicated a preferred start date on your enrolment form. Once payment has been received or your Student Finance tuition fee loan has been approved, you will be enrolled on this date. If you’ve indicated a start date that falls on a weekend or UK Bank Holiday, then you will be enrolled on the closest following working day.

If you are not enrolled on your preferred start date, this may be because;

• Your enrolment is still being reviewed within the 5 working days from submission
• Your payment or funding has not yet been verified
• Your preferred start date falls on a weekend of Bank Holiday

Once you have received your enrolment acceptance email, please allow at least two working days for the enrolment process to be completed and verify funding or request payment.

Can I request physical course materials?

You can request physical course materials on your enrolment form.

Physical course materials will be sent where requested at the end of your 14 day cancellation period, to those students who have declared disabilities, or where they live/study in a secure environment for example, or due to an IT exemption. Your 14 day cancellation period begins the day you receive your welcome email.

If you have requested physical course materials but not previously advised OCA why you require the use of physical course materials, your request may not be processed unless you contact learnersupport@oca.ac.uk to advise.

Assessment

What is assessment?

Assessment is where you submit your work that you have created throughout your course to be reviewed formally and given a specified mark. Work submitted for assessment is reviewed against the Learning Outcomes for the unit (this is what you need to demonstrate to pass) and OCAs Assessment Criteria (this is what is used to grade your work and indicates how well you’ve met the learning outcomes).

Formal assessment takes place three times a year for undergraduate courses, in March, July, and November. There are set dates to apply for a particular assessment event, and for when work must be submitted in order to be reviewed.

For full information on how to apply for assessment, including the learning outcomes for your unit, OCAs Assessment Criteria, and guidance on what to submit, check out OCAs Assessment Guidance.

Who marks my work?

Work submitted for assessment is reviewed by OCA tutors (at least two which may include the tutor you’ve had on that unit) who each suggest a mark for the work, moderated (this is confirming the mark awarded, and the first quality check), and internally verified by the Programme Leader. Work is also reviewed by an External Examiner, an experienced academic and assessor independent of OCA who confirms that the marks awarded are in line with the Higher Education sector best practice. Lastly, all marks are presented to OCAs Exam Board made up of academics and professional services staff to review quality and this finally confirms marks; this is called ratification.

When do I need to be assessed by?

Once you’ve completed your unit, you need to have been assessed within two assessment events of your date of completion. Completion is defined as having submitted all of your assignments and having received your feedback from your tutor.

So for example, if you complete your unit in October, then you would need to be assessed at either the following March or July assessment events. Likewise if you completed in April, you would need to be assessed at either the July or November assessment events.

If you are unable to meet these deadlines for assessment because something has occurred (for example personal illness that stopped you from submitting) you may be able to apply to defer assessment to a later event; applications for this are made under the Extensions and Deferrals process.

Student Finance

Student Finance is a loan from the government to help pay for tuition fees. Usually, you start repaying once you earn over a certain amount after a set period of time. The size of your monthly repayments will depend on how much you earn, not what you owe.

Please check with Student Finance directly regarding your personal circumstances.

When to apply

You need to apply for funding once a year, as your funding approval is available for 12 months. For instance, if you received your outcome in October, you would need to apply for your next lot of funding in time to be available for the following October. You will need to do this for as long as you study with OCA. 

We recommend applying for the full amount available each time to give you the most flexibility. Any funding that you do not use at the end of the year is not added to your tuition fee loan, you simply need to make a new application to access it for the following 12 months.

For details on how to apply, please check our helpful guide at the end of this section which will walk you through how to make an application for Student Finance.

Why have I received a letter reducing the amount of funding approved?

OCA only claims for the cost of your degree course on a unit by unit basis, and so Student Finance notify you of this reduced claim, however you still have the maximum amount that you applied for available if you decide to add another unit during that year.

Maintenance Loan

If you are receiving a maintenance loan please note that all new OCA student’s study intensity is confirmed at 25%. If you wish to study at a higher intensity, you must complete your first course unit within a specified timeframe that reflects the level of student intensity you plan to study at. If you apply for a maintenance loan at specific study intensity, you will need to keep this to this study intensity throughout your course, otherwise it would reflect in your maintenance loan.

