UKC

What do you folk think about the Open University

Is an OU Degree seen in as a good thing to an employer? or shunned in caparison to a degree from a Bricks and Mortar University?

Anyone done a course? what did you think of the delivery?

I'm thinking about doing one mainly because I'm bored out of my skull at work an need to put my brain to something

Any thoughts and comments appreciated as always

In reply to antwan: spent four years doing a very expensive masters, no regrets. just pick your course wisely. it's mighty hard work if you're working full time but if you can pull that off, an employer will respect you. Look at how much tutorial time there is, it makes a huge difference to meet other people in the same boat and to realise you're all struggling with the same sort of things, be that academic or just managing the work load. prepare to lose a weekend's climbing every six weeks or so when assignments are due unless you're super organised and get ahead when it's raining!

In reply to Šljiva:

I'm more Caver than Climber these days, given the amount of water knocking about I should have plenty of time to start with at least!

In reply to antwan:

For some time there has been a move away from some types of course that can make insufficient money. I was lucky to get some technical stuff done before it got chopped. What they do they do well.

In reply to antwan:
I work for the OU, so you might say I'm biased. But

1) Is an OU Degree seen in as a good thing to an employer?

Very much so

2) or shunned in caparison to a degree from a Bricks and Mortar University?

If anything the opposite is true, from everything I've heard--people associate traditional university degrees with students mucking around, and OU degrees with professional people knuckling down in their precious spare time and working their socks off.

3) Anyone done a course?

I write courses for the OU... most of the feedback I hear is positive, some of it very positive, but no doubt there's a selection effect here

4) what did you think of the delivery?

I deliver them too, a bit. I try my hardest and people seem to enjoy my input!

PM me if you like.

Good luck whatever you choose.

In reply to antwan:

Just started a degree Environmental Management and Technology. I have found everything very good so far. Tutors are extremely helpful, approachable and easy to contact. As this is all home/internet based the online platforms are good, all information is at your finger tips in addition to regular tutorials at near by locations. Definitely a thumbs up from me so far. I did go to uni after school many years ago and found mostly the opposite for the points mentioned above. If you don't want the full commitment of a degree course check out the futurelearn website, pretty good 6-8 week small courses run by OU.

In reply to Tim Chappell:

Thanks for the reply Tim

How exactly is something like engineering delivered? I'm just wondering how you can work on actual projects without 'going to work' so to speak?

I'm quite confident of been able to have a good go at whatever is thrown at me, I'd just like to know how its getting thrown.

In reply to antwan:

I do Philosophy, so I don't know about Engineering, sorry.

But I know a man who does:

http://engineering.open.ac.uk/welcome.php

In reply to bedsforsleepypeople:

>check out the futurelearn website, pretty good 6-8 week small courses run by OU.

Thanks for that, Loads of free courses to keep me busy

In reply to antwan:

It's very theoretical though there are summer schools and a project. I was on it though I switched to the Open Degree so I can up variety and lose those as I can't really spare the holiday for them.

FWIW I would say for hands on type subjects an in person degree is better, though I am doing a second degree because I want to so it is of less importance to me.

Neil

In reply to Tim Chappell:

Cheers, I'll wait a few days and see if I think of any other questions and drop them line

In reply to antwan:

I spent 8 years doing a BA in Earth Sciences a long time ago - loved it - great resources and support, and fab summer schools (not sure if they do them any more). Highly recommended,

Chris - 1st Class Hons

In reply to antwan:

I really enjoyed studying with the OU. Did a Geography based BSc, had a break midway through due to a few life changes, was straightforward to pick back up a few years later. Good support from tutors, summers schools were always fun and well worth it. Whilst I don't use my degree to gain employment, it certain helps me give clients a more informed day out in the mountains.

In reply to antwan:

Are you thinking of doing a Batchelors or Masters?

I looked into OU when I was enrolling on my MA in 2011. What they offer is great but I would also have a look at other universities who do distance learning courses as there are a number of options now. In the end I decided against OU for the following reasons:

1. Long duration of course
2. Expensive compared to others

I'm doing my MA with the University of Leicester, I don't know if they offer engineering courses as distance learning.

I would echo other sentiments about it being hard work. I underestimated it at the beginning, reached a level during the middle which wasn't too onerous and now I'm writing my thesis it takes up 70% of my spare time but the end is in sight!

I don't agree that an OU degree has more credence with employers. Whilst it may well be true that a 2:2 in Product Design, Advertising or Media Studies may be associated with students mucking around it is not the case for high level degrees in taxing subjects at decent establishments. To achieve a First Class degree requires consistent hard work over the course with not much room to go wrong (on my course the very few people who got firsts could still have missed out if the final exams had gone awry) and a strong 2:1 from a decent university will also require diligence. It is a little unfair to assume otherwise IMO.

