CV Comments from OU Colleagues

CDSA – Tutorial Observations by Colleagues

Tutorial Monitoring

DSE202 Staff Tutor – Dr Felicity Edholm

Dear Linda. As you know I enjoyed the tutorial enormously. I feel I personally learned a great deal not just about Piaget and Freud but also how to organise and run a really effective OU teaching session. I am absolutely certain that your students also learned a great deal. Were stimulated and excited and had some some really god work s well. I have seldom been to a tutorial where I have seen students thinking so hard!!

Your planning and timing of the tutorial were exemplorary: you covered all the topics you set out to do, and nothing felt rushed or over controlled. The relevance to the course material was very evident and the kinds of questions that you asked the students were directly belated to what they were reading, so the tutorial provided them with a way of revising and consolidating the work they had been done over the past weeks and gave them opportunity to use and work with the relevant concepts and language. The range of activities and the way these were used were just right, and the two activities around the Piagetian experiments were fascinating, very enjoyable and absolutely memorable. I felt that you also provided your students with really useful advice about the kinds of questions around Piaget and Freud that might well come up in the exam given them the means of answering these. What was encouraging was the way that all students participated and engaged with you, with each other and with what was happening right through the tutorial – not a glazed eye in sight! And your handouts were magnificent and provided very useful summaries and additional material. The final piece on Pavlov was a wonderfully entertaining and instructive ending! I could go on at great length about other aspects of the material but will refrain….Linda thank you once again for letting me participate in such an impressive tutorial and teaching me so much, and let me thank you on behalf of the OU for providing students with such wonderful teaching. Best wishes, Felicity.

(Residential School Directors Feedback DXR222 & DSE212

Sussex University– Dr Daniel Nettle

Linda is an excellent tutor who can call upon vast experience and empathy with students. She succeeded in teaching well-received sessions despite technical difficulties beyond her control, and supported and encouraged students in their project week.

Sussex University– Dr. Ros Searle.

Linda has been a star performer this week. She received excellent feedback from students in every session. Her clear style has involved and engaged every group. She has identified links with other OU courses, ensured participation and praised input. She has been flexible in working with others, taking an extra group for the project. She then assisted her colleagues with ideas to support their study groups. She provided a well received evening talk and ensured a successful week.

Durham University– Profesor Wendy Hollway

The student evaluation on Linda’s teaching sessions were very positive – only one not in the very good category and that was good. She was evaluated as well prepared, and organised, with good group management and knowledge of the material as well as clear presentation and supportive. There were no adverse comments. Linda has contributed across the board to tutor groups and has been highly committed to the projects she supervised.

Durham University– Professor Wendy Hollway

Student feedback on Linda’s teaching is very positive, overwhelming in the ‘very good; category. Comments are praiseworthy on preparation, presentation, explanation, knowledge, organising examples, group management, logical progression. Linda is a really valuable resource in the supervision of qualitative projects and is very engaged in the projects she supervises with excellent results. Linda is a great asset in the tutor group, contributes across the board, a real OU professional.

Sussex University - Dr. Fred Seddon

Linda has an individual style of teaching which is quite obviously appreciated by students. She is a dedicated and hard-working tutor who prepares well and believes in the materials she presents. The response from students to Linda via feedback forms is excellent – students describe her as ‘relaxed’, ‘well prepared’ supportive’ approachable and flexible. Her ratings by the students were at all times ‘Very good”. I found that all the descriptions of Linda’s teaching are more than justified during my observation period.

Sussex University –Dr. Martin LeVoi

Linda’s long experience paid off handsomely this week and was evident in the professional way in which she teaches this course. She is popular with the students and a credit to the Open University.

Sussex University– Dr Helen Westcott

Thank you Linda for your work this week. You have also been there to support me which I have appreciated.

1) Quality of teaching excellent (as ever!) You are very well prepared and organised. Your knowledge and clarity stimulates student’s interest and several this week said they felt ‘inspired by your textul analysis session.

2) Student support: you are friendly, helpful and approachable. You help shape students interest in a supportive manner,

3) Team working: You have worked well with Chris to supervise projects. You are also a great member of the tutor team. I hope we will work together again!

