[trolley-dolly]

Hi,

Hope someone can help me! I've completed almost 2 years of a 3 year "Open Degree" at the OU. However I've just got a new job as Cabin Crew which I am loving but am therefore unable to do any courses which require me to do either a sit down exam or even be in front of a computer at a set time. With the nature of my job it's so difficult to actually find enough time to be fully rested from jet lag, do a bit of cramming, then sit the exam. I need a course where I can do ongoing essays or coursework which we are given in advance and can just send in. I was doing Natural Sciences (Biology) which I would like to continue but to be honest I just want to get my degree as soon as possible so am willing to do any course if I can study it in the way in which I need. I have tried to get into my line of work for so long and am enjoying it too much to give it up and am only continuing with the degree because I don't want to waste my 2 years and have nothing to show for it. Don't know if I'll do this job forever so it'd be good to have the security of a degree to fall back on.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks

[trolley-dolly]

Oh and I'm looking for mainly Level 3 modules. Sorry, forgot to put that into the original post.

[Radio]

If it were me I'd probably call the OU and see what they advise. I've not came across any courses like the sort of thing you'd like to do ideally and it wouldn't be good to waste money unnecessarily on a course that can't be finished.

Good luck!

[trolley-dolly]

Hi Radio. I called up on Thursday but she just basically said that she didn't know the requirements of each and every course but that if I knew which course I was interested in doing she could give me info on it. Wasn't very helpful lol but I suppose she can't know every module. I'll continue looking till I hopefully come across something suitable.

Thanks

[Kate.]

Can't you book off leave around the time of your exams? I work full-time and book the day of the exam off and 1-2 days before. You get exam dates months in advance (I think I had my date for this October given to me in June, possibly May).

Anyway, when you're logged in to StudentHome, go to 'Study' at the top and click on the link to the BSc/BA you're studying towards. Then click 'See description', at the top, and it'll take you to a list of the modules you can take for that degree. Look at each level 3 module one by one, and on the right of the module page it'll say whether it includes an exam or not.

[trolley-dolly]

Hi Kate,

I had a look on the Student Homepage and while some of the subjects that I clicked on said there is no exam, I then did a bit more research only to see that during the year there will be set times where you need to be sat in front of a computer to do an online assessment. So I don't want to be starting a course and find out that I can't get time off to do mid course exams/assessments. With my job summer (when I'll be doing the exams) is so busy and I've been told my our trainer that it's sometimes difficult to get time off during the summer, even booking a few months in advance! I just really don't want to take the chance. Besides it would just be easier with the nature of my job if I could do ongoing assessment.

So does anyone know of any ongoing assessment courses?

[Kate.]

(Original post by trolley-dolly)
Hi Kate,

I had a look on the Student Homepage and while some of the subjects that I clicked on said there is no exam, I then did a bit more research only to see that during the year there will be set times where you need to be sat in front of a computer to do an online assessment. So I don't want to be starting a course and find out that I can't get time off to do mid course exams/assessments. With my job summer (when I'll be doing the exams) is so busy and I've been told my our trainer that it's sometimes difficult to get time off during the summer, even booking a few months in advance! I just really don't want to take the chance. Besides it would just be easier with the nature of my job if I could do ongoing assessment.

So does anyone know of any ongoing assessment courses?

I've never done a module which required me to be online at a certain time...which ones were they?
(if you quote me I'm more likely to notice a reply btw! )

[rmhumphries]

(Original post by trolley-dolly)
Hi,

Hope someone can help me! I've completed almost 2 years of a 3 year "Open Degree" at the OU. However I've just got a new job as Cabin Crew which I am loving but am therefore unable to do any courses which require me to do either a sit down exam or even be in front of a computer at a set time. With the nature of my job it's so difficult to actually find enough time to be fully rested from jet lag, do a bit of cramming, then sit the exam. I need a course where I can do ongoing essays or coursework which we are given in advance and can just send in. I was doing Natural Sciences (Biology) which I would like to continue but to be honest I just want to get my degree as soon as possible so am willing to do any course if I can study it in the way in which I need. I have tried to get into my line of work for so long and am enjoying it too much to give it up and am only continuing with the degree because I don't want to waste my 2 years and have nothing to show for it. Don't know if I'll do this job forever so it'd be good to have the security of a degree to fall back on.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks

It would be better to 'graduate' with a certificate saying you did two years of the degree than get a degree just for having a degree. I assume it is the same with the OU, but at my (non-distance) uni, if I wanted to leave, I would leave with a certificate saying I did 2 years, with these marks, and then if I wanted to go back at a later date - assuming the requirements for third year modules hadn't changed too much I could do. So the two years wouldn't be wasted, and I could do the third at a later point if I wanted.

[OU Student]

I'm doing a course with a computer exam. I just go through the questions, do a few, save my answers and return later.

