It is useful to read the OCA Study Guides to get a feel for the sorts of things you need to know about before you start the course. While you wait for the course materials, it is useful to start any relevant research and get yourself a workspace sorted out at home.

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FIRST CONTACT WITH TUTOR

How do I contact the tutor – or does he/she contact me?

Your tutor's contact details will be included in your course materials. The first thing you should do is write your profile and post or email it to your tutor to introduce yourself.

The idea of the student profile is to give your tutor additional information about yourself, such as what you hope to gain from the course and any individual needs you might have. It is often helpful to tell your tutor something about the type of person you are and how you want to learn. Do you need deadlines to work efficiently? Do you want to get through the course as quickly as possible or do you want to take it at a slower pace?

In return, you'll receive a welcoming letter or email from your tutor and from there you can arrange further contact. You don't need to wait until you hear from your tutor to start your course – get going straightaway.

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STUDENT COMMUNITY

How do I access the OCA Student Site?

To access the OCA Student website, you will need to be an OCA student, and you will need to have received your login details. OCA students do not need to register themselves on the OCA Student website, as was previously the case. New OCA students are now registered by OCA within 5 working days of your payment for a course being accepted. If you have not received your username and password by the end of 5 working days, please send an email containing your student number and full name to help[at]oca-uk.com and we will ensure that your details are promptly issued to you by email.

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How can I participate in online discussions?

You must first login using your username and password (see above). Then click on the Forums button in the navigation bar and then enter one of the forum folders. From that page you can then start a new topic or read and comment on existing topics. For more details on how to use the forums and other website facilities, download the website guide, HERE.

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ASSIGNMENTS

How many assignments will I have to do?

Most courses have five assignments, as well as a number of exercises and projects within each of the five sections of the course.

Will I receive marks or grades for my assignments?

No. You will receive “formative feedback” from your tutor on your assignments. The purpose of formative feedback is to identify strengths and weaknesses and to offer you suggestions as to how you can improve and what you need to do to be successful if you choose to submit your work for assessment.

Grades are given by assessors at the assessment event, however (see Section G).

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SENDING ASSIGNMENTS

How do I send assignments to my tutor?

For distance learning students, the methods of sending work to your tutor can vary between subject and individual tutor preference. Subjects such as Photography, Creative writing and Composing Music lend themselves easily to electronic transfer i.e. via email or online blogs. You might also print or transfer your work to disk and post it to your tutor; but if you plan to use this option, please ensure your tutor has a machine compatible with your own.

With Fine Art subjects such as Drawing and Painting, it is preferable to send the finished works to your tutor. However, it is permissible for some of the assignments to be photographed (photographs would need to be of extremely high quality and evenly lit – see here for instruction on how to photograph your work How to Photograph your Work (on oca-elements.com) ), or scanned at high resolution and then forwarded to the tutor. Your tutor would need to see the physical results of at least 2 of the assignments – preferably the 1st and 4th. However, for Sculpture, Textiles and other 3 dimensional studies, all assignment work needs to be viewed by the tutor.

For students selecting the face to face option (where available) your tutor would expect you to take along your assignment work to your sessions.

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Do you have any special advice for sending bulky parcels to my tutor?

It is vital that your work is well protected and that the recipient and return address are clearly marked. A portfolio (available in a variety of sizes) is ideal for transporting your precious art work between yourself and your tutor.

If your parcel is particularly large or heavy, we would recommend you use a courier service, these can be very competitively priced. If you choose to use a courier service, please liaise with your tutor to decide on a delivery day when he or she will be available to receive the work. If you would prefer large, precious items to be returned to you by courier please ask your tutor to liaise with Kathy Petts at OCA.

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Who do I contact if materials or assignments go missing?

If your course materials do not arrive when expected, please call Kathy Petts on 0800 731 2116; Kathy will liaise with our courier service and report back to you.

If your assignment work goes missing on the way to your tutor - and it is being delivered by Royal Mail - please ask your tutor to check with their local post office. The tutor may have missed an “undelivered” card, or the postman may have forgotten to leave one.

If after enquiring at the post office the package has not been located, please contact OCA on 0800 7312116.

Similarly, if your assignment work goes missing on the way from your tutor and it is being delivered by Royal Mail, please check with your local post office.

It is extremely rare that lost parcels do not eventually find their way back to OCA. That said, the process can take some time as they are routinely directed via Northern Ireland. Once the parcel arrives at OCA we will forward it on straightaway.

If work goes missing on the way to a tutor via a courier service, please contact the courier direct.

Finally, if work is being returned from the tutor by an OCA-arranged courier, please contact Kathy Petts on 0800 731 2116.

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LISTENING AND LEARNING LOGS

What is a Learning Log?

The log is an important tool in developing your creative practice and recording growing understanding of your subject. It also shows that you have covered all the ground required by the course.

For degree, diploma and certificate students, the log is considered as part of the assessment process and contributes towards your final mark.

The exact content of the log depends on the course. Typically it records ideas, drawings, sketches, notes, influences, discoveries, thoughts, research findings and observations as you work through your course and your assignments.

