Would you do an OU course?

[Arch]

Yup, I did my first degree with the OU - mixed humanities. I didn't really work hard enough, so I scraped a third - down to me, rather than the institution or the teaching I think.

I'd always say go for it. The beauty is (well when I was doing it it was) that you can take breaks, have a lighter year if you feel you need less work etc...

It's never too late to do a degree. How proud was I when I went to my Mum's graduation in July - and her 72!

 

[MichaelM]

You could start with a 10 point "short course" such as Understanding society to see whether the O.U./subject area.

This is a list of all the individual undergrad Social Science courses.

 

[bof]

I have done a couple of short science courses for interest and possibly for a self-employed sideline for when I retire from my day job.

Being no spring chicken I find it much harder to absorb stuff than when I was eighteen, but having a degree helps as it means the maths and the need to structure answers to questions comes fairly easily.

You do an end of course assessment and you have five months tops before it must be handed in. If you want to take longer you can - include the assessment as part of the learning and make sure you have all the material from the courses microsite downloaded before they cut you off. I paid £130 ish for the last one I did and it included around £30 worth of material. Their estimate of 10 hours per course point is about right.

My work makes it tricky to attend evening classes - which on the whole are fairly crap nowadays anyway - and I like the flexibility the OU gives.

I'd suggest start out with a short course and see what you make of it before plunging in to a big commitment.

 

[surfgurl]

I've did my MA through the OU. I loved it and it was right for me. I used to spend dinner breaks when I was working in a call centre sat in the lounge studying and then reading on the bus home.
You do need to be able to fit regular study periods in to your life. Doing a little bit every day is the best thing. I would make sure I spent some time everyday doing little things (reading on the bus, sat in the car waiting for someone, jotting down notes and ideas.) and then set proper sit down and study time on my days off.
Your family also need to be aware of the commitment you are making and support you in this. Even if it is the kids aware you are doing school work and to leave you alone for two hours.
My MA meant I could work and study. I couldn't have afforded studying otherwise. You can pay by a direct debit system and spread the fees over the year. You can also get OU gift vouchers.
I would like to do another A level, but the local colleges now charge £600 for the full A level and they wanted their money upfront.
You can get a letter from your tutor or the OU that you can take to a local University or college library and they will allow you to borrow books. Or you can do what I did and just pretend you are studying there and sit and make notes all day.

 

[Yellow Fang]

I did an OU degree as well. I did my first module in 95' in Analogue and Digital Electronics, because it seemed at work the best programmers were ex-electronic engineers. There were things at work I just couldn't understand: reading circuits diagrams, what the feck op-amps and pull-up resistors were. I found it really boring so I decided not to continue after the first year. Then several years later everybody started talking about I.P. and broadband, and again I didn't have a clue what they were talking about, so I took another module in Digital Communications, which I somehow fluked a distinction at. Then I did a short course at work on databases, which we used in our products, and I felt at the end I didn't really understand them neither, so I enroled on with the Relational Databases course. It was only a 30 point course, so I thought I'd take Logic Design to brush up on my electronics. Then I realised I could use credit from my HND to get a BSc with just 60 more points, so I enroled with Mechatronics and Microprocessor Based Computers. I see from my record I also started a level 1 course called Personal and Career Development in Engineering, so I must have been thinking about taking the Masters then. I dropped the Personal and Career Development because it was making me face up to too many unpleasant considerations, so then decided to go for the named degree in Technology, which meant another year's study. This time I took Radio Frequency Engineering and another level 1 course called Engineering The Future, which was required for that particular degree. Then I could have used credit from my HND to complete it, but I realised that I could get a 1st if I got one more grade 2 result. So I took Inside Electronic Devices, and a mickey-mouse level 2 course called Putting Computer Systems to work as insurance. That was it. Six years of work and I got my 1st. Thanks for reading.