OCA will need to confirm your attendance with Student Finance to release your maintenance loan. OCA confirms attendance each time you enrol to a course unit once your cancellation period has ended, 14 days from the date you receive your welcome email. When we confirm attendance OCA confirms the number of credits you are actively studying at that point, so for example if you are studying one HE4 unit, we would confirm 40 credits to Student Finance.

What happens if I withdraw from my course?

As per OCA’s Conditions of Enrolment, funded students are liable for any fees not covered by their funding body (e.g. Student Finance), even if they withdraw.  Full fees are due for all courses 14 days after enrolment.

OCA Student Finance Guidance [PDF].

Disabilities and Reasonable Adjustments

Our flexible degree structure and Learner Support Team provides peace of mind to many students who carry out their studies with a disability, long-term condition or mental health condition.

Why tell OCA about my disability, long-term condition or mental health condition?

You don’t have to tell us, but we can support you best if you do. This information will only be available to your tutor and OCA staff and you can share as much or as little as you are comfortable with.

You can tell us at any point during your studies, but we would always recommend telling us as early as possible – ideally prior to or during your enrolment – so that we can support you in getting off to the best start with your studies.

You are best placed to know what your strengths are, and what you might find challenging or what has helped you during previous study. This can be a good starting point for a conversation with the Learner Support Team.

You may never have studied before, or may be unsure how your studies could be affected but nonetheless it is helpful for us to be aware in advance and you’re more likely to feel comfortable contacting us further down the line if you find that you need more support if we’ve already been introduced to each other at the start of your studies.

You can tell us in the way you feel most comfortable. This could be by indicating it on your enrolment form, or by email (learnersupport@oca.ac.uk). Some students will feel comfortable telling us by telephone, or may have support to do so from a friend or carer.

How will I be supported?

Our courses are flexible, so in many cases students can be supported to complete their work in ways that fit them.

Where adjustments are needed, our Learner Support team works with students and the academic team to find the best way forward, making reasonable adjustments where appropriate.

The Learner Support team can advise you on what options are available to you that may help you get the most from your studies, for example support with completing a presentation rather than an essay, or having feedback in written format instead of audio-visual (Skype, Google Meet, etc.).

Our courses and resources are all made available in electronic format for students using software to read their documents aloud and you can download other formats such as mp3 wherever you see the ‘A’ icon. We can also print hard copy documents onto different coloured paper and in different print sizes where required.

There is no mandatory attendance to ensure our courses can be undertaken by students who would be unable to attend, and deadlines can be agreed flexibly with your tutor within the overall course time.

Some of our students also receive additional support via the Disabled Students Allowance process – see also the sections on Reasonable Adjustments and Disabled Students Allowance.

Reasonable Adjustments

Some elements of study won’t require a formal adjustment and can simply be put in place with the tutor. For example feedback tutorials can be done in written format, or audiovisual format so a student with anxiety who would benefit from written feedback can have it this way, or a student with dyslexia who might engage better with audio-visual feedback can do so.

Where adjustments are needed, the Learner Support Team can help you.

Course materials

All students with disabilities will be sent a printed copy of their course, but you can also request other adjustments such as printed on coloured paper for visual stress / dyslexia, or larger font size / particular fonts. Wherever you find a PDF or other text-based file of course materials on OCA Learn, you can choose to download alternative formats of that file, including Audio, HTML, E-book and electronic braille.

Additional time

Where students have a disability or condition that may mean more time is needed for study, additional time can be put in place by the Learner Support Team. For example on a 40 credit /12 month unit, the team can apply up to 3 months additional time via the reasonable adjustments process. N.B. Students can still apply for extensions due to other mitigating circumstances via the extensions policy, in our Student Support policies.

Adjustments to tasks

The learning outcomes of each unit must be met, however the route to those learning outcomes can be adjusted. In most cases, these can be arranged in conjunction with your tutor. For example a student with joint / mobility difficulties could not work at the A1 size an exercise requested. The student discussed options with their tutor, including working on a smaller scale and reflecting on the reasons why in the learning log, or whether a triptych / diptych option would allow them to achieve the desired result.

