Open University study?

[fin racer]

Does anyone on here have any experience of studying with the OU?

In terms of support, study material etc?

Background is I have been considering a BSC Hons in Computing & IT. I understand the slog involved (and roughly the cost involved), having previously completed a couple of vendor-neutral entry-level IT qualifications via home study.
I work full time in an industry not directly-related to IT.

thanks folks

[fin racer]

IntegraTypeR said:

Hi i've just finished an OU BSc Computing after 7 years study - results due in December!. Happy to answer any specific questions you might have.

Cheers

Ian

Hi Ian,


thanks for that, what is your background, academic-wise? How did you find the support offered, and almost number-one priority, what was the cost!

[fin racer]

thanks Ian and trix.

I am torn between getting my expense of my wedding out of the way first ( next July) or just signing up and getting stuck in.
I am led to believe, that course fees for students in Northern Ireland ( such as myself) are not to increase as of next year.
For me its a big commitment, so I want to be sure its going to pay off.
Thanks for offer of further help Ian, I may well take you up on that

[fin racer]

IntegraTypeR said:

My academic background was not exactly first class very poor GCSEs (all below C) and a BTEC National Diploma in Computing. TBH I didn't become interested in learning/education until my mid 20s which is something I regret looking back. I guess the message here is that you don't need a solid academic background as long as you're motivated and willing to put in the work required.

Support wise, you tend to have 3 options available

1) Your tutor - contactable via email/phone (most prefer you only call if really urgent but the option is there if you need it)
2) Online forum system for openly discussing course content and sharing ideas with tutors/students (not just your tutor - all course tutors tend to pitch in)
3) Tutorials (mostly weekends) - these are optional but a great way to meet your tutor and other students and are usually ~4-5 hours. There were usually around 4 of these per course.

I tended not to lean on my tutors all that much unless I was really stuck on something. That said, the interaction I did have was always very helpful and I was generally quite happy with their support. The final project requires a much higher degree of interaction with your tutor but I found this to work very well.
I used the forums as my primary source of help, especially when attempting to answer assesment questions (or to figure out what question was actually being asked!). I attended most of the tutorials on offer and generally found them to be quite a relaxed affair but very informative and enjoyable.

I've not worked out the total cost but I'd guess something in the region of £5k. Compared to full time study I think this represents a very good deal! (believe prices will remain in this region for the duration of a degree if you sign up soon - check the OU website for details).

Some other random things of interest in no particular order

I found the course materials to be of a very high standard. You tend to get material in both printed and electronic (pdf) form which is great for studying on the train as I did. Each course consists of around 4 TMAs (tutor marked assessments) and most finish with an exam.

- Level 1 courses are relatively easy academically but are primarily to introduce you to the OU way of learning and to get you up to speed with self driven study. I found them to be the perfect introduction. There are no exams at level 1 - just end of course assesments (well, certainly for the level 1 courses I took).
- Level 2 courses will start to test the grey matter and the pace and volume of work picks up significantly at this point. Each level 2 course ends in in an exam which can initially be a shock to the system if you've been away from education as long as I had. It's amazing how "spent" you feel after thinking/writing for a solid 3 hours!
- Level 3 courses build on level 2 and again the volume and complexity increases significantly. Each level 3 course, except the final project end in an exam.

I've been in full time employment for the duration of the degree.

Hope that helps - let me know if there's anything else you want to know.

Ian

forgetting my manners, good luck for december Ian, and £5K sounds about what I had costed it at too

Edited by IntegraTypeR on Thursday 3rd November 21:21

[fin racer]

hmmm,


I am coming round to the notion that you are right. I might as well get started.
Are you currently working in IT?

[fin racer]

thanks for input guys, all looks good so far

[fin racer]

quick update,

i have enrolled for the first module on B62 (BSc (Hons) Computing & IT).

Here goes nothing, 5 or so years of hard slog, but, no point in standing still eh?

