Adult Education

[S.Giles]

I'm ploughing my way through A level maths at the moment. The problem I have is that I'm doing it on my own so I have no way of guaging how well I'm doing.

I also did a Biology-based access course a couple of years ago and went on the four-day science summer-school at Wolfson College Cambridge.

Steve

 

[Piemaster]

guaging

Maths student...

 

[Gravity Aided]

You should all be commended for your dedication.
Learning, like acting and music, are all a lot harder than it seems on the surface.
Keep making the world a smarter place.

 

[S.Giles]

Maths student...

Sorry. Illiteracy is a prerequisite for success in maths!

 

[Monsieur]

I completed my open university degree (Biochemistry) in 2000 and then qualified as a secondary school teacher in 2001 (PGCE) a job I've been doing ever since.
Good move on my part but it was six years of hard work (I was working full time during the course) and there were many occasions when I came close to giving it all up.

 

[winjim]

....I have face to face tutorials on my OU course, although I'm waiting to be invited on a summer school. It's quite creepy because my tutorials are held at Kings College London where I did my first degree 39 years ago. It is quite spooky going back.

One of my summers schools was held at the department from which I had previously made a rather ignominious exit. That was a bit weird.

 

[compo]

I spent the time over the past year doing GCSE maths at my local college. I had the opportunity to do it without charge, government funded. I now have a grade C, something I never believed possible as maths has always been a weakness for me.

 

[Inertia]

[QUOTE 3365045, member: 259"]You should see the prices they charge non-UK students.

No way anyone can do it without company sponsorship.[/QUOTE]
Anyone got any alternatives to OU or suggestions or have you all finished now?

 

[marinyork]

Anyone got any alternatives to OU or suggestions or have you all finished now?

MOOCs. Been around years now. So many worldwide institutions doing them now. Some are even credited and starting to be taken into account by some employers in the US (supposedly).

 

[Vidor06]

It's shameful. Not only that, but there are no face-to-face tutorials any more, and no summer schools .

I have already attended 2 face to face tutorials and have a day school this Saturday. So they havent completely done away with them.

 

[marinyork]

I have already attended 2 face to face tutorials and have a day school this Saturday. So they haven't completely done away with them.

They haven't completely done away with them, there's just been a drastic reduction and switching to using elluminate. The effects are nothing like equally applied either geographically or on a course by course basis. There always were courses particularly level 3 ones that had small numbers and problems finding tutors in each geographic region or mobile ones (you have essentially the same problem in 3rd or 4th years at bricks and mortar universities too). It's just got a lot worse with cuts. The essence of what TNM is saying is true.

A lot of the people I've met who have done OU are now moving towards doing MOOCs as far away as the University of Tokyo or University of Phoenix. See AnneDonnely's post.

 

[Piemaster]

Sorry. Illiteracy is a prerequisite for success in maths!

I'm an engineer, gauge is one of a few words I can manage without a spellchecker. I find myself relying one now, when I'm not sure it's a case of putting in some letters and hoping it will suggest the word I wanted.

 

[TheDoctor]

Did my degree with the OU, but that was years ago. I'm actually now looking at the possibility of running a course, rather than attending them.

 

[Inertia]

MOOCs. Been around years now. So many worldwide institutions doing them now. Some are even credited and starting to be taken into account by some employers in the US (supposedly).

Thanks, Ive looked at coursera which seems to be one of the bigger sites.
[QUOTE 3365063, member: 259"]Depends where you live I think. I did an MA at Birkbeck college when I lived in London (cough) some time ago. It was all evening lectures.[/QUOTE]
Will have to look and see what options are near me, I liked the OU way of doing things though as I had done courses with them before. Disappointing.