Anyone studying OU?

Doing A103 Introduction to the Humanties at the moment, have just submitted TMA2 today which covered Art History, Poetry, Music and Philosophy. Has been really interesting so far, but quite challenging.
 
that's what I did last time round, is good - enjoyed the philosophy. You done Greece yet? That was one of my favourite bits :D

philstanbridge said:
What course are you studying there if you don't mind me asking? I realise some of the modules double up with courses - I'm going to study A200 in 2009 once I've completed my Level 1. I was going to do the Intro to Humanities but it appears to have been stopped.
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It's A200 Medieval History 1400-1900 - hoping to do the BA History. :) I think the Intro has been amalgamated with something else, I'll have a look see if I can remember where I saw it (might be on the openlearn forums).
 
kitten_caboodle said:
It's A200 Medieval History 1400-1900 - hoping to do the BA History. :) I think the Intro has been amalgamated with something else, I'll have a look see if I can remember where I saw it (might be on the openlearn forums).
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BA History for me too, and I'm really looking forward to getting my teeth into it. :D I'm starting with the Level 1 The arts past & present. Just hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew - I haven't done anything like this since 1992!
 
Around October time I was eyeing up an OU course, ended up just missing the deadline so am contemplating applying this month.

I already got a degree the 'normal' way back in 2001 but not as good as I had hoped for, and I do really miss being able to write 'stuff' and analyze things in depth (in fact one of the reasons I post here is because it provides an outlet for my desire to write!).

One of the problems I had at uni was getting motivated to study some of my units. If I pick a subject I am genuinely interested in (rather than simply what I think I'm good at), I think this time around it could be easier. BUT, the trouble is that's a pretty big assumption and I am worried that after a long day at work (11hrs door-to-door) I will not feel like putting in a lot of effort into my study - I'd rather chill out on my computer for a bit.

Currently looking at this (Postgrad diploma in Information Systems): http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?Q01E10

What I like about it is that depending on how I find it, I could do less (Postgrad Certificate) or more (MSc) by choosing my units wisely.

The cost, however, is kinda scary: the units range from £945 to £2650 so it could end up costing me in excess of £8k over 2-3 years just for the Diploma. By which time I'll have hit 30 and maybe looking to start a family or whatever. I have the cash to pay for it, but I'm not the sort of person who likes to spend unless I think I'm getting good value.
 
Got my Bsc with the OU

Years ago, work there as well, also mark T189 someone mentioned.
The ou gets very high scores for student satisfaction in the times education tables ( normally in the top 5 ).
you need to be motivated but would recommend it to anyone.
 
philstanbridge said:
BA History for me too, and I'm really looking forward to getting my teeth into it. :D I'm starting with the Level 1 The arts past & present. Just hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew - I haven't done anything like this since 1992!
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Sounds good, what does that cover - any periods in particular?

In regards to biting off more than you can chew - follow their study plan if you can - I do fall behind due to work and other commitments, but if you try and stick loosely to the study plan you tend to know when you're going to start getting into trouble if you don't pull your finger out!
 
it's good stuff, I got a degree through the usual route but last year decided I wanted to continue learning in an entirely different subject. OU seemed a perfect option and so fair I haven't been disappointed, I can take it at my own pace and as I'm paying can study modules that interest me. I'm not particularly doing mine to aid my career though i suppose when i receive my degree new options will open up to me with relation to that field of study. However I have to say that as an employer I would probably look favourably on an OU student who had the discipline to balance work and study in order to achieve their goal.
 
Nauggie said:
Hi Blobson - I'm doing my first level 3 course this year and if I successfully completed I can pick up a diploma in pollution control. I work as a technician for consulting engineers so they are helping with course costs and on long term would prefer me to do the engineering degree. But extra work is involved that if I just went for the technology degree and as has been mentioned its not accredited. The best thing about the engineering degree is the ability to mix science and technology. Could do this with Bsc open but not the same ring to it as Beng. :p

MST121 was the first course I did - is this the maths one your doing?