I will get the chance early next year to get involved in BC policy in regards to IT with work, so a little glimmer of doing something remotely interesting in work

[fin racer]

tank slapper said:

Certainly a good move starting now. If you wait until next year you will pay substantially higher fees. Now you will have the same fee structure at present until 2017 providing you have linked the module to a qualification.

Depending on your current income you may qualify for financial support even if you are working. Check the website for more details as a lot of people don't realise it.

yes tank, I sussed that after multiple searches on the rather confusing site.

I have just managed to get support and the first module is only costing me just over £100.
Am I right in saying I can make financial support applications for each module?

[fin racer]

tank slapper said:

You can make a financial support application for every module you do. You may not get support for all of them you do in an academic year, but it is worth applying nonetheless. That only applies to 30 and 60 point modules however as 10 and 15 point modules have a different support scheme with different criteria.

You may not need to do a new form every time if it's within the same year - best thing is to ask when you register if your previous application can be used on the current module.

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

What have you studied with OU?

[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.

[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.

[fin racer]

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

[fin racer]

good to know I am not alone then.
I have been scouring the OU site ( confusing as it is), even arranging an area of the house to study in!
Going to be tough, I know that, but if it was easy, we'd all be at it, thats how I look at it

[fin racer]

aclivity said:

I finished T306 this year, and am going to study T215 in 2012. Have you chosen a module yet?

yes I am starting TU100 in Feb, then registered for TM128 ( MS Server tech) in Sept.
Bit of crossover but hopefully not too bad.

[fin racer]

aclivity said:

I finished T306 this year, and am going to study T215 in 2012. Have you chosen a module yet?

yes I am starting TU100 in Feb, then registered for TM128 ( MS Server tech) in Sept.
Bit of crossover but hopefully not too bad.

[fin racer]

aclivity said:

TU100 looks pretty good; I've been doing level 2 and 3 modules, as I transferred over some credits from my previous study (HNC engineering). Depending on the rules on credit applicability, I may need to do TU100 to complete my degree (so I will have dine level 3 first, then a level 2, and level 1 to complete the qualification - akin to going to university in reverse order, so I would have to finish my study by spending a week drunk and pretending to be a fresher!)

ha true dat!

Whats your homelife situation, married, family etc? ( nosey bd, I know)

[fin racer]

just to update from my OP, I received part of my learning material for the first block of my first module.
All good so far, looks quality, received details of my tutor and days classes/tutorials promptly,
Course commences 4th of Feb, itching to get started tbh :-)

[fin racer]

Andy_GSA said:

I'm a tutor on TU100 for the presentation that started last October (which was the first run of the module). This is a module that requires an awful lot of work and does move very quickly, so you need to keep on top of it. When you start to see the assignments remember the first two are 'half size' to get you started. Some of the content might not look that relevant to you initially but some of the early stuff is designed to give you some study skills that you'll need for later on. Obviously your own tutor should be your first point of contact, but I'll keep an eye on this thread and good luck!

Excellent, thanks Andy.

It's exposing me to a lot of concepts that I don't have much experience of.
Such as keeping a learning journal, awareness/recording of learning objectives etc.
I have set up a learning journal through Evernote, so I intend to take notes manually, and at the end of each part, post to Evernote so that I have a soft copy for review later.
I have no qualms about grasping the more technical aspects, more concerned about study skills/time management.

[fin racer]

littlegreenfairy said:

Have all the books now- about 2ft of spiral bound books and about 3ft of text books.

Three level three modules all starting within 8 weeks of the first is a bad plan.

you're not joking!

[fin racer]

just to update-

currently slap-bang in the middle of week 5 of study. One TMA done and dusted, with a reasonable score. Could have been better though, threw away a few marks here and there.
Time commitment really starting to bite now, with TMA No 2 due next Thursday. Currently working through basic programming fundamentals.Really enjoying it so far.