Open university

[nonamemummy]

Has anyone got a degree from the open university?
What was your experience? Advice?
If I want to do a degree which says full time 6 years, will it be 6 years? Or are you able to complete it early?
Any info on funding?

Just any info/advice etc welcome

I have. I did it in 4 years as I did two modules per year for levels 2 and 3. It was fine, you get good support if you need it. I'd recommend going to all tutorials if you can. It really helps, especially with assignments. I'm in Scotland so got my fees paid by SAAS through a part time fee grant as I earned less than £25k. If you need to pay them the OU has a monthly direct debit plan.

How did you find it? What course did you do? So it’s not all just online learning then, are these tutorials in person?
Sorry for all the questions

I love the OU. Started my degree with them (maths/education) in 2012 and finished this year. I did mine whilst working and bringing up two kids. Some face to face tutorials, some online. Lots of books. Lots of essays. Exams. Student finance. £16000. Worth every penny. If I could, I'd study again. In fact looking at my masters with them in a couple of years hopefully

I did a BSc (hons) in psychology fulltime for one year and part time for four years. I had to pay for mine and did it with an OU budget loan that was monthly payments. There is a mix of face to face tutorials as well as online tutorials and forums for support. You can also speak to your tutor at any time and the guidance materials for each assignment are very detailed, more so than brick universities. I recommend it to everyone but you do need to be motivated as it's very self directed.

I did English Language and Literature. I went to face to face tutorials at a local university I really depends where you live if you can go to these they're in most major cities but if you live somewhere a bit more remote they have online ones.

I loved it, it was great being able to fit studies round children and work. The course was really interesting and varied and the textbooks so easy to.follow withbthe online planner which lays out the work required week by week. If you know you gafe a busy week coming up or something on yo8 can work ahead. I'm going to do a Masters in Literature with them in a couple of years.

Did you all get jobs relevant to your degrees? Also did you fund it yourselves?

I finished my first uni this year and I'm starting 2 more this autumn.

You can get funding on the same level as other courses so whether you get funding or not depends on whether you already have a degree and the subject you are taking.

I already have a degree so I can only have funding for fees for part time and a STEM subject. I'm doing maths.

I have not attended any face to face tutorials I prefer the online ones. I also prefer to study in the morning so picked moring online tutorials. A couple of times I have been the only student so it has been more of a 1:1.

So what exactly are the tutorials like then? Isit like a video thing or? I didn’t realise you work with other people

Online tutorials

OK they are not videoed - thankfully because I attend mine in PJs.

You have a headset plugged into the PC or laptop, the screen is divided so that the majority is taken up by a ppt or something the tutor wants to show you. On the left is a list of names of attendees and you can type into the box, you can electronically 'raise your hand' and talk to your tutor and others in the online room.

There are some other options the tutor can allow such as letting you draw a box around the correct answer.

You also have contact with a 'real person' tutor so you can attend those tutorials or you can email that tutor and ask questions.

Oh I see!
So are the tutorials mandatory? I think I’d find it hard to find a time to sit through the tutorial without being interrupted by my young children, except maybe at night of course!

Tutorials are not mandatory and there are evening ones, the advantage of the online is you can join from anywhere, also you would be the only one who has to get a child a drink, let the dog out or answer the door.

Oh and you can down load them afterwards.

And y7ou don't have to stay for the full hour, I've logged on, asked a couple of questions and then gone.