Open University study?

[tank slapper]

fin racer said:

I thought I was right in saying that, thanks for confirming.

What have you studied with OU?

Part the way through a BEng at the moment.

One thing I would say, is don't underestimate the amount of work involved. The OU say that there is about 10 hours study time for each point, so a 30 point module is about 300 hours. I think for the most part that's accurate, but there are bound to be bits that have you scratching your head, and others that are easier. If you get stuck then get in touch with your tutor straight away, since getting behind with the course work can make life very difficult when it comes to getting assignments done. It's typical that everything else in your life goes haywire at the same time.

The face to face tutorials are well worth attending, and it always amazes me how many people don't bother with them. I've always found them very valuable, and since your tutor is going to be the one marking your assignments (which will likely count to your overall module result) I think it helps that they know who you are as well.

[Rinko]

Has anyone done anything higher than degree level via OU?

Thinking about doing a Masters as the company has indicated that it might be willing to fund it.

[Phil.]

Rinko said:

Has anyone done anything higher than degree level via OU?

Thinking about doing a Masters as the company has indicated that it might be willing to fund it.

Give these guys a call www.rdi.co.uk

[IntegraTypeR]

I think I'll do a Masters with the OU at some point. It won't be for at least a few years as I need to recover from 7 years of undergraduate study and catch up on lots of TV

[fin racer]

IntegraTypeR said:

I think I'll do a Masters with the OU at some point. It won't be for at least a few years as I need to recover from 7 years of undergraduate study and catch up on lots of TV

I hear what you are saying!
I had a bit of a panic attack last night when trying to pick my modules for the next few years.

A lot of the Level 3 courses are due to expire in the next couple of years or so. So I thought how the hell do I get to complete the degree within my timeframe?!
A short phonecall with an OU advisor put my mind at rest.

[GWMD]

I have been watching this thread with interest.

I also have just taken the plunge and signed myself up. I have been working in IT for a few years, left school barely scrapping 2 A levels, enough to get my accepted into Portsmouth Uni, but I had a sudden change of heart, pulled out and decided to go straight into work. I've been looking at the OU for a while, and figured now is as good a time as any. If I kept thinking about it I would never get it done!

Wish me luck

[SL]

tank slapper said:

The face to face tutorials are well worth attending, and it always amazes me how many people don't bother with them. I've always found them very valuable, and since your tutor is going to be the one marking your assignments (which will likely count to your overall module result) I think it helps that they know who you are as well.

I think it depends on the tutor. Personally, I gave up on the face to face tutorials as I found the tutors either gabbled on about random higher level stuff not relevant to what we were studying, or went at a painfully slow pace. I much prefered the online forums that the OU provides

After I did my undergrad degree, I wanted to do my Masters with the OU but eventually chose to go to a different University as there are still some people (very few and far between though!) who think an OU degree is a 'Dosser's Degree' so I thought in case I came across one of them, a different Uni would do my CV some good. I do regret not doing my MSc with the OU as the teaching materials and tutors were absolutely appalling and made me realise how good the OU is.

[fin racer]

SL said:

I think it depends on the tutor. Personally, I gave up on the face to face tutorials as I found the tutors either gabbled on about random higher level stuff not relevant to what we were studying, or went at a painfully slow pace. I much prefered the online forums that the OU provides

After I did my undergrad degree, I wanted to do my Masters with the OU but eventually chose to go to a different University as there are still some people (very few and far between though!) who think an OU degree is a 'Dosser's Degree' so I thought in case I came across one of them, a different Uni would do my CV some good. I do regret not doing my MSc with the OU as the teaching materials and tutors were absolutely appalling and made me realise how good the OU is.

thanks SL, its posts like this that reaffirm that I have made the right decision.

[giblet]

Was just about to start a thread about the OU and then I spotted this. Am I right in thinking that if I was to start a course before the next academic year then I would be eligible for the current fees for the duration of that course or would I switch over to the new fee structure come September next year?

Currently looking at either a Criminology or a Health and Social Care based degree. My poor GCSE's won't help but hey I'm still young!

[tank slapper]

giblet said:

Was just about to start a thread about the OU and then I spotted this. Am I right in thinking that if I was to start a course before the next academic year then I would be eligible for the current fees for the duration of that course or would I switch over to the new fee structure come September next year?

Yes. Register a course now and make sure you link it to a degree qualification. You then qualify for the transitional fee arrangements until 2017. Don't hang about though since registration close dates are approaching fast for the courses starting in January/February.

[aclivity]

Just had my results for this years module ... brilliant feeling, passed with a far higher score than I expected. So that's my Diploma in Systems Practice completed, 2 more years to get my degree.

Feeling quite pleased with myself today.

