DCU - Oscail - Distance Education

zesman

Hello everyone I'm interested in doing a course in DCU under the Oscail, Distance Education programme. I'm wondering has anyone done a course in Oscail and how did they find it? e.g. were the tutors helpful?

AdvancingOn

zesman wrote: »

Hello everyone I'm interested in doing a course in DCU under the Oscail, Distance Education programme. I'm wondering has anyone done a course in Oscail and how did they find it? e.g. were the tutors helpful?

Someone wrote a post comparing Oscail (to the OU) which may be of use. It is at http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=56550459#post56550459



:):):):):):):):):):):cool:

rpurfield

hey all just wondering has anyone used oscail in the last year or so and how they found it?decided to try do something part time but my head is fried looking up advice and options!

Owen

I'm doing the BSc in IT, and it's fine, half way through now entering year 3 - only problem I have is the price of it. I wish it was 500 a subject, not 800. It's more than I can afford this year really

rpurfield

Owen wrote: »

I'm doing the BSc in IT, and it's fine, half way through now entering year 3 - only problem I have is the price of it. I wish it was 500 a subject, not 800. It's more than I can afford this year really

thats exactly the course i was looking at.it says 800 per module how does that work out is it 800 per year?

samhail

You can do one module a year

My dad has been doing it for the past 6 years now, on his last module for the course he is doing.
Degree in Humanities i think.
He is happy with it alright - get as much out of it as you put in i suppose so he is clocking up like 40 or 50 hours a week during the busy periods (though those are the joys of being retired i hear )

Owen

rpurfield wrote: »

thats exactly the course i was looking at.it says 800 per module how does that work out is it 800 per year?

800's just one Module. I normally do 2 a year, and it ends up being 1600 Euro. I'm finding the IT easy TBH, I passed and got good results in the first 2 years and gave the course about 40 hours for the entire year. I've an engineering/IT background, but no qualifications, so it's good for me. They're not the most challenging of courses, but if you're able to get to Dublin for the tutorials, it makes life easy. I didn't go to any myself, but friends who did said they were great.

There's also the Moodle portal where you can discuss assignments with other Students, and ask lecturers questions in a forum style layout.

Bull McKabe

Hi I have just finished Oscail BA Humanities, more info on this thread

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=73383352

rpurfield

Owen wrote: »

800's just one Module. I normally do 2 a year, and it ends up being 1600 Euro. I'm finding the IT easy TBH, I passed and got good results in the first 2 years and gave the course about 40 hours for the entire year. I've an engineering/IT background, but no qualifications, so it's good for me. They're not the most challenging of courses, but if you're able to get to Dublin for the tutorials, it makes life easy. I didn't go to any myself, but friends who did said they were great.

There's also the Moodle portal where you can discuss assignments with other Students, and ask lecturers questions in a forum style layout.

sounds good im not in i.t. at all so i think it will be a challenge.how does the fee structure work is it whatever modules you want paid up front?

Owen

Pretty much!

rpurfield

Owen wrote: »

Pretty much!

thats scary!!really want to get into something thats different from what i do at the minute but its looking like one module for this year anyway!

Pappacharlie

zesman wrote: »

Hello everyone I'm interested in doing a course in DCU under the Oscail, Distance Education programme. I'm wondering has anyone done a course in Oscail and how did they find it? e.g. were the tutors helpful?

I qualified with a first class honors degree (BScIT) through Oscail. I started in 1998 and graduated in 2003. It was a huge commitment and on reflection it was a very selfish thing to do. You do miss out on a lot of family time. Be sure that you have the full support of your partner-family before you embark on the course. Support back then was minimal and only for my involvement in a study group I would not have succeeded. If you do opt for the IT qualification bear in mind there is a lot of maths and physics involved. The maths would be a higher standard than leaving cert. honors.

Branoic

Could someone tell me does the Oscail humanities course have any on-campus tutorial / lecture days or is it all totally distance? I'm short on annual leave days in work and need to know if I can use them or need to keep them for Oscail.

Freiheit

They do,in dcu and some other unis ....depending on numbers

2011NewMAN

Not really a regular on Boards.ie but did happened to stumble on the site and this strand about my old Alma Mater.

Measure twice- cut once is something that carpenters say and it is probably a good advice too when it comes to the Oscail Degree/Diploma course in IT. You would really want to look twice what skills and knowledge that Oscail claim they will offer if you study with them. Let me sum up my experience with Oscail with this anecdote.

In 2007 I completed a diploma in IT(with credit) equivalent to 2 full years of University supposedly studying IT- yet I couldn’t even tell you what a server was. I went on a MCSE boot camp after I finished with oscail and got laughed at and ridiculed for 4 weeks by the other participants because of my total lack of IT knowledge. Well, I suppose I must take some of the blame and say it was probably my own fault - after all in the Icebreaker on the first day I DID CLAIM TO HOLD A DIPLOMA IN IT (WITH CREDIT) FROM DCU. I wouldn’t mind but one of the other people on the course would often have people in his workplace in on work experience from FAS courses and the local Institute of Technology. He was gob smacked at my total lack of knowledge of anything to do with computers- especially compared with the people he had in on FAS work experience.

In my view, Oscail’s offering can be best described as a dog’s dinner of mismatched, disparate and mostly irrelevant strands that have for some reason being picked up and roughly nailed and welded together to form dull courseware for this qualification. It really is like the Butcher’s, the Baker’s and the Candlestick Maker’s Guide to Polar Exploration, Limbo dancing and qualifying as a Car Mechanic.

Pappacharlie

I really have to agree with you. Your description of the IT course is SPOT ON!!
So much so maybe you should pursue a degree in English. No but seriously Oscail IT course is just as described and is a joke.

rpurfield

got the letter out from them yesterday looking the deposit.all i will say is ouch and i doubt ill be paying it.

2011NewMAN

Thanks Pc.

To everyone else. In my opinion what you need is an IT course that looks forward not backwards. There is no good in getting a Christmas dinner from 1977 and scraping the mould off every September, reheating it in the microwave for 30 seconds and continuing to serve it up to students . If you want to work as a "industrial trainer" then do a FETAC Train the Trainer, JEB or IITD (recommended) qualification and get proper level 6 trainer training and certification.
In terms of Information Technology- if anyone is looking for ideas, here is the future in two short Youtube videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLlGopyXT_g
http://cloud.cit.ie/

In 2009 humans created more data than all previous years combined

Look for an education that equips you for the future, you will need a balanced combination of practical knowledge and critical thinking skills. Avoid any course(whoever provides it in any subject) than maybe relies on someone rehashing their own undergraduate/postgraduate thesis from 30 years ago into courseware- I would suggest that such content is not going to be all that relevant.