open university

Vampireskiss

im sorry if this is the wrong forum but how well recognised is the open university

here is a link

http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/s

Eoin

Pretty well recognised.

Try this forum though:
http://boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=433

GoneShootin

Moved to D&PT

MoominPapa

Heres a list of leaflets explaining the exemptions professional bodies and other organisations grant OU graduates which should give you an idea of how they regard OU quals and give an indication of how well they are recognised

Glowing

If it's any help, I did a course with the OU for 9 months, it was environmental related. They're really fantastic ... the coursework was interesting, we had tutorials every six weeks or so, the tutor was great, very helpful. There was a time set aside every week and you could phone if you have problems. We submitted our assignments online and got them back after just a week or so.

I found the whole organisation really professional, and friendly to deal with. I'd definitely recommend it.

RiverWilde

I am a long time OU student - fourth year - they're great. You pays your money - and everything else is sorted. Online resources are excellent. It's like any other uni except you only see your classmates every couple of months or so for tutorials. Although, students tend to break off into study groups and meet up on weekends etc etc. It's a great flexible way to study. If you find that after 2nd year you need to take a year off for whatever reason there is no hassle.

The courses usually run from Jan/Feb to Oct, although there are some courses that now start in the autumn.
http://www.open.ac.uk

Really excellent

Riv

WexCan

The OU is very well known and largely well respected. Fees for Irish students are quite high though.

hayser

The Open University is legally recognised in Ireland now (for both Bachelor and Master degrees aswell as their PHD in Education as faar as I know). I would recommend them to any one interested. I'm doing my BA at the minute and find them fantastic.

Phototoxin

more expensive than if you are a uk stdent but cheaper than if you are say french or whatever

DK man

I borrowed a few OU psychology books from a friend and was surprised how easy the material was - a bit like psychology for dummies... very easy to read and understand.

In a mainstream Uni u would have to wade through a much more comprehensive range of materials and therefore u wud hav to do much more thinking and learning to grasp the concepts etc..

I can't see how the OU award would have the same value as full time education...

However, I don't want to knock education and many people live busy lives and I take my hat off to those who sacrifice so much to better their and other peoples lives...

So go for it if u can't take a few years out to go full time..

hayser

DK man wrote: »

I borrowed a few OU psychology books from a friend and was surprised how easy the material was - a bit like psychology for dummies... very easy to read and understand.

In a mainstream Uni u would have to wade through a much more comprehensive range of materials and therefore u wud hav to do much more thinking and learning to grasp the concepts etc..

I can't see how the OU award would have the same value as full time education...

However, I don't want to knock education and many people live busy lives and I take my hat off to those who sacrifice so much to better their and other peoples lives...

So go for it if u can't take a few years out to go full time..

What an incredibly patronising post. What level was your friend doing - 1,2 or 3? Either way some people may find even the most basic of psychology study difficult and your comments don't really help matters.

RiverWilde

DK man wrote: »

So go for it if u can't take a few years out to go full time..

If you have a family what are they supposed to do?

If your full time course is 100 miles away, what are they supposed to do?
(If you can actually get a half decent course as a mature student that isn't 'Market Gardening for Beginners' or 'Flower Arranging).'

That's the whole point of the OU, it allows people with lives to study effectively. OU students don't have to give up everything, tell their wives/partners, 'right, I want to study tiddlywinks and the only available course is in Timbuktoo - get the stuff ready and off we'll go.'

Riv

AARRRGH

I heard a rumour what with clubcard points or something, courses in the OU are half-price?

Can anyone confirm this?

RiverWilde

Maybe not half price, but you can let your club card points to build up and instead of getting vouchers to spend in store you can have that money converted into a voucher to use against your fees. afaik, if you have say - 10euro worth of Tesco club card vouchers - it works out about 40euros in OU vouchers.
HTH!