For adjustments to assignments this should be discussed with Learner Support. This could include setting an alternative task, such as a presentation instead of a written essay.

Reasonable adjustments are individual, so the above examples are not intended to be exhaustive. OCA’s Reasonable Adjustments policy is available online within our Student Support policies and you can get in touch with Learner Support to discuss your needs.

Disabled Students Allowances (DSAs)

You may be eligible for Disabled Students Allowances (also known as DSAs) if you have a disability that affects your ability to study. This includes long-term health conditions, specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD, and mental health conditions like anxiety or depression.

Support is awarded by your funding body (such as Student Finance England, or Wales) and does not need to be repaid. It is based on your individual needs and may be awarded to help with things like ergonomic equipment or assistive software needed to help with your studies. For example a student with dyslexia may be awarded dictation software to help with written work, or read-aloud software to help with reading and research. It can also be awarded for non-medical help where appropriate, such as a dyslexia study skills tutor, or a specialist mental health mentor.

DSAs don’t cover disability-related costs you would have if you weren’t studying, such as day-to-day carers. It also won’t cover costs that any student might be expected to have, such as general printing or purchasing of arts materials. It will cover costs over and above what is expected if this arises due to your disability. If a new computer is required to run any software awarded as part of the disability support package, the student is expected to contribute the first £200 of this cost. Help with this cost may be available via OCA’s Learner Support Scheme.

Once your eligibility is confirmed you will meet with a Needs Assessor local to you, who is best placed to show you what support you may find useful. If you decide you do not wish to disclose your disability to us at OCA, you can still apply for DSA.

Don’t be alarmed at the term ‘assessment’ – it’s not a test. It’s an opportunity for a specialist to look at the requirements of the course and what areas of difficulty you may be expected to have as a result of your disability. They will then discuss with you what they can recommend to help. You don’t have to agree with all of the recommendations.

The assessor will then draft a report – please give them permission to share this with OCA (learnersupport@oca.ac.uk). This will help us to see any recommendations they make to us, and will also highlight areas of difficulty identified so that we can see where you may need support.

Take a look at this video from Student Finance England –

What’s a Study Needs Assessment? .

What if I don’t have a formal diagnosis?

How you study with OCA can still be undertaken flexibly if you do not have a formal diagnosis, such as how you might interpret and complete assignments or have your feedback. For DSAs support you will need a formal diagnosis however.

In most cases you could contact your GP to discuss your concerns and how you can seek diagnosis. For dyslexia, this often isn’t covered via your GP.

If you think you may have dyslexia but do not have a formal diagnosis, please take a look at the Adult Checklist on the British Dyslexia Association website here. This does not confirm a diagnosis itself but may give an indication as to whether you should consider looking into a formal diagnosis.

A full diagnostic test is required for UK students to access support via the Disabled Students Allowance process. For OCA students who need help to pay for a diagnostic test due to low household income, you may be able to apply for part-funding towards a diagnostic assessment via OCA’s Learner Support Scheme.

If you already have a full (post-16) diagnostic assessment, we would encourage you to apply for additional support via the Disabled Students Allowance process. You may need to get reassessed if you had this done when you were under 16 years old.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

As a student, supporting your health and wellbeing is important to ensure that you are able to study effectively.

OCA students have access to a support network of tutors, and staff who are there to look out for your wellbeing. All OCA staff are trained in Mental Health First Aid, and the Learner Support team have additional specialist training. Your OCA Students Association also has wellbeing reps.

Additional Support via Disabled Students Allowances (DSAs)

If you are studying towards an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, you may be eligible for additional support from Student Finance through their DSA process if you have a long-term mental health condition.

Support awarded does not need to be repaid, and is based on your individual needs. Examples of support that some of our students with long-term mental health conditions have been awarded include a number of hours each year with a specialist mental health mentor to help with strategies for things like motivation and organisation, or software to help with issues with planning and concentration for example.

You can see more information on this on the OCA website here, or on the DSA website here.

OCA Wellbeing App

This free smartphone app is designed to support you by developing your resilience and other study skills. Packed full of tips and tricks, podcasts that teach you new techniques, and challenges that assist you in creating new positive habits, this app is a great sidekick to your studies.

