The undersigned ask that the Open University consult with their students over the decision to close First Class and replace it with Moodle. We believe that First Class and private chat rooms on the OU website allow students to mix online informally and to discuss a wide range of questions to support their studies and provides a critical social resource within an online study environment with an immediate response that Moodle lacks. The decision to replace without assessing the popularity of First Class is dictatorial and ill considered.