Riv

npc_100

Remember on another post somewhere here about someone who waited until Tesco were giving 10 times the normal points (or something like that) for buying a laptop, got the laptop, the extra points and when x4, had enough for the price of a course in OU as well.

geodesic

DK man wrote: »

I borrowed a few OU psychology books from a friend and was surprised how easy the material was - a bit like psychology for dummies... very easy to read and understand.

I've been studying OU physics courses for a few years. I got a bunch of credit transfer from a BSc in maths I got from UCC many years ago, which has allowed me to only study "level 3" courses in OU parlance, i.e. roughly equivalent to final year undergrad in the conventional system. I've also read through a fair amount of their level 2 physics and applied maths courses, to fill in the background and revise what I'd forgotten. So I think I'm in a fairly well-informed position to judge how OU material compares to that studied a conventional university.

Remember that the OU really is open, in a big way. You're allowed register for any undergrad course you like, i.e. they do not enforce any course prerequisites. As a result they can't make as many assumptions about the student's background. However, given my experience over the last 4 years, I have no doubt that the level 3 courses are comparable to the third year of a conventional degree. Which is exactly where it should be, as the OU's model based on a 3-year full-time equivalent, not the 4 years which is common for many non-Arts primary degrees in Ireland.

The level 2 stuff I've seen is pitched between 1st and 2nd year standard. I haven't seen any level 1 course books, but given that its designed for folks with a wide variety of backgrounds, I wouldn't be surprised if it starts slow. Nowt wrong with that, the OU is all about giving folks a second chance at university education, and they're very serious about their mission to cast a wide net.

In a mainstream Uni u would have to wade through a much more comprehensive range of materials and therefore u wud hav to do much more thinking and learning to grasp the concepts etc..

I can't see how the OU award would have the same value as full time education...

Well having studied under both models, I can assure you that there are many downsides to full time education also. For example insulation from the real world, and the distractions of drink, girls and parties!

OU degrees are actually widely respected by those in the know, especially in the UK.

I'd echo the earlier postings about their friendliness, super organization, high quality materials, and overall everything they do is guided by very strong ethic that education is for everyone. Highly recommended.

dml

DK man wrote: »

I borrowed a few OU psychology books from a friend and was surprised how easy the material was - a bit like psychology for dummies... very easy to read and understand.

In a mainstream Uni u would have to wade through a much more comprehensive range of materials and therefore u wud hav to do much more thinking and learning to grasp the concepts etc..

I can't see how the OU award would have the same value as full time education...

However, I don't want to knock education and many people live busy lives and I take my hat off to those who sacrifice so much to better their and other peoples lives...

So go for it if u can't take a few years out to go full time..

EXTREMELY patronising....
I have studied both full-time and part-time - not an OU (yet!) but am strongly considering registering with them soon.
I take it that you have a degree with a Psychology major then to make such statements as above about the course materials? With 3 degrees behind me already (1 full-time, 2 part-time), to the highest level, I am looking forward to starting slow on the OU courses, as it is a long time since I did Maths in its pure form and I would like to start with the basics, instead of them assuming because I have a PhD, I can remember all the detailed theory from my first year Maths course (that I had to take for my degree - 1st yr only) that I completed 17 years ago. So, bring on the basics as a way to start!
As a full-time undergrad, the social world was my oyster....parties, socialising, etc. with some studying inbetween - yet it was called full-time?! As a part-timer the first time round my socialising and partying was largely replaced by having to work part-time to keep myself fed, clothed and accommodated. Because I was sacrificing more, I studied more and was way more focussed. I had a baby during my PhD and that focussed me like never before...if you have limited time to study, every minute counted, yet I still managed to put in as much time studying/working/researching as I did into studying as a full-timer, except gone were the late nights, the lie-ins, the 3 hour girlie conversations over coffee/wine with my friends. So, don't knock part-timers. Often (not always!) there is a greater sacrifice (financially/time) that goes into choosing to study part-time (or mature students as full-time), and therefore students tend to be a lot more serious about their studies, as they have to make it all count.
Go OU and all who study there! Good for you...I hope to be joining you by the end of the year.