This is available to all OCA students. Accessible through the Google Play and iTunes App Stores, to register and use the app all you need is your oca.ac.uk email address. When you sign in, you will be asked to confirm your email address and click on the link in the subsequent email to get up and running.

Our app is built on the principle of five steps to mental health set out by the NHS:

• Connect with others
• Be active
• Learn new things
• Giving
• Mindfulness

Wellbeing Links and Resources

Hub of Hope:

A mental health support database to help you find nearby mental health support services.

BBC: Your mental health toolkit:

This includes tools to help you look after yourself and loved ones, help to relax and coping tips.

OCA Students Association:

Some suggestions to support your wellbeing and signposting to other resources.

Student Minds:

Support and resources from the UK’s student mental health charity.

Student Space:

Support from Student Minds during the coronavirus pandemic.

Your Mind Plan:

A short quiz from Public Health England aimed at adults 18 and over, designed to help you build a practical plan you can use to help maintain your health and wellbeing.

Crisis Support, Helplines and Messaging Services

When to call 999 / emergency services or go to A&E

NHS UK advises you do this when:-

• someone’s life is at risk – for example if they have seriously injured themselves or taken an overdose
• you do not feel you can keep yourself or someone else safe.

When to get advice from 111 or ask for an urgent GP appointment

NHS UK advises you to call 111 or your GP when:-

• you are not able to speak to your local NHS urgent mental health helpline
• you need help urgently for your mental health, but it’s not an emergency
• you’re not sure what to do.

NHS Urgent Mental Health helpline (England only)

NHS UK advises if you need help during a mental health crisis or emergency you can call for:-

• 24-hour advice and support – for you, your child, your parent or someone you care for
• help to speak to a mental health professional
• an assessment to help decide on the best course of care.

When you click the link here you will be asked for your age and postcode and provided with your local NHS urgent mental health helpline.

HOPELINE UK

For under 35’s who are experiencing thoughts of suicide, or anyone concerned that a young person could be thinking about suicide. Open 9am til midnight every day of the year (weekends and bank holidays included).

Call 0800 068 4141, text 07860039967 or email pat@papyrus.uk.org

Samaritans

Samaritans are there if you are struggling to cope and need someone to listen without judgement or pressure. Call 116 123 any time for free, or email jo@samaritans.org (response time 24 hours).

Saneline

Saneline is a national out-of-hours mental health helpline offering specialist emotional support, guidance and information to anyone affected by mental illness, including family, friends and carers. Open every day of the year from 4.30pm to 10.30pm on 0300 304 7000.

Shout

Shout 85258 is a 24/7 confidential, free UK text messaging service for times when people feel they need immediate support. See how this works here. Text ‘shout’ to 85258.

Wellness Toolkit: What can I do with 5 minutes or less?

Breathing Exercises

In the OCA Wellbeing app there are some simple breathing exercises, or try these from the NHS website or these more visual exercises from Calm on Youtube. If you have a fitness tracker you might have a similar function on there.

Mindfulness

OCA wellbeing app has exercises from as little as 1 minute in the featured tools and podcasts section.

Connect

If connecting with friends or family is something that usually helps you, give someone a call, send a text or make plans with them. If you’re at work, could you talk to a colleague rather than sending an email across?

Be Creative

It doesn’t have to be something for your course – listen to your favourite song, open your sketchbook, or get outside and take some photographs. There are even some 30 second ideas here.

Enterprise

OCA Enterprise aims to develop post-study skills, provide opportunities to network with other students, alumni, and businesses, and help launch student initiatives.

The Enterprise Scheme is open to all students at Level Two (HE5), and Level Three (HE6). This is to cover activities that support you in securing your ambition post-study.

This could be attending a conference, an exhibition, a training course or event. It could be setting up a project with other students to design graphics for e-greetings cards, or investment in digital technology to enable you to take innovative images.

Applications are open to individuals or groups of students. The amount of funding available is £100 per individual, or £150 per individual when applying as part of a group. We encourage students to collaborate in projects and apply as part of a group.

At the end of your project or activity, you’ll be asked to write up a case study so we can see what impact the funding has had, and use your experiences to encourage others to access this funding too.

