The joys of being a very mature student

A blog post by Suzy Hughes

I graduated from University over 30 years ago and now find myself back in the world of academic study which is reassuringly similar on the one hand and joyously different on the other.

Thirty years ago, as undergraduate students we were still working with pens and paper (and plenty of tipex!), the internet didn’t exist and the only people who really knew what a computer was were the small group of students who sat in a remote room in college, that most of us didn’t even know existed, doing something strange with screens and keyboards. By the time I wrote my dissertation in my third year, I managed to borrow an electric typewriter which was considered by my friends to be very leading edge! 

Research and learning happened in situ in the Law Library where, after lectures which were of course only delivered once and in person, there would be a scramble to get hands on relevant books, case law and statute. Queues were formed by students joining waiting lists to try to get a chance of reading some of the relevant academic articles. There were inevitable time delays in receiving UN reports and international legal news, all of which would have to be factored into learning timelines and meeting essay deadlines.

You can imagine what an absolute revelation it has been for me to start my Masters with the Open University! Embracing online learning is total joy in so many ways. Not only am I loving picking up where I left off a lifetime ago in legal academic learning, I can immerse myself in research in ways I never dreamed imaginable as an undergraduate student. I find myself perusing the shelves of law libraries all over the world, able to identify and access resources that would never have been available to a student sitting in a library thirty years ago. The world of learning is simultaneously so much smaller and so very much bigger than I could have possibly imagined.  

To be honest, tutorials have taken a bit of getting used to. My memories of tutorials as an undergraduate (beyond the actual getting there on time and in a reasonable state after a night of student revelry!) was small groups of us sitting around with the tutor in their room full of books and papers with lots of discussion and toing and froing of questions and ideas. It was a chance to get to know your tutors and build relationships with them that would not only be beneficial for furthering understanding of the content of our legal studies but also for garnering technical and personal advice. How was this going to work in the modern world of Open University online tutorials? 

Well, it is a vastly different experience. This does not mean that it is bad, it just takes a little bit of adjustment. Interestingly, I still feel a connection with my tutor, despite only seeing them on a video link and sometimes just having their voice leading the tutorials. I feel that they will be open to sharing their experiences and advice when the time is right for me to ask…I’ll have to let you know how this goes when I get there. The discussions are more stilted than in face-to-face gatherings and you have to able to type fast to be able get involved in the conversations and stay relevant to the discussions that happen mostly in the chat messaging. However, questions are still asked both from and directed to the tutor. There is some toing and froing and interesting exchanges of ideas and sharing of experiences by all and expertise by the tutors. My fellow tutees are from an amazingly diverse range of backgrounds, ages, and life experiences and this is invaluable from a learning point of view. I find myself regularly testing my assumptions and challenging my perspectives. Perhaps maturity has a role here? Would I have done this to such an extent thirty years ago? Does the fact that I am not sitting in the same room counter-intuitively allow more mental and emotional freedom to do this?  The recording of tutorials turns out to be instrumental in the learning process as I can re-listen to my own tutorials as many times I like, rewinding where necessary to make sure that I fully understand what is being discussed, to catch a gem from the tutor or hear from one of my fellow students. I can also listen to the tutorials that have taken place on the same subject area with different tutors and students, providing alternative or nuanced emphases on the subject matter and broadening the range of perspectives on the interpretation and application of the aeras of law being discussed. This is an absolute luxury that certainly didn’t exist when I was a young student.

Pens and paper are and always will be part of my learning experience, they are too engrained to completely disappear, but the editorial freedom that comes with writing electronically is a delight.

Overall, my experience so far feels like the comfort of an old friend wrapped in the delights of shiny new paper. 

About the writer

Suzy is a mature student studying a Masters Degree in International Law with The Open University.
Having graduated over thirty years ago from Durhan University with an Honours Degree in Law, Suzy gained post-graduate qualifications in business French and lived and worked in Europe as a Management Consultant. More recent years have been committed to raising a family whilst maintaining management services to private client portfolios, restoring period houses and volunteering as a Trustee of a leading Grammar School in Kent.
Studying for a Masters in International Law marks the start of the next phase in Suzy’s portfolio career.