Sussex University – Peter Barnes

Linda is developing very well as a summer school tutor for DSE202. She played full part in the week; the demonstration sessions she presented were well prepared and delivered in a lively way. She presented an evening session on maternal depression to a large audience and contributed a session on Social Psychology. Linda worked very hard with her project groups and to good effect. In the first half of the week she took responsibility for four, which was perhaps one too many given the loads of the other Social tutors. Linda made a valuable contribution to the team in many respects and was generous with her experience. I look forward working with her next week.

Sussex University – Dr Roger Sapsford

Virtually all ‘excellents’ on student feedback, for demonstration (group Processes) evening lecture and project supervision. I was at her presentation on ethics and one of the project presentations, which was entirely sound but also very funny and drew unforced applause. A very useful tutor for summer school.

Sussex University – Peter Barnes

Once again Linda brought her vitality and enthusiasm to the week. Her demonstration sessions of the Group Processes sessions were very well structured, focused and lively. Her use of small group work during these sessions was very impressive. She received excellent feedback from students. Similarly her supervision of project groups was very well done and equally well received, She made the presentation re. the project preparation on both occasions and these too were typically well organised and amusingly delivered. Both her evening talk and the revsions session she led were very well structured Linda played a full and constructive part in the tutor team throughout the week and it was a pleasure to work with her.

Sirling University– Dr. Janice Wearmouth

Linda is clear, direct, enthusiastic and very focussed in her approach. She has prepared for and organised her demonstration sessions and evening talks very well, and delivered the material in an interesting and highly informative way. The students found her very caring, helpful, supportive and encouraging during their project work. She consistently went out of her way to maintain a high degree of interest and concern for what they were doing. A pleasure to work with her.

Stirling University– Professor Karen Littleton

Linda is a very experienced ad dedicated summer school tutor. All her teaching sessions have been carefully prepared and the students have clearly benefited from her lively and engaging demonstration sessions. I have particularly admired Linda’s exceptional skills as a small group facilitator. Her approach is highly professional and very student centred. On a more personal note, Linda has been a very supportive colleague whose input to briefing meetings has been much appreciated.

Stirling University – Dr Peter Naish

Linda has an approach that is all her own. Highly empathic, she never pushes the students – only leads and that so softly that they seem to not know that they are following. Students response extremely well to Linda’s style and love for her sessions, seemingly enriched in more than just the academic sense. A most valuable member of the tutor team.

DSE212 Sussex University –Peter Barnes

Linda’s experience has been invaluable this week and students have appreciated her careful guidance and the knowledge of the DSe212 course that she brings. Student feedback is very positive. (Dear Linda…You also missed the feedback on you for the second half of the week - uniformly very good and with some very nice supporting comments. Congratulations. …Thanks again, and best wishes… Peter Barnes )

Southampton University – Professor Rob Remington

I am happy to supply a testimonial for Linda Corlett. I know Linda in my role as Head of Psychology at Southampton where she provided a second level course in social psychology. Linda was employed on very short notice to fill a hole in the curriculum. I think we were very lucky to find Linda, she worked prodigiously hard over a short amount of time to develop the course, prepare and organise study materials and familiarise herself with our methods of teaching. She taught a large course – some 150 students with considerable success. The colleagues whose teaching she was replacing were impressed by her contribution both in terms of the curriculum of the course and its manner of delivery. I have no doubt that she has the intellectual capacity to handle the complex matter of modern social psychology effectively.

Southampton University – Professor Edmund Sonuga-Barke

Linda you have a done a really fine job of teaching for us over the last few years. I know the students have reacted very positively to you and your teaching. You have made social psychology accessable to students who under normal circumstances might not have been so well disposed to the subject. That is a mark of a really dedicated and skilled teacher. You have made a very positive impression on the Department

Southampton University - Professor Jim Stephenson

Dear Linda. I am writing on behalf of the Board of Undergraduate Studies to let you know how much your contribution to the teaching of Social Psychology was appreciated by students and colleagues in the Department. The feedback from the evaluations produced consistently high scores for your courses…

London University – Dr Lilli Hvintoft-Foster (President of The Open University Psychological Society)

Dear Linda, I hear you were a great success last Saturday, the committee and the students were so full of praise of you…..love Lilli

University of Cambridge – Dr Sean Holden

….In fact, I feel that I must point out that her dedication as a researcher and tutor surpasses anything that I have previously encountered. I have no doubt at all that Ms Corlett is an excellent candidate and I have no hesitation in recommending her.

D317 Website feedback

Linda, I just had a quick browse - it is wonderful - thank-you so much. Particularly pleased with the student experience page which is glowing without being too sycophantic - looks believable.