Check out previous student experiences with the Enterprise Scheme here.

Enterprise Enhancement Scheme Guidance

These guidance notes are for use with OCA’s Enterprise Enhancement Scheme application form. This application form is to seek funding from the scheme to support enterprise activity.

This scheme is available to all OCA students studying at Level Two (HE5) and Level Three (HE6). Students applying individually can be awarded £100 from the scheme. For students applying as part of a group, the amount available is £150 per student in the group. Students can make one application per Level of study e.g. one application at Level 2, and one application at Level 3.

The activities funding is sought for must take place on or before 31st July, the end of an academic year, in order to be eligible. If the proposed activity is after this date, students should apply to the next year’s scheme.

What can this funding cover?

The funding applied for can cover costs and expenses relating to Enterprise activity, whether this be individual or group costs.

This may be to cover:

• Exhibition/Conference fees – ticket costs
• Exhibition fees/Conference – cost of set up
• Travel costs to the above
• Physical materials – art materials, installation equipment etc.
• Digital materials – journal article access, software packages, subscription charges etc.

This funding is not available to cover subsistence costs, costs relating to OCA courses including tuition fees, or to support activity covered by OCA courses.

In the further details section, you are asked to outline what it is that you are applying to cover. This can be a project or other enterprise activity. Your outline of the activity should include a brief overview of the project or activity, dates of when the project or activity will be running, an overview of any known costs, and any anticipated costs.

The next section asks you to detail the impact you hope the funding will have. Here you should go into more detail, explain why you are looking to do the project or activity, how the funding will enable you to engage in this activity, and particularly how this will help your longer term aspirations. Please keep to the space provided within the application form.

How to apply?

Upon completion of the application form, you should email this and any supporting documents you may wish to provide to enterprise@oca.ac.uk.

Submitted applications will be considered and responded to with a decision within five working days unless stated otherwise. Applications are considered and approved by the Head of Student Services.

Declaration and signature

Take care to check and agree the declarations before submitting your application. If you are unable to include an electronic signature, please type your name into the field and return the document by email. Using your OCA email account to submit this will act as an electronic signature.

If you have any questions or need assistance with this form, please contact enterprise@oca.ac.uk.

Learner Support Resources

12 ways to use your OCA learning for personal growth

1. Have a sense of purpose in relation to your learning. Remember why you enrolled on the course and link this to your end goal. Keep this big picture in mind if things feel difficult.
2. When you achieve a goal, make time to set a new one. Just because you’ve completed a unit doesn’t mean you’re done with learning about that subject. New goals to keep you interested and make you interesting.
3. You should enjoy the learning process and value this over the end result rather than just getting it done to meet the deadline.
4. Emphasise growth over speed. Learning fast isn’t the same as learning well and learning well sometimes means you have to allow time for mistakes.
5. Think realistically about the time and effort it takes to learn. You shouldn’t expect to master anything in one go, but you’ll get there with practice.
6. Try different tactics when you’re learning. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all model for learning. What works for one person may not work for you and what works for you in one context might not work in another. Learn about learning strategies.
7. Don’t look for approval. When you prioritise approval over learning, you sacrifice your own potential for growth.  Students with determination will be more likely to seek approval from themselves rather than others.
8. Consider criticism as positive. You don’t have to use the term, “constructive criticism,” but you should believe in the concept.
9. Replace the word “failing” with the word “learning.” When you make a mistake or fall short of a goal, you haven’t failed; you’ve learned.  Use the word “yet.” Whenever you’re struggling with a task, just tell yourself you haven’t mastered it yet.
10. Don’t think that room for improvement means failure.  Try asking yourself “What have I learned from that?” “What can I do differently next time?” and allow yourself to fail well.
11. Take risks in the company of others.  Don’t try to be perfect and let yourself make mistakes now and then. It will make it easier to take risks in the future and others can learn from you. It also allows others to make mistakes and you can learn from that too. It is important to realise that we share the same weaknesses.
12. Reflect on your progress regularly and celebrate with others.  This will help you to recognise your achievements and acknowledge how much you have accomplished in your learning journey.

