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Original post by Snufkin
How come? Has something in this thread put you off? If so, perhaps it would be a good idea to check the post's accuracy before making a decision about the OU.


How much is OU paying you? The fact the course I was interested had been highlighted as poor throught this thread naturally rings alarm bells.


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Original post by Got Milk
How much is OU paying you? The fact the course I was interested had been highlighted as poor throught this thread naturally rings alarm bells.


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I think Snufkin has a valid point really. Recumbent for example is right about the lower standard of the first level 1 modules you take (how would it be any different when they have to cater to no entry requirements?) but has made a pretty big error in assuming the entire degree will carry on in a similarly weak manner.
To Coburgh:



Re your experience Coburgh: I am amazed to find someone who had a similar experience to mine which was in 2012. I had to withdraw from 2 modules in a row owing to a unexpected and very adverse circumstances which were close relative with cancer (who then passed away), myself being ill, plus one of the modules I had been locked out of the online tutor forum for several weeks so could not participate in the group working which was assessed/part of an assignment, so I never submitted the assignment. I have health problems and had to have an emergency ambulance and became a hospital case myself. So, the 2nd course I could not complete, my husband telephoned the OU to inform them I was ill and could not study, and at a later stage I requested withdrawal from it, and they knew I had been ill.



Months later, I enrolled in a small course, to get myself back into study mode, but during the progress of this course ( which was very interesting plus great tutor) I got a massive shock one day, after receiving an email out of the blue (12 days from Christmas) informing me I was being put under suspension for not completing 2 courses in a row. The email gave me 12 days to appeal (the deadline for the appeal was Christmas eve.).I submitted the appeal but never received any acknowledgement or reply. Some weeks later, I did get an email from an advisor saying they would allow me to continue studying, but I had to pass the next module.



Weirdly, they then took me out of my small course, (although they wanted me to pass the next module) but did not offer refund, instead saying I had to put the money onto a module in future! It was beyond bizarre.

Since this happened, I have researched OU policy's and found that they should have: 1) they should have given me a warning first before putting me under suspension, which I never received and 2) there are 3 stages for appeals which they did not inform me of at the time and 3) I should have had 28 days to submit an appeal and they only gave me 12. 4) they should have replied to my appeal and informed me of the next stages if I was not satisfied. I noted that suspensions should not be given for adverse circumstances. So, if I had known of the appeals stages, then I could have appealed further.

It was a terrible experience and I am still baffled by it, but what it revealed to me is that OU exerts their power when they want to.

I have tried to study again and am currently in a course, but have lost my enthusiasm and now wish I had stopped studying. The course I am doing is out of date, has masses of issues crammed into each block and I feel I would prefer to engage in deeper and more meaningful studying (not just to gain a degree).
[QUOTE="Spinnerette;50411113"]The OU lost half it's funding thanks to the current government. Everyone said the burden would be put on the students and education would suffer for it. The governments reasoning at the time is too many people wanting an education, too many wanting to better their employment opportunities.

Everyone said this would happen and it has and as you can see so many modules have ended and never come back and there is less choice and less tutorial time. And things are more central than regional now.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/open-university-faces-84million-in-cuts-267707[/QUOTE]

