[silverwolf94]

Hello,
I want to know what others opinions of distance learning courses are such as

UkOpenLearning Ltd
opencollege.info
openstudycollege
stonebridge UK etc.

All these are popular and claim to be accredited.

I am about to start my 7th Distance Learning Course (Believe it or not, spent thousands on them).
I have an illness which prevents me going to College/University.
I am currently studying towards a Bsc with the Open University but i want to know what others opinions are on other distance learning websites/courses (as they have more wide range of subjects than the OU).
Have they got you anywhere in terms of jobs?, do employers recognize them?

I study with part self-interest/hobby and partly for employment.
What's your opinion on them?

[charlottemay93]

sorry this isn't really relevant to your post but how do you find the OU? I'm looking to do a distance learning course and would love some advice or information about the open university.

[J Lang]

I've looking into distance learning A-levels and also OU courses, I think with distance learning the main problem can be finding exam centers that will except external students and booking the exam well in advance, the OU, imo, is by far the best option for distance learning at degree level, i have also heard/read that employers will favor an OU degree/ far higher as it takes more commitment, with A level distance learning, some sites are to focused on making money, than providing support however there are good ones, I've spoken over the phone to a few (think it was openstudycollege, and one other) they seemed nice, weren't pushy at all to get me to enroll, also theres much more freedom in terms of time to finish, how ever much work you put in per week will determine how fast you complete it, which for some would work well, but for me without that pressure of the deadline maybe i wouldn't push myself very hard.

[silverwolf94]

(Original post by charlottemay93)
sorry this isn't really relevant to your post but how do you find the OU? I'm looking to do a distance learning course and would love some advice or information about the open university.

There really good and helpful, very flexible and the amount of work depends on the level your doing.
I love working through them.

[silverwolf94]

(Original post by J Lang)
I've looking into distance learning A-levels and also OU courses, I think with distance learning the main problem can be finding exam centers that will except external students and booking the exam well in advance, the OU, imo, is by far the best option for distance learning at degree level, i have also heard/read that employers will favor an OU degree/ far higher as it takes more commitment, with A level distance learning, some sites are to focused on making money, than providing support however there are good ones, I've spoken over the phone to a few (think it was openstudycollege, and one other) they seemed nice, weren't pushy at all to get me to enroll, also theres much more freedom in terms of time to finish, how ever much work you put in per week will determine how fast you complete it, which for some would work well, but for me without that pressure of the deadline maybe i wouldn't push myself very hard.

Yeah i agree finding exam centres can be a big problem.

[laura.a.c265]

(Original post by charlottemay93)
sorry this isn't really relevant to your post but how do you find the OU? I'm looking to do a distance learning course and would love some advice or information about the open university.

The Open University are outstanding!! If you want to do a distance degree there is no better option (IMO). I am about to start my final module and I will graduate with a BA (Hons) Open this time next year. I am in the RAF and they are helpful, flexible and make it so easy to study around my work commitments. They are also highly regarded by employers. I applied for three grad recruitment schemes and had offers from all three (I will be starting Teach First with the 2013 cohort).

[free75]

Hi
I am a distance learning student too. For me distance learning was the only option at the time of my studying and money was a rather important factor. Looking back, I would definitely recommend distance learning. I did my BA in Business with RDI, which is a distance learning provider that offers a more affordable alternative to OU. The course was really interesting and I got so much support from the student advisors and my tutors, which was really encouraging. I think it’s also important that I got my diploma from an accredited uni, no different than students that study on campus. I understand that RDI now also offers student loans for all England residents studying for their undergrad degree (and you can also get an NUS Extra card!) so I think it would definitely be worth looking into it. Let me know how your 8^th course goes for you.