In reply to antwan:

I did an OU degree is Geosciences Which I finished in 2006, it didn't lead to the career change I'd hope for but I think that was as much down to age as anything else. Even so it was a fascinating experience and I would highly recommend it.

In reply to antwan:

My experiences were good, but it was Masters level rather than undergrad and a number of years ago. I believe the pricing structure has changed significantly since.

How employers view it will be very much context dependant.

In reply to antwan:

I'd rate them over a departments in some Russel Group institutions, where if unlucky you can get left to your own devices too much rather than being properly educated.

In reply to antwan:

I think a lot of employers will recognise in candidates who have recently achieved an OU degree that the candidate is showing positive signs of maturity, and may possibly be in a state of mind to prove him or herself beyond the normal call of duty, and go to lengths professionally that would be eschewed by better established colleagues. This is undeniably a good thing: motivation works magic.

But there is another side to the coin. A consistent track record of success through school and university is typically prized more highly in the established professions than a latecomer's arrival at the table and you should not expect doors to open wide at the wave of your certificate. There is even a small possibility of creating the fear that, as a consequence of your new qualification, your expectations for salary and seniority might become unrealistic. This is no reason to avoid the qualification, but be realistic about the impact on your career.

What is it that you do for a living? Are you looking to stay in the same sector? At the same level? Or aiming for promotion? Are you looking to retrain into a new career and if so what?

In reply to antwan:

I'm currently doing a work based learning degree in paramedic science (finishing on the 5th March...Hurrah!!!).

This course consists of 50/50 generic OU modules and specific Work based learning modules.

The Generic modules have been on the whole very good, well written and an appropriate workload for the length of course/time allocated. They do vary in terms of quality, although this may be partly down to my personal preferences. I did one mental health module which I thought was exceptionally well written and interesting.

The work based learning module on the other hand seem to go a bit overboard in terms of workload in comparison, and since they are supposed to be comparable on study time in relation to the number of credits, I don't feel it has been planned particularly well or fairly.

I have in the past (12 years ago) completed another health care degree (radiography) at a 'bricks and mortars' uni, I feel that the amount of knowledge I have gain and how well I have understood it, is as good if not better from this OU degree. The quality of the teaching from the OU published course material is loads better than my lecturers from my previous degree. If you get an uninteresting/uninterested lecturer in a bricks and mortars uni who teaches a large proportion of your course it could really ruin your experience and achievements. This is not an issue at the OU.

In reply to SAF:



That is not an issue with the OU because you study on your own with little tutor input. If you get a good, approachable tutor, then OU is great, but the availability of tutors, particularly when you have assignment deadlines, can be a bit hit and miss. I didn't get as far as studying at level 3 so can't comment on that level but I had wide ranging experiences with tutors at level 2, some very good, some bad enough to make me give up.

In reply to teflonpete:

The availability of tutors in any University can be hit and miss. As an experienced academic I see the OU as on the admirable side on the range of student support.

In reply to antwan:

I've only met a few people who I am aware have undertaken an OU degree, but it clearly involves a lot of self-discipline and hard work on their behalf, and this shows in their attitudes and capabilities. I imagine an enlightened employer will be wise to this.

In reply to antwan:

I'm two-thirds of the way through an OU Humanities degree at the moment. The modules so far have been generally good, but there have been differences in quality. So far, the general arts course ( common to many degree paths) was excellent whereas the Latin module wasn't - due to a poor non-OU text book - and the Greek was reasonable. The French course I did was pretty much a waste of money; I wouldn't do another non-academic course with the OU, as you can get the same result much more cheaply using other methods; one popular low-cost pathway to French fluency, for example, is to sleep with François Hollande.

Tutors have been generally fine. Sometimes the OU software can lag a little behind the latest operating systems. Basically, it's OK, if lacking in craic.

In reply to Offwidth:


I'll take your word on that, I've no experience of tutor availability in brick universities.

In reply to teflonpete:

I saw mine once a week but didn't see a need for more, I was always quite self-directed in study terms. Indeed, excessive supervision is one reason I wasn't really interested in a collegiate university and chose a large one (Manchester) instead.

Neil

In reply to Neil Williams:

For 2 of my OU modules I 'saw' the tutor twice for 3 hour sessions in a seven month long module and had a handful of written comments on 7 marked assignments per module. In general I was happy to crack on on my own, but the course where I did need a little bit of guidance and prompt marking, it wasn't forthcoming until it was too late. I've every reason to believe it was just one tutor who was too busy doing other things to honour his marking protocol but that was that.