The OU was one in the forefront of wanting fee increases. They brought it on themselves. They have been cutting student services since 1990's and do not treat students as customers or consumers. Too many problems lack of student support, poor quality tutors (many left as the pay is bad apparently), courses academically unsound, ill treatment and lack of support if you get adverse circumstances in personal life. They have sadly become a rotten organisation.
Reply 44
Hi all - I have just completed my Computing and IT degree with half of my credit being with the OU. The first 180 credits were credit transfer from an HND which I have to say was leaps and bounds better than the error ridden, badly presented and lazily executed offerings of the OU. I certainly wasn't alone in having issues and there were some really nasty ones like glaring faults in provided software which students got together to resolve - with no thanks from the OU. There were also lots of errors in exams and one of my home exams was missing half the paper with a blank audio cd. There are some lovely tutors who work very hard but there are also some awful ones who don't seem to give a toss and it's just down to luck what you get. I wouldn't do it over again - it almost ruined my life and my health.
Reply 45
I’m currently studying with the OU, and would definitely recommend if you can’t do brick uni or you want to keep working.If anyone is not sure, do what I did first and study one of their access modules which is usually free! Then you will know if the tutors respond etc, as well as the materials and things, which I definitely think are adequate!I wanted to see if online learning would suit me first, as well.I can’t comment on the subject though, as I’m studying English which I think works fine through online learning, although I’m struggling with my current linguistics module.My results from previous degree were terrible due to anxiety and am now going through the OU to get a better classification and then hoping to do a PGCE later on or something.As far as I can tell it’s defin recognised, and employers are often impressed you are doing it from home and in your spare time!
Original post by Msy_may
I’m currently studying with the OU, and would definitely recommend if you can’t do brick uni or you want to keep working.If anyone is not sure, do what I did first and study one of their access modules which is usually free! Then you will know if the tutors respond etc, as well as the materials and things, which I definitely think are adequate!I wanted to see if online learning would suit me first, as well.I can’t comment on the subject though, as I’m studying English which I think works fine through online learning, although I’m struggling with my current linguistics module.My results from previous degree were terrible due to anxiety and am now going through the OU to get a better classification and then hoping to do a PGCE later on or something.As far as I can tell it’s defin recognised, and employers are often impressed you are doing it from home and in your spare time!

Nice first post
I studied with the OU fifteen years ago, back when the modules were relaitively cheap. My interest lay in computing and IT, but the teaching materials are outdated and very poorly written. The OU seems to lag some 7 or 8 years behind everyone else in the industry, which is something you could get away with if you're studying Plato, but is severely limiting when studying computing, which seems to change daily. On top of that of course, it is fundamentally a self-study medium. They send you your books and videos and you sit and do the work , on your own. Tutorials? My experience was that they are a waste of time, more of a social event (mine took place in a wine bar) than an academic experience. And the final and most bitter pill is this, regardless of what the OU will tell you, no-one takes an OU degree seriously. It is a mickey mouse qualification, and virtually worthless when you start job hunting. Save your £££s.
Original post by Harland G
And the final and most bitter pill is this, regardless of what the OU will tell you, no-one takes an OU degree seriously. It is a mickey mouse qualification, and virtually worthless when you start job hunting. Save your £££s.


Completely and utterly false.

I'm always very suspicious of people who register an account just to badmouth a university.
Reply 49
Original post by Snufkin
Completely and utterly false.

I'm always very suspicious of people who register an account just to badmouth a university.


It’s also one thing to badmouth a University, but to suggest that what applied 15 years ago applies now is a bit bizarre.
Original post by Msy_may
It’s also one thing to badmouth a University, but to suggest that what applied 15 years ago applies now is a bit bizarre.


I'm always suspicious of people who don't respect other people's opinions. I saw the reference to the OU on a friend's facebook page and decided to add my view here. Perhaps you can explain to me how I would be able to do that without registering an account?

And as for you condemming my experiences simply because it happened 15 years ago, that is equally puzzling. I was giving forum readers the benefit of my experience from back then, which I assert is quite relevant today, especially given the way that the OU is currently cutting modules in a quite unbelievable manner. -
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/mar/21/open-university-plans-major-cuts-to-number-of-staff-and-courses

Not to mention the latest debacle surrounding the Open University vice-chancellor - Peter Horrocks -
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/mar/29/open-university-chief-to-face-vote-of-no-confidence

I note that you have only been a member yourself since February. Perhaps you should learn to respect other members' opinions as much as you might like your own contributions to be respected.
I believe that the Open University gives people who missed out studying at a bricks and mortar institution for whatever reason, be it financial, academic, personal, etc., a second chance. In addition, it is for those wishing to earn a second degree despite not having the opportunity to attend a regular university because of distance or time constraints etc.