You have put so much work into this and done us proud…. Professor Margie Wetherell

Just had a look at your web-site Linda and it looks GREAT! Well done! Good luck for this new year....Dr. Linda Finlay

Linda the D317 website is absolutely fabulous - you've done a wonderful job. Thank you so much - it's fantastic! Don't suppose you'd be interested to do a DSE212 one???!!! Professor Dot Miell

Dear Linda…..Just wanted to say how impressive the D317 website is. It really shows the hard work you put into it. Many thanks and congratulations on something that is really a good addition to the course information. All best wishes….Professor Ann Phoenix

Comments from Mentees

Dear Linda, just a brief note to say thank you for your help this year, although I've been a tutor with the OU for some time, it was really useful to be able to tap into your knowledge and experience of the course and its 'querks' if I can put it that way. All my best wishes - Dr.Mich Page

Thank YOU Linda for all your hard work and support this year. For me, the experience of tutoring has been a very fulfilling and valuable learning curve both professionally and personally. And what a delight it is when the results come up and one see how well one's folks have done

(although I am yet to determine the extent of the input of one's tutoring to the student's final result!). I am looking forward to being of more help at the Day Schools next year now that I have a better idea of what it is all about, and of being more of a support to YOU Linda, you work so hard and your commitment to D317 is an amazing and a hard act to follow. Debbi McGregor

Passing Comments from Colleagues

Dear Linda, I was reading through the tutorial feedback form student questionnaires, and you may know this all ready, but students were asked to say something about the best tutorial they had ever received, and one of mine quoted yours, at the day school as being inspirational - I just thought I would let you know this in case, no one else had.Mich Page

Dear Linda….Just again to thank you for an excellent tutorial…Felicity Edholm

Dear Linda - Nice to see you again yesterday… once again thank you for the OUPS D317 Revision Weekend that you sent Brigitte. It really helped and contributed to her Distinction mark for the course. Love and best wishes – Francis

During the many times I've assisted Linda with printing her handouts and oht for her tutorial's I've always been impressed by her enthusiasm for teaching and the way her passion for Psychology has motivated and engaged students. Linda has time and time again excelled in her teaching, and I know her tutorials and seminars are immensely popular with students." Ben Hawkridge, KMi, The Open University

Hi Linda. I just thought you ought to know that in the meeting on course assessment on Friday when we received all the evaluations of the courses there was unanimous agreement that your course is excellent and you should be congratulated on the standard. Great work! Thanks, Caroline Allee –Course Assessment team

Linda…we'll see you at the training day - I hope you will be repeating your session on psychology. I gather from those who attended that it was excellent! Regards – Barbara Cross

…Her commitment to her work, her friendliness and popularity, and her ability to work with a team cannot be gainsaid…– Dr Hank Kahney

Dear Linda..I wanted to send you a copy of the enclosed letter. It’s unusual to get such string spontaneous communications from students, and just great to see what you’ve done to help at least one students – and no doubt many more. Thank you! With best wishes, Ross Furgusson

Linda, You have been monitoring my correspondence tuition for DES212 and I am just writing to say thank you for the feedback you have given me. I've found it useful especially as this is all quite new to me and I wasn't sure if I was getting it quite right….Thanks again for your help and advice!

Best Rachael Connelly (tutor)

I was very glad to hear that you are going to be my Mentor, I am a recent graduate in Psychology from The Open University and am now reading for my MSc in Psychological Research Methods, also with the OU. As a newly qualified teacher I welcome the chance to learn from you. In the past, I have attended your Revision days for DSE202 and D317 and got an enormous amount from them…. All best wishes, Anna Iwaschkin.

I have known Linda Corlett for nearly 20 years. For 14 of these years, Linda has been a superb tutor on the Social Psychology courses at the OU for which I have been responsible. She looks after her students with enormous skill, care and with an attention that goes way beyond the call of duty. She is one of the best live teachers I have known. So much so, the OU Psychological Society OUPS, who are famously selective in their tutor selection regularly employ her to teach at their Annual National Schools.

For D317 (the current Social Psychology course), Linda was invited to join the course team to help in the mid-term review. She has contributed several pieces of teaching material (including the Course Guide and Student Workbook) which are much valued. She is one of, if not the most effective members on the current presentation team (and it is a good team). She makes major contributions to the TMA Booklet each year. She is creative and efficient and meshes well with her colleagues.