In reply to teflonpete:

That does sound low. To clarify, my above comments were re Manchester uni, not the OU. In the OU I tended to go to tutorials about once every couple of months as that's all I wanted to do. I generally found marking to be in a good level of detail and prompt, so maybe you found a bad egg as it were.

Neil

In reply to antwan:
I think they are incredibly expensive as just a pass time, if your studying for a career related thing then possibly/probably worthwhile, but if it is just as something to do, hmmm.
I am on transitional arrangements and my 60 pointer is costing £750 ish but over 2k if I started today, maybe even 2.5K, which is a fearsome amount of money for a 2 books and a course that pretty much relies on online work.
You do have access to a tutor and the feedback on the TMA`s is good, but far too expensive IMO nowadays to just do as an interest.

In reply to GLUF:

Agree. The new fees have priced it out of being something done for fun. Fortunately I'm on the transitional fees.

Neil

In reply to antwan:

I recently chose Birkbeck University over the OU for a Graduate Diploma in Economics (not a degree, but taught at 'degree level'). Reason being that Birkbeck (part of University of London) is very well respected for Economics, more so than the OU, and is close to where I work. I have sacrificed the 'degree' status, but I am happy that the content of the course is more than sufficient to get my knowledge up to degree level.

I would recommend looking around at any local Universities to you (Leeds, Manchester?) to see if they do any part time courses. OU is really accessible and well respected, but IMO the backing of a good red-brick establishment is worth more (call me traditional!).

Enjoy learning! Balancing a full time job + a part time degree/diploma is hard, but worth it.

Cheers.

In reply to antwan:

I would say they were a good thing since Open Uni degrees are often done whilst working full time. This shows quite a lot of initiative, ability to work very very hard and the ability to self motivate.

Good luck!

In reply to antwan:

I am loving my OU Maths degree, the quality of the course material has been excellent and tutor support is generally good.

The Student Home website is also very good, with tutor-moderated forums to ask questions and discuss the material, online tutorials by tutors, etc.

The tutorials have varied from course to course, on my current level 3 course I get 4 6-hour day-schools, which is pretty good.

The summer school I went on was an absolute blast, but I think the OU are phasing them out.

Cost has been manageable (I am in a transitional arrangement since I started in 2008), but I don't think I could afford a degree at the current costs.

I'm planning on doing a Master's at Southampton after finishing my degree and chatted to one of the admissions tutors. He reckoned an OU degree was just as good as any other. To get a Distinction (equivalent to 1st class) you need to score above 85% in both your assessed and examinable components. The exams are tough, so it's a challenge.

In reply to rousse:

Quite a lot higher than the typical 70% at brick and mortar universities. But it's worth noting that the OU do not scale marks in the same way as normal universities do - it would be hard to do so because there are no entry requirements so there isn't a baseline to work from.

Neil

In reply to Neil Williams:

That's not quite the point. We use the full 0-100% marking scale at the OU. That doesn't mean that our standards are different from/ lower than anywhere else, it just means we mark on a different scale from the commonest one you get elsewhere (on which it's virtually impossible to score more than 80% in the humanities).

We're not the only university that doesn't mark that way. St Andrews use a 1-20 scale, and in practice, I believe most of the marks they actually give cluster between 11 and 18 on that scale.

In reply to antwan:

I'm studying Psychology at the OU at the moment and really enjoying it. I fell behind over Xmas and New Year because work went batshit busy but surprised myself by being able to get my head down and catch up. Second assignment got handed in yesterday with a fair degree of relief!

The learning resources are excellent, I've found the library to be very good with access to plenty of journal articles.

I'm a miserable bugger and don't tend to bother with the forums and social side of things, I prefer getting my head down and getting on with it. I did join one of the Facebook groups but it seemed to mainly populated by self-important tools taking great delight in telling everyone how difficult it is and how you won't have a social life and family life while you do the course!

The delivery is good. I like reading around the subject and you get plenty of pointers if you want to read a bit more in-depth into the particular module you're doing.


That's one of the main reasons I'm doing it, it's been nice to have something other than IT to think about for a change!

In reply to Everyone:

Thanks for all the advice and views, At my current salary I wont have to pay anything back from a student loan unless I get a new job. And if the degree helps me get a better paid one and I have to pay something back? Ill be in the same boat as most other student who have gone to Uni from college.

local Universities seem to do a one day a week in university type course which I cant afford but I will have a look more closely.

thanks again