Open University

Milton Keynes

What reputation has the OU got?

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2.1 or above in a named subject is usually considered 'good'.

Also note that when applying for masters you have to show the transcript with all your grades. So consistency is also important.

Depends on what you plan to do though. I imagine an employer (or admissions tutor) will look at the modules that are relevant to the job/course.

Some employers are happy with a 2.2 though.

Open University

Milton Keynes

Reply 101

T1MMEH

So according to anecdotal evidence the OU is pretty poor, and according to accrediting bodies, graduate employers and employers who encourage staff to partake in further study it's pretty good.

I think I'll have to side with the latter opinion :tongue:

As for only needing to skim the course material: assignments for one of the modules I'm studying at the moment have generally taken the form of reports. For each of these, criteria included finding, using and correctly referencing sources other than those given in the materials. In fact, the end of module assignment is based on two topics which are barely mentioned in the course material.

Some of the material has been of a better standard than other parts and I occasionally come across assignments I find questionable, but the same could be said of any university.

Reply 102

BO'H

I would consider a good OU degree a 2:1or a first. For comparison purposes I am assuming that we are comparing similar subjects - i.e. maths with maths, gender studies with gender studies etc.

Reply 103

Uzume

@missywowzer I am surprised that you felt you were unable to use other sources outside of the text. I was encouraged to do so if it was relevant to the course text and not to use too much anecdotal evidence as this is not useful at degree level.

The guidance regarding assignments is to replicate what one would receive if at a physical campus, are you saying tutors don't guide their students in this way? Apart from the fact that OU students in most courses complete far more actual assignments than campus uni, campus students receive a lot more face to face guidance which includes study pointers, especially before an exam so, I beg to differ. I base this comparison on completing 2 OU modules at levels 1 & 2 and am now continuing my study in a 'normal' university! Also, the point of a degree is to show understanding of the course one is studying so I'm not sure what you are saying regarding the quality of the courses. Perhaps this type of study is just not for you, however, I enjoyed it thoroughly and did a lot of independent research on my subject, some of which I used in the assignments. The OU does require a lot of self-motivation and an ability to set one's own timetable and research independently. It's not for everyone but this doesn't negate its worth because a few people can't work out how to make the most of it.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 104

Spinnerette

My tutor didn't like when I used outside sources/secondary source/my own research and told me to stick to the module material in the books. This was AA100.

I hope it's different at Level 2.

Reply 105

stma

Here what I wrote in the new post I created...
"Hi guys,
As a lot of people I was wondering about the credibility of the school and using google for hours and especially linkedin.com, I 've observed that most of the OU students who take a BSC physics or Math don't have any change in their career or don't have any "quantitative" job UNLESS they've already got a quantitative degree from another university...
I'm a bit disappointed.
If you want to check what i've just said :
type on google "site:linkedin.com bsc mathematics open university"
What do you think ? "

Reply 106

AnnB

Original post by stma

Many OU sutdents are not completing their degree to enable them to change jobs. Some are being sponsored by their existing employer to complete their studies so that their new skills can be used by that company.

Other OU students are doing their degree for personal interest or improvement but may or may not have any intention of using that degree to change career.

The age range of OU students also makes a difference to what they ultimately do with their degree. I have done modules in which the age range of students has been from 18 to 75 and they all have different reasons for wanting to completing their degree - for a large minority it will not be their first degree.

That is one of the differences between the OU and a brick university. Although you will get some mature students at a brick university there are a lot more at the OU. At a brick university the majority of students at the end of their degree will be looking for a job - this is not necessarily the case with the OU.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 107

SWilliam

Original post by Spinnerette

My tutor didn't like when I used outside sources/secondary source/my own research and told me to stick to the module material in the books. This was AA100.

I hope it's different at Level 2.

On one of my level 2 courses, the tutor was not best pleased when I sought secondary sources away from the course material. :mad:

Reply 108

Moggs

Original post by Spinnerette

My tutor didn't like when I used outside sources/secondary source/my own research and told me to stick to the module material in the books. This was AA100.

I hope it's different at Level 2.

In contrast to the above, the second T207 assignment for me was 75% external material :s-smilie:

There's been a lot of smaller spatterings along the way, where we're not given enough information to complete the question, so need to dig through patents, structural sites, materials databases, standards etc to find realistic numbers for the item in question. Directions to explore outside the actual material is also well distributed throughout the course books.

I haven't been penalised yet, in T207 nor T173 for using external material other than the one time where I typo'd the data I gathered and ended up with a steel that was 20,000 times more rubbery than a car tyre. Fail :biggrin:

Hardest course I've ever done having zero engineering background beyond T173, yet strangely satisfying.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 109

aimeelala

Original post by SWilliam

On one of my level 2 courses, the tutor was not best pleased when I sought secondary sources away from the course material. :mad:

I'm doing a level 2 law module (W222) and there is a lot of research involved, it's pretty hard going, but enjoyable! The three TMAs all required research and the EMA is really vague with virtually no guidance, and almost purely researching external sources, so I really think it depends on the subject and level.

Reply 110

davidglock

Having received two excellent degrees from the so-called more conventional universities, and two from the OU, I consider the OU to be superior, both in terms of the materials used and the teaching. I did a degree in law from a Russell group university, paying £9000 a yr from three lectures a week. Lectures many did not attend because they were also available online. People who run down the OU are talking, for want of a better work, ****.