I've found 60 points a year with full time job to be manageable and still have a life. There are times when you just can't be bothered or very busy at work and if I was doing more than 60 I would struggle. But with 60 points there is leeway for some 'can't be bothered' weeks - it's still a big commitment at weekends and evenings.
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Hi! I've just handed in today the ECA for Y162 starting with maths. MST121 looks bril though, considering it for my next course unfortunately though the timings are very disjointed for the course I've just finished so will have to wait a awhile. That's a shame the the tech courses aren't accredited, how long have you been studying for to get to that level? Good luck with your studies!
Blob
 
kitten_caboodle said:
Sounds good, what does that cover - any periods in particular?

In regards to biting off more than you can chew - follow their study plan if you can - I do fall behind due to work and other commitments, but if you try and stick loosely to the study plan you tend to know when you're going to start getting into trouble if you don't pull your finger out!
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Take a look for yourself here :- http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?Q01B01

I am looking forward to studying Medieval history/Roman/Greek and the Empire, but in all honesty the entire course appeals. I'm starting on the Level 1 because I haven't done anything like this before.

I intend to study 30-35 hours per week, full-time. I want to have finished Level 1 by May 2009, so that I can start the Level 2 without any delay. Otherwise I have to wait until Oct 2009, and the time idling will frustrate me. I want to be a qualified teacher by the end of 2011, so I have a game plan as such.

I tried to apply last night but it said there was a problem and I need to call them! I've no idea what that can be about - maybe it's because I have already pre-registered as such? I'll give them a call Monday. I was going to start the degree in Feb this year, but I left it too late so I don't want to be in that position again.
 
quite often if you're already registered it sees a duplicate when you enter your details again and you have to ring or wait for them to send out the documentation via post.

I forgot you said you were studying full time :o, but you sound really committed so you'll do fine. I'm currently trying to squeeze a few hours a week in between working 40-45 hours full time in my 'real' job :p and then working from home for 3-4 hours a night and weekends (on my self-employed work).

It's not easy, but I'm determined to do it!
 
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kitten_caboodle said:
quite often if you're already registered it sees a duplicate when you enter your details again and you have to ring or wait for them to send out the documentation via post.

I forgot you said you were studying full time :o, but you sound really committed so you'll do fine. I'm currently trying to squeeze a few hours a week in between working 40-45 hours full time in my 'real' job :p and then working from home for 3-4 hours a night and weekends (on my self-employed work).

It's not easy, but I'm determined to do it!
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Having spent the last 15 years in the IT industry, I am committed to a change of career :) But I have to get my head around it. 35 hours a week will be hard work I'm sure.

You are doing really well to get those hours in every night!
 
I'm studying some mathematics courses with the OU, I previously studied computer science at a decent red brick. Basically I'm already working for a company I want to stay with for the next few years (financial tech firm) but want to move into a more mathematical area within the research and development dept. (obviously going to have to be a long term goal).

The courses within the OU do tend to involve larger modules - I remember previously doing computer science we'd have 12 * 10 credit modules in the 1st and second year - with the OU you seem to do 30 credit modules covering a wider area.

The best thing, IMO is that the teaching material is, by design, excellent. At a red brick you'll get a few good lecturers, some lecturers who can't speak English, some who won't publish their slides and expect you to copy everything etc.. - basically a big variance in the quality of the material you have to work with - miss a few lectures in some modules and you're a bit screwed.

The OU notes assume nothing (except maybe certain concepts from previous required/recommended courses) but basically are well explained/detailed with additionally DVDs, audio CDs etc.. far superior to anything I've seen/heard of at red brick unis. Some of the material was maybe over explained but that wasn't an issue tbh.. and probably helped weaker students immensely.

IMO if you've missed out on uni first time round or want to change direction the OU is fantastic for a bachelors level qualification - or anything that requires mostly tuition.

Edit - mentioned to my manager that I was doing an OU degree and it turned out he'd done one too - I'm also guessing by the list of employers previously that plenty of others hold them in high regard too.
 
One question I've got for those doing OU - it says that you could not attempt more than 60pts a year (especially in first year). So in other words, 30pts every 6 months.

