The defining feature of this module involves being allocated to a group Open Justice project where you will work collaboratively with other students under the supervision of a tutor. The Open Justice projects involve taking part in activities where you apply your academic knowledge to practical legal issues.
Due to the nature of the module's Open Justice projects, the October 2025 presentation will be limited to 224 places, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | W360 |
| Credits | 30 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-module assessment | |
| No residential school | |
You'll gain knowledge and understanding of the role of law and legal practice in society, including looking at ethics, values and access to justice and the importance of professionalism and professional identity. You will develop your ability to collaborate and work as part of a team and clearly communicate information about law in a variety of ways to a range of audiences. You'll also identify and develop other important skills required for both career and personal development.
For students seeking a career in law, this module offers you both practical legal experience and the opportunity to develop key skills you will require during your career. It also enables you to think about important issues and dilemmas you may come across during your work. For students with other career goals, this module offers you an opportunity to obtain and develop experience and skills to enhance your employability more generally, for example, teamwork and communicating with different groups of people.
If you intend to use this module as part of the LLB and you hope to enter the legal professions, you should carefully read the careers information on The Open University Law School website. There are different entry regulations into the legal professions in England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. You should read the information on the website, as it is your responsibility to ensure that you meet these requirements.
This module is only available if you are studying a law degree (LLB).
If you are studying this module towards the Academic degree or Foundations of Legal Knowledge route as part of the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (LLB) (R81) or Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (graduate entry) (LLB) (R82), then you will need to have studied or be studying on a presentation of Trusts law (W311) before enrolling on W360.
You'll have access to a module website, which includes:
You'll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They'll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. Where possible, we'll make recordings available. You are expected to attend these to enable you to interact with other students and effectively carry out your Open Justice activity. The Open Justice Centre will help oversee your participation in your allocated project.
The assessment details for this module can be found in the facts box.
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone. The Accessibility Statement below outlines what studying this module involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
All of this module's study materials are online. Online materials are composed of pages of text with images, audio and video clips (all with transcripts/subtitles), diagrams, interactive media, animations and multiple choice self-assessed quizzes. Online materials also include links to external resources, online forums and online tutorial rooms.
You will be required to work with other students on practical pro bono activities during this module. This includes meeting in small groups (both with and without your tutor) and working with your fellow learners in the online Open Justice Law Clinic to carry out face-to-face or online public legal education activities. Online and/or face to face practical pro bono activities form a required component of this module. This includes collaborative group work.
The study materials contain some diagrams, graphs and photographs. Reading these is an important part of the study of this module. Figure descriptions are provided for all figures.
You may be required to search for, and make use of, third party material online and this is assessed. Alternatives for required/assessed research material can be provided to enable you to meet the Learning Outcomes of the module.
This module has three tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) and an end-of-module assessment (EMA).
You will receive feedback from your tutor on your submitted tutor-marked assignments (TMAs). This will help you to reflect on your TMA performance. You should refer to it to help you prepare for your next assignment.
All University modules are structured according to a set timetable and you will need time-management skills to keep your studies on track. You will be supported in developing these skills.
This module uses Clio case management software that is not covered by standard accessibility tools and may not be fully accessible as a result.
Justice in action starts once a year – in October. This page describes the module that will start in October 2025. We expect it to start for the last time in October 2030.
This course is expected to start for the last time in October 2030.