Suppose if someone was to a relevant Masters Course at Open University during his first year of PhD. The idea is that the MA would support and aid the literature review process while providing structure for studying research methods and identifying future direction. Would it be considered bad practice?

Are you doing your PhD part-time and have you studied with the OU before? Are you going straight from undergraduate to PhD and what is your subject? I think all these things are relevant.
If you are studying for your PhD full time then you won't have time to do an MA module.
I've studied and teach with the OU and it is not an easy option. A masters degree takes three years, but you could do one module in a year. Surely your literature review process is part of your PhD study and it would be better to use your time to do this rather than a separate course. Also have you considered the cost. A masters module is currently £1,500 and this will go up next year.
Obviously you have to make your own choices but I would say the workload would be too much. If you haven't got a masters, could you defer your PhD for a year and do a full-time masters first?

I have found myself in a very difficult position. As an undergraduate, I received a sponsorship all the way through to a Masters degree in electronics. However, after a few years in the industry, I became very interested in teaching and training. So I returned to university to do a teacher training course. This is where things began to go horribly wrong. I was bullied by a member of school staff, whose hatred for those taking the lead at training university goes back a number of years. As a direct result of the bullying, I was hospitalised and was forced to withdraw from the course on medical grounds.
In the meantime, the Department of Electronics and Computer Science (where I did my first degree) offered a 1+3 PhD funding to the School of Education to study the effects of the internets on education. I was recommended for this opportunity and was successful.
However, I am currently finding in the MSc part of the course is concentrating too much on web technology, which I do know; and not enough on education science, which I sorely need. Initially, I thought I would be able to teach myself Education Science by investigating undergraduate/Masters level textbooks. However, I am beginning to find in the field is so big that I need to start narrowing down. To make matters worse, every time I thought I have narrowed down to certain underpinning theoretical framework, I begin to discover other relevant theories as well. This is the main reason for wanting to study open University modules.
I have looked at the modules offered by the open University, and they would appear to be precisely what I would need. I am attracted by the direct relevance to my research interest, the access to guided reading, the opportunity to discuss with fellow students and above all, the access to the open University's expertise on online education.
Currently, perhaps largely due to my technical background, the MSc is not demanding at all. I spent 10 hours attending lectures and five hours completing coursework on a weekly basis. I have not received any coursework feedback as yet, but I am confident that it will be in the region of 65-75%.
I was wondering if the open University modules will be more beneficial to me than my unguided “ last minute ” learning of education science. There are three modules (120 credits) which are particularly relevant and would be a great help for my dissertation, all starting from February 2012. I am fully aware of the cost involved, but I am more concerned about the workload and demands of the course.
I do look forward to your generous advice,
Mandy

The main question is (as PamW pointed out) is if you already have an MSc/MA before going to the PhD, because otherwise this would by your 2nd MSc degree. I'm assuming you dont have an MSc....in this case a masters program can take anywhere from 1 to 2 years and requires original research with a thesis. And I'm not aware you could start a PhD in electronics without an MSc.

Anyways if you already started a PhD....why get an MSc?

I don't know about 'bad practice' but it certainly is a bloody stupid idea.

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Ok, let me just bullet point this:

I know I have written an essay, but is there anyone out there who can advise? Or else suggest where to go for one?

Hi

Personally I think it's fine if you want to do another MSc and think you can handle doing that and a PhD, although I don't see how that would help with your literature review. If you need further direction, shouldn't you ask your supervisors to assist?

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thanks. the truth is I do not have a supervisor for this year either.

They recommend 16 hours a week study time.

that's very useful to know. Thank you very much.

Are you sure about that? Normally 30 point OU courses need about 8 hours study a week. It's 60 point OU courses that have a recommended study time of 16 hours. Which means that taking 120 points, which is equivalent to full-time study elsewhere, takes about 32 hours study a week.

I did my history BA(Hons) with the OU. I also recently did a 60-point Level 3 (honours undergraduate) course, purely for fun. I was sort of managing on 3 hours total a week rather than 16 ... :p Though that's not recommended!

Yes, sorry. It's 16 hours for an undergraduate 60 pointer and 8 for a 30 pointer. I can't find the time commitment recommendations for postgrad.

thank you very much for the update. It is a relief. It makes the whole thing a lot more plausible. Still in the painful process of weighing up.