From hearing many hundreds of people's experiences, both good and bad, of studying with the OU, one of the things that crops up a lot is that people make the mistake of expecting too much from it and expect to have their hand held all the way through. One of the reasons an OU degree is held in such high regard is that it shows that the graduate has been able to study competently by themselves. This involves a certain amount of proactive personal research and not being dependent on a single tutor to do everything for you.

As for people being disappointed that the degree is not recognized by certain employers, first of all you could have a look at the requirements of any potential employers before embarking on a course, and secondly, if they don't recognize a degree that most of the rest of the country and even reputed overseas universities such as Harvard does, are they really the kind of short-sighted employers you wish to work for?

I am no stranger to distance learning and I am proud to be very successful at it. I know full well that what you get out very much correlates to the effort you put in. Just because a course recommends that you spend 18 hours a week studying, doesn't mean you have to stop at 18. Just because a particular book is cited for you to refer to, doesn't mean you shouldn't find two additional books to further your understanding.

Personally, I feel that one of the great aspects about the OU is that it is open to everyone - that's the fundamental point. But that does not mean that it is suitable for everyone. We need to be rigorous in carefully assessing why we are taking the course we are taking, what exactly we hope to get out of it, and what is expected of us to see if that assessment matches up with our capabilities. Many grievances with the OU appear to stem from people's PPP and, if they put as much effort into their planning as they did with complaining, they might wind up with a better result at the end of it.
Reply 52
I studied my undergrad degree with the OU between 2010 and 2013. I had to change my study plans (not the OU's fault but because of an issue with my employer) and they were really helpful and understanding. Any time I had a question, I would email and get a swift response. I could've done better at my studies but I was working a full-time job and a part-time job due to a change in circumstances, and I did struggle to find the time to commit to my studies, so it is what it is. Overall it was a positive experience. I had no other option of going to a brick university so this gave me the chance to get a degree, something I couldn't have done otherwise. I have NEVER heard anybody denigrate an OU degree. If anything, it's been quite the opposite. Everyone I've ever spoken to about my degree (both personally and professionally) has commended me for going about my degree in that way. Employers have generally been really positive about it and I am now in a decent job which relates to my degree.

Last year I decided to go back and study for a Masters, something I've always wanted to do, partly for professional reasons but also personal. Again, I chose the OU because a brick university wasn't an option. It's been really tough and I can definitely tell the difference between the support offered and the general organisation between my undergraduate and postgraduate experiences. This time round it's not been as good, I'll be honest, and I had to put in a complaint about my tutor who essentially went AWOL for over two months. I was able to change tutors, and my new tutor was incredibly supportive. I did have a few weeks where I considered not continuing after completing this academic year, but I thought it wouldn't be worth it, so I will continue and get my Masters.

Overall, you have to work really hard with the OU and there perhaps isn't as much support as a brick university (although this is my subjective opinion, having not attended a brick university I couldn't say for sure). Their organisational skills aren't what they used to be, but if you're wise to it you can work with it and still get what you want from your studies. I find that with the OU, some of the weeks of study aren't relevant to your essays, so tend to focus on studying the elements which are relevant to the essays. Like most things, some will have positive experiences and some will have negative experiences, but you're more likely to hear about the negative ones. I would suggest just doing your research before enrolling, trying one or more of their free courses, and research which course is best for you if you're looking at employment options. Get advice elsewhere too, don't rely on just the responses from the university. You need to do your research before making such a big decision. It'll be the right choice for some but perhaps not for others. I've made the decision to continue, I have a year left and won't let any potential issues with materials or tutors deter me from achieving a long-standing goal of wanting to gain a Masters.
(edited 5 years ago)
I am studying with the OU and I think some students do expect to have their hand held every step of the way, as in school or brick uni’s. I roll my eyes reading some of the questions on the OU’s forum from some students. Some seem to want to be guided on what they should include in their assignment, when they need to understand what the question is asking themselves. It isn’t school. What you get out of the course depends on what you put into it.

In response to one poster who complained that the start of his course was too easy - this soon changes when they have taught you how to use referencing in your work and what is expected in degree level assignments. I wish those criticizing would have completed a full year first before making judgements on the course content.

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