OU 60 credit modules being phased out or just a rumour?

Hi everyone,

A fellow OU student friend of mine said that on one of his tutorials, a tutor mentioned that the OU are phasing out 60 credit modules in favour of 30 credit modules. I asked is he sure about this and he said "no" so I thought I'd ask on here.

Also, does anyone know where to find a list of modules that start twice a year or do most modules only start once a year?

Thanks in advance guys :-)

Reply 1

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

I doubt it, they've only just finished phasing all the smaller modules out. I wish they would though. :moon:

Open University

Milton Keynes

Reply 2

mattk1

Original post by Snufkin

I doubt it, they've only just finished phasing all the smaller modules out. I wish they would though. :moon:

Hi Snufkin, what were the smaller modules? I never knew there was anything smaller than 30 credits.

Cheers

Reply 3

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by mattk1

Hi Snufkin, what were the smaller modules? I never knew there was anything smaller than 30 credits.

Cheers

There used to be 10 and 15 credit modules (they've been gone for about 5 or 6 years), there are a few that have survived the purge but they can't be put towards a qualification anymore. Here is a list from 2010: https://web.archive.org/web/20100805071208/http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/atoz/allcourses.htm

Reply 4

Persipan

I would be really, REALLY surprised if they were looking to do this - the direction of travel has been very much in the other direction (from smaller modules towards larger ones, often aimed at several disciplines). I actually think smaller modules would be preferable, but I haven't heard anything to this effect.

Reply 5

JollyCynic

I think that's an interesting question, because I'd heard the same thing. I just can't remember where for the life of me.

So I looked into it a tiny bit. There's not much in the way of info on the Googlesphere about it. So I looked at modules. Specifically, I looked at Stage 1 60 credit modules which are being ended, but being replaced.

There's a single example of a 60 credit module being replaced by two 30 credit modules. TU100 is being replaced by TM111 and TM112, each 30 credit modules.

There's also one example of a 60 credit module being replaced with another 60 credit module. E112 is being replaced with E117.

Which isn't to say that they're not going to do that. But certainly it won't affect anybody starting at the OU now. I've seriously considered putting off starting my Computing & IT degree by a year because I know TM112 will use Python.

Reply 6

mattk1

Original post by JollyCynic

Hi Jollycynic,

I spotted this regarding TU100 too, interesting isn't it. I have already completed TU100 in 2014 and found it to be a nice easy first module for 60 credits.

TU100 will run for the last time in February 2017.

Going back to those 10 and 15 credit modules Snufkin mentioned, they must have been fairly easy right? And would have required only about 5 hours study time per week?

Reply 7

Juno

Original post by mattk1

They tended to be shorter, in that they lasted only a few months. I did a 10 credit module that started in March and was finished by August. The ones that i saw were early courses, ie ones to take at level 1 - but this might just be because I was studying that level and so was only looking at those.

So now the OU offers longer Access modules, which I feel ate potentially more intimidating for applicants who haven't studied for a while. I chose to do one purely because it was so short. I didn't need it from an academic perspective, but from a confidence thing I did, so the fact that it was so short was appealing.

I know that one of the level 1 60 credit modules used to be available as two 30 credits, but the 30 credits option was removed. Not sure what the course code is now, but the 30 credits used to be DD131 and DD132.

Reply 8

Persipan

Yeah, my first ever OU module was a 10 credit one. I just did it for interest, really; and to get back into study. Probably, I would have done some more of them (they used to do several different Creative Writing ones) except that they phased them out about then. And, it was also about the time when higher OU fees were about to come in and if I started a full degree I'd get to do it at the old, lower fees, so I did that. I did sneak in another 10 credit module on its last presentation, along the way, which was a photography one. They were a really good way of eating into things, and I think quite a lot of students worked their way through lots of them and found they then had the confidence to move up to levels 2 and 3 and get a whole degree.