For example, in art history courses the log is made up of notebooks and sketchbooks recording your reactions to individual works of art, comments on exhibitions, paintings and fine art objects, and research notes on artists, periods and movements.

In creative writing, the log takes the form of a writer’s diary of notes, ideas and observations, your responses to other writers, and a reflective account of your own creative work.
In art, design and photography courses, the log typically takes in sketchbooks, written commentaries on your work, a research file, your reactions to other artists, and project plans and commentaries.

In composing music the log will record personal reactions to pieces of music and performances, and work in progress.

While the OCA calls this important part of the course a ‘learning log’ you may also hear it referred to as a ‘learning journal’, a ‘personal learning journal’, 'log book' or ‘reflective journal’.

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When should I start my learning log?

Start your learning log right away. It is very useful to have the perspective of when you first started the course to compare with when you are further down the line. Just make notes in it about your aspirations and expectations of the course, the things you want to learn, what inspires you and why

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What sort of things should I record in my learning log?

You should record your thoughts about your learning process, noting down things you struggle with, your aspirations and successes. Also use the log as a repository for all your research as well as your reflections, and paste images, articles and note down anything else that has inspired you, explaining how you will use what you have found out.

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How do I create an online blog?

Online blogs can be created in a variety of ways via a number of online services. On oca-elements.com, you will find a video, which goes through how to create a blog using wordpress.org, here: Using a blog as a Learning log (on oca-elements.com)

PROJECTS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Do I need to send my tutor the projects as well as the main assignments?

For most of the courses what you send is the final assignment as well as a representative selection of work from the exercises and projects. On some of the courses there is no final assignment, but you are asked to submit all your projects as your assignment. Just read the instructions within your course carefully and you will find the relevant answer.

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YOUR TUTOR

Can I contact my tutor in between assignments?

Yes. You may contact your tutor by email (or phone if your tutor is happy with this) to ask for extra help.

However, please do so within reason. OCA tutors, unlike many tutors at conventional art colleges, are paid on a fee basis and are not on full-time contracts. To give an idea of what would be reasonable:

For a query requiring a short (5-minute) response from your tutor -- no more than once a week
For queries requiring longer and more considered responses -- no more than once a month.

Please also bear the following points in mind:

Many queries can be answered by referring to the Student Handbook and the other documents and videos on the website (eg the guides to the OCA website, to assessment, keeping sketchbooks and learning logs, etc.) Please read these documents carefully.
Keep your queries short and to the point
Allow a few days for the tutor to respond. Be aware they may be away or have teaching commitments outside of the OCA
Make sure your queries relate to your work and assignments
Other queries should be addressed directly to the OCA:
- OCA website to paulvincent@oca-uk.com
- administrative issues to enquiries@oca-uk.com
- finance to deewhitmore@oca-uk.com
- course materials to kathypetts@oca-uk.com

… and do make full use of the student forums to discuss ideas and gain inspiration from fellow students and Course Leaders.

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What do I do if I have not received any feedback from my tutor after having sent in an assignment?

On receipt of an assignment, your tutor should send you an email acknowledgment specifying a date by when you should expect feedback. This will normally be within two weeks; although for some subjects (e.g. Creative Writing at the higher levels), it may take up to three weeks to consider fully a long piece of work.

If you didn’t submit your assignment by the agreed deadline in the first place, it may take up to four weeks to receive your feedback.

If you do not hear from your tutor, please give them the benefit of the doubt in the first instance and send a polite email reminder. Things do sometimes go astray. If they don’t respond to that email after 3 days, contact us at enquiries@oca-uk.com

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Can I request a tutor transfer?

Yes. If there is something you are not happy about, please discuss it with your tutor in the first instance to see if the issue can be resolved. If you are not satisfied by their response or do not feel comfortable discussing the issue directly with the tutor, contact us at enquiries@oca-uk.com

Bear in mind that the role of the tutor is to challenge as well as encourage, and that students can sometimes take the constructive criticism offered by tutors in the feedback report too personally.

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EXTENSIONS AND DEFERMENTS

Can I get an extension if I run out of time?

OCA courses are extremely flexible. If your course is privately funded you can take up to 2 years to finish a single course.

Extensions to this timeframe may be granted if a student has:

completed 3 or more assignments
previously informed OCA of mitigating circumstances that have prevented them from progressing at a reasonable rate

If your degree course is funded by Student Finance England, Wales or Northern Ireland you have 6 years in which to complete your studies as a whole (i.e. a full degree). If you fall behind schedule, it is essential that you contact OCA immediately.

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How do I apply for an extension?

To apply for an extension please call OCA on 0800 731 2116 and speak to a student advisor.

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Can I appeal if my request for an extension is turned down?

Yes. Please forward your written appeal, with supporting evidence, to Dee Whitmore, Head of Operations, The Michael Young Arts Centre, Redbrook Business Park, Wilthorpe Road, Barnsley, S75 1JN or by email to enquiries@oca-uk.com (please put 'Extension Appeal' as the subject of the email.)