If you want to find out more, follow the research about brain plasticity and growth mindset. There are some free downloadable resources which may help you at Grow Your Mindset.

Student Discounts

There are certain advantages to being a student with the OCA, one of which is that you will receive an OCA Student Card. This card may be accepted by retailers and organisations that offer a student discount. Many retailers and other organisations advertise that they offer student discounts. However, if you are unsure, don’t be afraid to ask.

You can also sign up for accounts with UNiDAYS and Student Beans. Retailers post offers through these sites which you can take advantage of. All you need to sign up to these sites is your OCA email address; as part of the registration process OCA will verify your account.

In addition, as a fully fledged student, you’re also part of the National Union of Students (NUS) and entitled to a TOTUM Card, formerly known as an NUS Extra Card. This you have to pay for (you can buy a 1,2, or 3 year option), but can also act as an ID card, and gives you access to circa 200 discounts including Amazon Prime.

Apart from retailer discounts, you can also gain discounts on software and other packages to help you as a student. 65% off Adobe Creative Cloud, Apple Store for Education offer discounts on a range of Apple hardware, and you can get Office 365 free along with discounts on Microsoft hardware.

Withdrawing

If you’re thinking about withdrawing from your studies, make sure you’ve got all the advice and guidance you need to help you make an informed decision.

If you have received the appropriate advice and guidance but still wish to withdraw, you will need to complete and return the Withdrawal Form.

Withdrawing from Study [quiz]

If you’re thinking about withdrawing from your course, please take a few minutes to complete this quiz which will help provide further advice and guidance depending on your circumstances.

Health Conditions and Mitigating Circumstances

If your concerns are due to health conditions or mitigating circumstances, you may wish to discuss your circumstances with the Learner Support team, who can help with extension and deferrals requests and reasonable adjustments.

Additional Guidance

If you need further information about your timeframes and general guidance to help you to figure out your options, contact Student Advice.

Assessment

If you have a unit ready to submit for assessment, or have already submitted to an assessment event, if you would still like to achieve credits for the course unit in question do not submit your degree withdrawal before receiving your assessment results.

Financial Implications and Support

If you are outside the 14 day cancellation period, you are no longer eligible for a refund or reduction of fees, and are liable for the full course unit fee. If there are exceptional circumstances that you feel should be considered, and you have exhausted institutional support options such as deferrals, then please refer to the Exceptional Refund section with the Refund Policy.

Please be aware that if you are funding your course through Student Finance, and the payment of the course unit is still in progress at the time of withdrawal, you may be liable for any outstanding balance that has not yet been paid from Student Finance to OCA, and this amount would be determined by Student Finance at the point of withdrawal.

If your financial circumstances have changed since you enrolled to the course and you are struggling to make payments, please contact the Finance Team.

Returning to Study

Once withdrawn, you must wait a minimum of 12 months before you are eligible to enrol on the same degree course again. If you are looking to enrol to a different degree course, then you only need to wait until the withdrawal from the previous degree course is formally processed.

When returning to the same degree course, if you have already achieved credits on this degree in your previous time with OCA these credits are not automatically added onto your new course. You would need to apply for a credit transfer before enrolling for this to happen, and the credits will need to have been achieved within the last five years and still relevant to the latest degree.

Contact Us

Student Support is made up of three teams to help you get the most out of your studies; Student Advice, Learner Support and Logistics. Find out how each team can help you.

Student Advice

• Enrolment and Progression, Timeframes, Degree / Unit Transfers, Enterprise, Withdrawing, Course Fees and Applying for Assessment.

You can contact Student Advice at studentadvice@oca.ac.uk, or are available to call on 01226 596960, Monday 14:00 to 16:00 , and Wednesday 10:00 to 12:00.

Learner Support

• Extensions and Deferrals,  Reasonable Adjustments, Disabled Students Allowance, Mental Health and Well-being, Studying with Disabilities and/or Caring Responsibilities and Bursaries.

You can contact Learner Support at learnersupport@oca.ac.uk, or are available to call on 01226 978618, Tuesday 14:00 to 16:00, and Thursday 10:00 to 12:00.

Logistics

• Updating Personal Information, Physical Course Materials and Supplementary Course Books.