[IntegraTypeR]

aclivity said:

Just had my results for this years module ... brilliant feeling, passed with a far higher score than I expected. So that's my Diploma in Systems Practice completed, 2 more years to get my degree.

Feeling quite pleased with myself today.

Congratulations

I also managed to get a good pass in my final module (project) and have wrapped up my degree - managed a 2.1 so very pleased!. I must resist the temptation to sign up for something else now...

[fin racer]

Well done type r, that's great to hear!

[giblet]

Cheers for the reply Tank, and congrats Teg.

A slightly odd question, but do OU degrees carry the same weight as the same qualification from other universties? Obviously a degree from somewhere like Oxford or Cambridge can't be compared to one from the OU, but how would it fare in comparison to say somewhere like Leeds University or Leeds Met?

[Fatman2]

giblet said:

Cheers for the reply Tank, and congrats Teg.

A slightly odd question, but do OU degrees carry the same weight as the same qualification from other universties? Obviously a degree from somewhere like Oxford or Cambridge can't be compared to one from the OU, but how would it fare in comparison to say somewhere like Leeds University or Leeds Met?

Depends on the employer I guess. Obviously the OU is not quite as prestigious as Oxford/Cambridge but the points all mean the same. The Times used to produce a league table of teaching institutions and the OU came consistently high for years. In 2005 it was judged higher than Oxford for teaching quality (http://www.ouworldwide.com/accreditation.asp) so can't be bad.

I don't think the OU appears in the regular Times uni guide as it's not a conventional uni with on site students. Thus it's more difficult to compare but the fact that they used to have more students than all UK universities combined says it all. I say 'used to' as I stopped working there about 6 years ago so don't know the stats nowadays.

[IntegraTypeR]

From what I've read, OU degrees are generally held in very high regard by employers. Not only do you have the academic achievement of obtaining the degree, you have also proved that you are able to apply yourself over a long period of time, with limited support and you have the drive and ambition to succeed. Doing this alongside other duties such as full time employment and family responsibilities also seems to score very well.

[SL]

giblet said:

A slightly odd question, but do OU degrees carry the same weight as the same qualification from other universties? Obviously a degree from somewhere like Oxford or Cambridge can't be compared to one from the OU, but how would it fare in comparison to say somewhere like Leeds University or Leeds Met?

Completely depends on the person you are speaking to. The majority of people hold OU degrees in pretty high regard because it shows some sort of initiative, plus most people tend to study whilst they are working so it shows discipline and being able to work to deadlines. However, you will occasionally come across idiots who refer to your degree as a 'Dosser's Degree'. In terms of my CV, my OU degree has always been a positive - I did mine full time (120 points a year) whilst also working full time at 19, so it always ended up being a talking point in interviews

[aclivity]

aclivity said:

Just had my results for this years module ... brilliant feeling, passed with a far higher score than I expected. So that's my Diploma in Systems Practice completed, 2 more years to get my degree.

Feeling quite pleased with myself today.

My company have agreed to sponsor my next module, which makes this study even more of a bargain for me. It's only £770 - less than a day's training on some of the corporate courses that I have been on recently - but at least it's £770 I don't have to fund now.

On track to complete my degree in 2014, unless I decide to do a 60 point course in 2013 (or 2 30 point courses). I'm currently heading for a 2:2 so I need to pull my socks up and improve my grades a bit to reach ITR's level.

[Fatman2]

One thing to bear in mind is that there are no time limits to getting your degree for most courses so any grade is up for grabs providing you're sadistic enough

I was a 30 point course away from getting a 1st and seriously considered gambling as I only needed a grade 2/merit. Strangely enough I didn't start out that well but managed to get grade 2 passes at level 2 and 60 ponts of distinctions in level 3! But after 7 years I couldn't be bothered and although I did some more courses after graduating, did these more for interest than to seriously get good grades.

ETA. Just to give me a boost I took the opportunity to graduate without honours after 300 points. I guess it didn't really make much difference but it was nice to get some recognition and it doesn't stop you from going on to get your full honours afterwards. I'm not sure if that gave me the added impetus to get those distinctions but it was a great feeling to achieve something, having slogged non stop for 5 years!

Edited by Fatman2 on Wednesday 14th December 16:46

[FeatherZ]

I thought i should add to this thread now, just registered for 2 modules, both base level 1 stuff, starting science and starting maths, starting science will go towards my qualification, but the maths doesnt although it will allow me to go onto discovering maths which will.

Because Physics is one of the december 2014 ending qualifications, I will have to go Natural Science with Maths and Physics which will unfortunatly give me a Natural Science (physics) degree.

I have gone from wanting just to learn, to now being dead set on a degree, all my time at home is being spent researching and my courses dont even start until March.

Edited by FeatherZ on Wednesday 14th December 16:44