I also read somewhere that when starting off it's best to only choose one unit. As all the starting units I'm looking at are worth 15pts, this gives me a bit of a dillema - should I jump right in and do 2x units at once? My concern is that if I only do a single unit, then it means that I'll only have done 45pts in my first year which will put things "out of sync", i.e. I'll end up having to wait an extra 6months before getting my qualification.
 
philstanbridge said:
Having spent the last 15 years in the IT industry, I am committed to a change of career :) But I have to get my head around it. 35 hours a week will be hard work I'm sure.

You are doing really well to get those hours in every night!
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It's only week 4 :p

Still the the project I'm working on at home is nearly finished \o/ so I won't take another on of the same size for a few months at least, maybe just take on smaller stuff so I can spare more time for the OU. I used to have a social life :(


:p

@HangTime...it really depends how much time you can devote to it. They reckon I should be looking at giving 15-20 hours per week on my course, but I haven't put that much into it. I guess it depends on whether you want to get through the course or fly it with top marks. I reckon you'd be ok taking the two on, but if you start to really struggle, you can always defer it to the next run of the course and pick it up then. It would mean waiting longer for your qualification, but at least you have the option.
 
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HangTime said:
One question I've got for those doing OU - it says that you could not attempt more than 60pts a year (especially in first year). So in other words, 30pts every 6 months.

I also read somewhere that when starting off it's best to only choose one unit. As all the starting units I'm looking at are worth 15pts, this gives me a bit of a dillema - should I jump right in and do 2x units at once? My concern is that if I only do a single unit, then it means that I'll only have done 45pts in my first year which will put things "out of sync", i.e. I'll end up having to wait an extra 6months before getting my qualification.
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I'm in a similar position to yourself - except I'm going to try and complete the first 60 points (1 unit) in 5 months, so that I can then try and get my Level 2 without having to wait the best part of a year. Take into account I will be doing this full-time - I think the majority of students are part-time.

Have you tried speaking to someone at the OU regards this? I would have thought they could help. I bet it's quite a common problem.
 
HangTime said:
One question I've got for those doing OU - it says that you could not attempt more than 60pts a year (especially in first year). So in other words, 30pts every 6 months.

I also read somewhere that when starting off it's best to only choose one unit. As all the starting units I'm looking at are worth 15pts, this gives me a bit of a dillema - should I jump right in and do 2x units at once? My concern is that if I only do a single unit, then it means that I'll only have done 45pts in my first year which will put things "out of sync", i.e. I'll end up having to wait an extra 6months before getting my qualification.
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You have 120 points worth of courses running at any one time, above that it is possible to do more but it's at your local institutes discretion and really not recommended.
 
AFAIK you can attempt up to 120 points a year. (though this is the equivalent workload of doing a full time degree)

I think it is basically down to you and your personal ability, free time etc..

probably best to over estimate the amount of time you'll need in the first year then if you want to take on more credits the next year than go for it. I wouldn't have thought that doing 2* 15 credit courses would be too hard though..

I've started by doing 2*30 credit courses this year though they are linked - I'm not finding it too hard mostly because I've covered some of the topics previously.
 
HangTime said:
One question I've got for those doing OU - it says that you could not attempt more than 60pts a year (especially in first year). So in other words, 30pts every 6 months.

I also read somewhere that when starting off it's best to only choose one unit. As all the starting units I'm looking at are worth 15pts, this gives me a bit of a dillema - should I jump right in and do 2x units at once? My concern is that if I only do a single unit, then it means that I'll only have done 45pts in my first year which will put things "out of sync", i.e. I'll end up having to wait an extra 6months before getting my qualification.
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Few things to think about:

http://www.open.ac.uk/new/starting-course.shtml

As already mentioned 120 points is maximum your allowed to do regardless of your ability to do more. Means about 32 hours study a week (8 hours for 30 points)

A 30 point course takes as long as a 60 point course. Feb-Sept usually (but some run over Christmas). Just need half the amount of study hours - however some courses pack a lot into the 30 points. Not all courses are created equally so best to check before doubling up on two 30 points courses.

A lot of the 10 points courses are done over Christmas which serve as a good preparation for starting a course in February.

The OU like to get people to do a taster because of very high drop out rate at beginning.
 
just got my ou project result and I passed (thought it was touch and go when I submitted it last year) with a decent grade! This is my last year now to get my BSc with hons :)
 
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