Topic 1 Activity - Open star clusters

The first activity of this module involved using a piece of software called TOPCAT to download and process real data obtained from the Gaia satellite to identify stars belonging to a particular cluster. I suspect that for some the most difficult part of all this was installing it and getting it working. The software is written in Java so also needed the Java platform installed as it wouldn't run natively in Microsoft Windows like most applications would. I suspect Apple Mac and Linux users would have quite a bit of trouble getting it up and running. Having managed to do all this, the software was then used to process the information obtained from an online database which could then be used to calculate the distance to the star cluster and plot a colour-magnitude diagram (CMD), an example of which is below. 

One of the many advantages of doing this activity is the direct relevance to a corresponding question on TMA01. Anybody completing this, and that of course should be everybody who is taking the module seriously, will have a head start on the assignment because the question solicits a response that it is very similar to what is discovered during the activity.

In fact, the first 6 topics of this module are structured in a similar way. There's some guided and non-guided teaching, followed by an activity which is related to what has been learnt, followed by a corresponding TMA comprising of two questions, the larger one based on the activity. There's a pre-recorded video tutorial to support the teaching followed by three opportunities to attend a 'drop-in clinic' which are live and interactive, but unrecorded. These are designed for students to raise any issues and clarify any points which may need a more rigorous explanation than the online materials can offer.

The activity was very interesting and I enjoyed it immensely, but I could have done without the 'employability' video and 'transferable skills' nonsense that was embedded in it. I was invited to add 'self management and resilience skills' to my CV and personal development plan but I think I'll give that malarky a miss. It's really aimed at younger people who are embarking on an OU qualification to enhance their careers, not old fogies like me who are giving themselves something to do other than coffin dodging in a last ditch attempt to avoid going entirety senile.

On a different but related note, TMA00, which I submitted on Monday 28th September, was returned to me on Monday 12th October. It was unmarked as such but the comments received were very useful. Some of these I agreed with, others not, but it gave me a rough idea of what the tutor is looking for, so was invaluable in that respect. From the comments made, I got the impression that not everybody bothered to submit it. Since no marks were available to contribute towards the final module score, I can see why some didn't see the point of it, but even so, its a difficult decision to defend for any student who claims to be taking their studies seriously.

TMA01 and IT issues

I've made a start on TMA01 which consists of two questions, a short question worth 8 marks, and a longer one worth 24 marks. Question 1 involves performing relatively simple calculations using data obtained from astronomical databases. Question 2 involves analysing data from the Gaia satellite using software called TOPCAT.

I had my first tutorial on Monday as well. I didn't attend live, I just watched the recording a few hours afterwards. It wasn't an easy task though. The tutor gave the wrong link and having corrected it when I contacted them about it, the recording itself hadn't been uploaded. After a second prompt, it was corrected and all was well. Only three punters attended live, out of a potential twenty, and one of those bailed out early. It was mostly aimed at students new to the OU so not that relevant to me really, but it was still worth a viewing, if only to hear my tutor's voice. Something the tutor said was a bit disturbing however. They said they aimed to get TMAs marked and returned within two weeks of the cut-off date, as if they were doing us a favour. Since tutors are contractually obliged to do this anyway, it seemed a little odd to say it. It could be that this particular tutor has taken on too many groups and has predicted that they won't be able to keep up with demands of the role. I really hope this is not the case.

While attempting to access external material through the S284 module page, I was getting a 403 forbidden error, and so were some of the other punters according to the forums. I investigated and it appeared to be a library systems issue. In fairness, it was resolved in a couple of hours, but for a module that is delivered entirely online, it's not great.

Start of Introduction to S284

Boot camp is over. I didn't attend any of the Boot camp tutorials because I didn't like the sound of 'breakout rooms', putting my microphone on and 'working with fellow students'. I'm sure this type of malarky is invaluable to some on the module but its not for me. I used the time to get a bit ahead on the module material. I went through all the worked examples and made Excel spreadsheets with the some of the formulae in them to make double-checking my answers easier. I'm pleased with my progress because by doing this it forces me to engage with the material rather than just passively let it wash over me.

Although it's time to start Week 1 of the module proper according to the study planner, it's just an introductory week called 'Introduction to S284', so not that much actually happens in the way of teaching and learning. It involves reading 'What is S284, and how to study it' which contains some self assessment questions in the Are you ready for S284? component.

The main activity for this week is completing TMA00 though, which I finished a while back. It has a soft cut-off date of Friday 9th October, which is the last day of Week 1, but I sent it off on Monday 28 September. I didn't really see the point of holding onto something that isn't worth any marks, and the early engagement tutor feedback will be very useful. The OU have recently improved the TMA submission system. It now gives more information after the file has been uploaded and also allows the submission of draft versions that auto submit on the cut-off date unless manually overridden. It'll be interesting to see how quickly my tutor marks this assignment as that's usually an indicator of how good they are.

There was also an Accessibility Guide to read, which is primarily aimed at students with disabilities and those who support them. It provides information how to address some of the issues on the aspects of the module materials that may present challenges.

The final part of the week's activities was a reminder about the use of Gen AI, which isn't allowed to complete any assessment at all.