The goods things about the OU include:

* generally excellent teaching materials
* cheaper than studying full time
* you can study what you think will help you in your current career
* it is possible to get a better class degree by doing more modules

bad things were:

* you are studying over summer instead of winter
* you're working on your own a lot
* it's not as much fun
* the other students are a lot older and uglier when you do meet them
* there's noone to go for a drink with after the exams because you don't
know anyone and they're all driving back to work anyway
* it takes a long time
* no access to lab equipment, you do sometimes get home kits, but it's
not the same

They don't seem to do any engineering courses any more, so if I was deciding to do similar part-time study for the same reasons, I couldn't choose them. I wouldn't mind doing a BA with them some time in the future. I quite fancy social sciences or language studies, but there's so much stuff I want to study, it will have to wait. There is another distance-learning organisation which teaches engineering courses such as Mechanics and Electrical Engineering HNCs. I might contact them in the future. I heard the government is thinking of changing the rules so that they only subsidise tuition fees for one qualification of the same level per person. They reckon it's fairer, but it would probably put a lot of people off OU degrees.

I didn't think my degree would actually help with my career all that much. It didn't really any difference with the job I had then, but it did qualify me to study an MSc in Renewable Energy, which my HND would not have enabled me to do. So, hopefully, it will have been worth it.

 

[Crackle]

I'm quite inspired by how many people have used the OU and in what circumstances.

I think I like the flexibilty and the style of learning would probably suit me right now. I don't like the potential cost and beyond broadening my horizons, I don't actually know what I'll do with it but it's a step forward and so long as you're moving forward then you find new opportunities and I feel rather stagnant at the moment.

Thanks to everyone who've written replies so far, all really useful stuff.

 

[palinurus]

.. I did my first module in 95' in Analogue and Digital Electronics, because it seemed at work the best programmers were ex-electronic engineers. There were things at work I just couldn't understand: reading circuits diagrams, what the feck op-amps and pull-up resistors were. I found it really boring so I decided not to continue

Years back I did an HND involving mostly chemistry, computing, computational chemistry and instrumentation. I was largely crap at most of these things, although I was a bit handy with turbo Pascal.

Wednesday was instrumentation day. I didn't take to it either, Op-amps, J-K flip-flops, all greek to me. I found it really boring, got through it. Beats me how because I seriously didn't understand anything. Really.

Maybe I cheated.

 

[jay clock]

I did a "normal" degree. Drifted off to uni, lazed around, drank etc then passed with a 2.2. Employers look at OU degrees in a different light because people have worked really hard and given up a lot to get them

The other thing is getting laid at the summer schools

 

[Yellow Fang]

The other thing is getting laid at the summer schools

Not really an option on the Digital and Analogue Electronics summer school. Not unless you're into balding, pot-bellied technicians. There was one bird between 150 of us. Not many of the courses have summer schools any more, although they do have those new 10 point residential courses. I had a colleague whose wife refused to allow him to go to OU summer school because she lost her first husband that way.

 

[gavintc]

There are other cheaper options open other than OU. Many universities are open to distance learning. I did my MSc (part time) through Swansea Metropolitan.

 

[surfgurl]

I've just thought of the disadvantage I meant to put in my post earlier. I was procrastinating with my dissertation which meant I had to work right to the last minute. I was too late to post it so I had to drive from Somerset to Milton Keynes on the morning of hand in date after staying up for 24 hours correcting typos and printing two copies and binding it.

 

[Crackle]

I've just thought of the disadvantage I meant to put in my post earlier. I was procrastinating with my dissertation which meant I had to work right to the last minute. I was too late to post it so I had to drive from Somerset to Milton Keynes on the morning of hand in date after staying up for 24 hours correcting typos and printing two copies and binding it.

Just like in an ordinary Uni then

I spent some more time looking at it last night. Even if I only do the first two modules and decide it's not for me, I still get a little diploma type thing, cost about £650 or £350 per module.

 

[rich p]

Personally I'd do an A level adult education class. It's cheaper, less stressful and you get to meet people.