Despite a growing body of work on understanding how students perceived the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects on existing distance learning universities have received less attention. This study aimed to understand changes in distance learning students' study habits (learning, assessment and social activities) and assess the factors…

Resilience is understood to be the ability to adapt positively in the face of adversity. In relation to new students on a distance learning module, this can mean how they adapt and make sense of the demands of their chosen study to enable them to persist in their studies. This article reports a small-scale study involving semi-structured telephone…

The UK Open University's second-level undergraduate course "Death and Dying" (K260) draws on personal and professional experience to explore the issues of loss, care, ethical practice, communication and grief. Students come from diverse occupational backgrounds (nurses, social workers, medical practitioners) but many study K260 for…