A very strange thing happened on Sunday. I got an email to say that the extended summary booklet won't be mailed until the third week of October. The thing is, I received it mid-August.

Tutor and tutorial news

I was given my tutor allocation on Thursday so I can send TMA00 off. It's been sitting on my laptop for a while now. Normally at this point I would look up my tutor on LinkedIn because I like to know who I'm up against, but my tutor is also running the Boot camp so I know quite a lot about them already. On Friday, they sent an email asking me to respond, but addressing me as 'Dear Student' wasn't a great start. I responded as asked, but the lackluster reply could also have been better worded.

Tutorials were open for booking as well, and there are three opportunities to attend for each topic, occasionally facilitated by one tutor but mostly by two. I recognised some tutors from SM123, mostly good, but also an under par one. Easily avoidable though. I've only booked one so far, I'll see how it goes. I think I overdid it a tad with my last module so I'll use these more sparingly this time around. Most of the tutorials on S284 are pre-recorded and available on demand, and this will be my main source of tuition I suspect.

S284 Astronomy Boot camp

Now that the MST124 exam is over, I can concentrate on the S284 Astronomy Bootcamp. The MST124 results are expected on or around 27 October and I will publish them and details about how the exam went here, and a review of the module here.

The S284 Astronomy Boot camp officially starts today and carries on for the next for two weeks. As you can probably guess, I've already made a start. There are four main components of the Boot camp materials: An online guide, with assessment exercises & quizzes, a dedicated forum, online tutorials, and reference materials to assist with self-directed study/revision. Four areas are covered: time-management, study skills, maths and physics. The Adobe Connect tutorials for this module start next week. There's one on Saturday morning, one Tuesday lunchtime and another Thursday evening. Students are only expected to attend one of these as they all cover more or less the same ground. Curiously, they are not recorded so have to be attended live. Another curious thing - they have been described by the module team as 'drop-in clinics'. As always, I'll engage with all that Boot camp has to offer, but I'm also aware of 'burn out' because I have just finished a module a few days ago and I need a bit of a break.

Topic 5 appears to be missing and I'm not-so-reliably informed that it is either called Electricity and Magnetism or Minerals and Rocks but nobody really knows for certain. It may have something to do with the predecessor module S282 Astronomy which shared some pre-module engagement resources with S283 Planetary Science and the Search for Life.

S284 module website opens

The S284 module website opened on Tuesday. I downloaded as much as I could, mostly videos presented by the module staff. The pre-recorded tutorials are a really good idea, and more modules should use them. Unlike S283 Planetary Science, there are a lot of media clips and animations used for teaching purposes. It feels like the big brother of SM123 Physics and Space and has a similar structure in some respects. Comparing the two, which is inevitable really, S284 Astronomy is more like an applied physics module whereas S283 Planetary Science was more like an applied chemistry module.

I had a look at the introductory assignment TMA00, which seems quite involved for what it is. It isn't compulsory and attracts no marks as such, but the feedback from the bod who looks at it should be useful. Hopefully. There are five questions in total, some of them very straightforward, others involving a varied multi-part response. Question 1 involves reading a part of the module material, summarising it and timing how long it took to do it. Question 2 is about typesetting a mathematical equation using symbols not found on a standard computer keyboard. Question 3 wants a hand drawn Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, a photograph obtained from a website, and a screenshot of the output from some astronomy software. Question 4 involves creating and filling a table with data. Question 5 involves plotting a graph using Excel. I can't help thinking there's an 'employability' and 'transferable skills' angle to all this, and it probably ticks a box somewhere for that reason, like a lot of the newer modules from the OU.

S284 Astronomy assignments

The S284 Astronomy module website opens in three days time on Tuesday 8th but this assessment information was revealed to all enrolled punters several weeks ago. The TMAs are interesting. There are six of them worth 8% each and a non-scoring TMA00 with a firm cut-off date, which is very odd as the zeroth TMA of a module is usually formative and optional. Looking at the cut-off dates, there is an average of one TMA per month throughout the module. The two module exams (not listed here) take the form of timed Moodle quizzes. The first in January, in week 14, of one hour duration (12%), and a more important one at the end of June, in week 32, which is a more traditional three hours long (40%). This module has been designed to be as accessible as possible while still maintaining academic standards. I believe that the replacement for the S283 Planetary Science module will also be modelled on this format, which is no bad thing.

S284 Extended Summaries Booklet

Some study materials despatch information for S284 Astronomy appeared on my student homepage a few days ago. I guessed something was coming soon, but that confirmed it. S284 is delivered online without textbooks, but the one concession is a printed 'Extended Summaries Booklet' which summarises the entire module content. I imagine it's going to be very useful for the exam(s) and revision. It arrived on Monday. Unusually, the OU used the Royal Mail and not Yodel, which almost certainly explains why it actually arrived.

My previous blog entries have moved

I've archived my previous blog entries and they can be found at the link below:

S283-25J (Planetary Science) & MST124-26B (Essential Mathematics 1) 

The maths revision activities, reflections on the exam, and the exam results for MST124 will also appear in this archive and will be updated periodically until the module concludes. This will be on or around the release of the module results on 27th October.

This blog will be used to document the next stage of my OU journey, which is S284 Astronomy starting in September 2026.