Open University - how is it delivered?

[BuildingABetterMe]

I am considering English literature and creative writing with OU. I was just wondering how is it delivered? Are there any live (online) lessons, are there pre recorded lectures or is it mostly reading?

Undergraduate or postgraduate?

It's mostly reading (with some "interactive" activities, videos, discussion forum stuff) but supported with live tutorials on Adobe Connect. How many tutorials and their format varies from module to module.

For instance at postgraduate, you might have five 1-hour tutorials on a 60 credit module but then ten 1-hour tutorials on a 30 credit module. It's quite variable.

Some tutorials are mostly about preparing for assignments/assessment, others are more like a lesson.

If you emailed or phoned them they could probably give you an idea of how many / what type of tutorials are offered on the modules for the degree you want to do.

The vast vast vast majority of your study time will be reading/working on your own. (A 60 credit module is about 600 hours of work, so 5-10 hours of tutorials is a drop in the ocean.)

Mine was a mix of tutorials, module online sessions and the occasional in person study day (optional).
A lot of self directed modules which involved reading, videos, podcasts etc and supported by textbooks.
Really suited me and I enjoyed the challenge. My personal tutor was always on hand to answer questions.

Thank you for your responses. From the research I have done it seems most people who study via OU seem to really enjoy it, which is good.

I am looking at the undergrade course @ouimp

I first looked at doing the course in 2015 and I have talked myself out of it many times. I think it is time to bite the bullet!

I did an undergraduate degree with the OU. I enjoyed it and liked the fact that they prefer you to use the materials they provide and didn't expect much external referencing.

There were live tutorials and you can join other tutors' tutorials too. Some, but not all are recorded.

As others,have said, much of it will be self-dircted reading using their own materials - Everything is laid out per week and date, so you know what to read and when. Assignments will test your understanding of these. You will have a tutor who will deliver tutorials (along with others), these are live and some will be recorded too so you can watch and listen back.

With the live lectures, what time of day are they usually?

Specific times depend on the tutor, but evenings some time between 6pm-10pm usually.

There'll be multiple tutors on a module so if there is a tutorial for each assignment, each tutor will run their tutorial on a different day of the week (and probably at slightly different times). Which means you can go to a different tutor's tutorial if the live time works better and just watch your own tutor's recording.

If there are lectures/tutorials for everyone on the module (rather than tutor groups) there will only be one session but it will be recorded.

You can see all the tutorial dates/times at the start of the module and book your places.