[Persipan]

You could look at this lot, which don't have exams as far as I can see:

A300 20th Century Literature: Texts and Debates - 60 credits
L314 A Bon Puerto: Advanced Spanish - 60 credits
DU301 A World of Whose Making? - 60 credits
A363 Advanced Creative Writing - 60 credits
AA318 Art of the Twentieth Century - 60 credits
K346 Children, Young People and Health: Enhancing Care - 60 credits
EA300 Children's Literature - 60 credits
DD309 Doing Economics: People, Markets and Policy - 60 credits
S346 Drug Design and Synthesis - 20 credits
EK311 Early Years Focus on Research with Children and Young People - 60 credits
T320 Ebusiness Technologies: Foundations and Practice - 30 credits
A326 Empire: 1492-1975 - 60 credits
E303 English Grammar in Context - 60 credits
T307 Innovation: Designing for a Sustainable Future - 60 credits
B322 Investigating Entrepreneurial Opportunities - 30 credits
DD306 Living Political Ideas - 60 credits
DD308 Making Social Worlds - 60 credits
L310 Mises au Point: Advanced French - 60 credits
A330 Myth in the Greek and Roman Worlds - 60 credits
DD305 Personal Lives and Social Policy - 60 credits
K311 Promoting Public Health: Skills, Perspectives and Practice - 60 credits
AA315 Rennaisance Art Reconsidered - 60 credits
SXE390 Science Project Course: Environmental Science Practical Project - 30 credits
SXM390 Science Project Course: Frontiers in Chemistry - 30 credits
SXG390 Science Project Course: Geosciences - 30 credits
SXP390 Science Project Course: Radiation and Matter - 30 credits
SXN390 Scinece Project Course: Science in Society Project - 30 credits
E301 The Art of English - 60 credits
U316 The Environmental Web - 60 credits
L313 Variationen: Advanced German - 60 credits

Many (if not most) of them will recommend you study something related first, though - just diving in at Level 3 may not be a good idea. I can't help but agree that it might be easier to just arrange a day or two's holiday around the time of your exams...

[trolley-dolly]

(Original post by Persipan)
You could look at this lot, which don't have exams as far as I can see:

Many (if not most) of them will recommend you study something related first, though - just diving in at Level 3 may not be a good idea. I can't help but agree that it might be easier to just arrange a day or two's holiday around the time of your exams...

Thanks for that list! I've looked through a few of them and even though some of them say no exam, some do say interactive computer based assessment. I'm not sure of the format of these i.e if it's is to be done at a specific time/date or if it can be partly done then come back to etc. I would agree with you about taking holidays around exam time but my job is Cabin Crew and we are all essentially freelance (although we are affiliated with a company) so taking a few days off here and there (which I may need to do if I'm doing 4 x 30 credit courses) would have a big impact on me taking on contracts over the summer examination period as most of them require us to be away for a few weeks at a time. Also if I'm offered a long stay contract during the academic year, I better hope that there is no compulsory online element as some places I can't even access internet.

Thanks so much for that list though

[Kate.]

(Original post by trolley-dolly)
Thanks for that list! I've looked through a few of them and even though some of them say no exam, some do say interactive computer based assessment. I'm not sure of the format of these i.e if it's is to be done at a specific time/date or if it can be partly done then come back to etc. I would agree with you about taking holidays around exam time but my job is Cabin Crew and we are all essentially freelance (although we are affiliated with a company) so taking a few days off here and there (which I may need to do if I'm doing 4 x 30 credit courses) would have a big impact on me taking on contracts over the summer examination period as most of them require us to be away for a few weeks at a time. Also if I'm offered a long stay contract during the academic year, I better hope that there is no compulsory online element as some places I can't even access internet.

Thanks so much for that list though

I thought I'd done a module with an iCA but looking back at my modules I can't find which one it was. Weird. Anyway, I'm pretty sure exams are the only compulsory elements that are at a set time - the OU does pride itself on being flexible and suitable for people in many work/family situations!

Also, good luck if you're planning on doing 4 x level 3 modules at the same time! I don't think I could cope with that. I had 2 x level 3 and 1 level 1 (90 points total) this year and that got a bit stressful - I was glad of that fact I could just scrape a pass on the level 1 as it wouldn't count towards my final classification!

[Nitebot]

(Original post by trolley-dolly)
Thanks for that list! I've looked through a few of them and even though some of them say no exam, some do say interactive computer based assessment. I'm not sure of the format of these i.e if it's is to be done at a specific time/date or if it can be partly done then come back to etc. I would agree with you about taking holidays around exam time but my job is Cabin Crew and we are all essentially freelance (although we are affiliated with a company) so taking a few days off here and there (which I may need to do if I'm doing 4 x 30 credit courses) would have a big impact on me taking on contracts over the summer examination period as most of them require us to be away for a few weeks at a time. Also if I'm offered a long stay contract during the academic year, I better hope that there is no compulsory online element as some places I can't even access internet.

Thanks so much for that list though

Don't worry about iCMAs. The questions are released weeks in advance and the answers have to be submitted by a specific date. Some people print them off in paper form, work on them and then submit the answers later when ready. You should be easily able to work around that as you'd only need to go online twice - print off and submit. Also modules which have an EMA instead of an exam are fine too. The EMA is released well in advance of the cut off date giving you weeks to print off the details and take them away and work on it before submitting your answer. Again, you'd only need to go online twice.

It's only with exams you need to be at a specific place but even there, I believe there is flexibility.

The modules that you do need to watch for though are those which require online group collaboration as everyone has to be able to work at the same rate. But even then I've seen situations where a few people do most the work and others (who’ve been on holiday or hiding or whatever) come in later with minimal contribution and get away with it!!

[brownrob]

S346 is Organic Chemistry and is 20 credits and it has an EMA rather than an exam, so its like a big TMA. SXL390 will tie in with your Biology