The Student Room Group

Open University started as a radical idea, now it's in trouble

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/open-university-uk-enrollment-courses-problems

1971 - 24,000 students enrolled
1980s - 100,000+ graduated
2008-2009 - 193,835 students registered (paying £1,400 for full-time tuition each year).
2012 - 168,210 students enrolled (tuition fees surged to £9,000)
2017 - 122,00 enrolled.

Budget cuts have meant that classroom environments, summer schools and other support can no longer be offered.

In total, since April, 21 undergraduate courses have been removed from its teaching.

Do you study with the OU? Do you think it's a good idea? Can it compete with the typical uni?
Original post by just_fake_news
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/open-university-uk-enrollment-courses-problems

1971 - 24,000 students enrolled
1980s - 100,000+ graduated
2008-2009 - 193,835 students registered (paying £1,400 for full-time tuition each year).
2012 - 168,210 students enrolled (tuition fees surged to £9,000)
2017 - 122,00 enrolled.

Budget cuts have meant that classroom environments, summer schools and other support can no longer be offered.

In total, since April, 21 undergraduate courses have been removed from its teaching.

Do you study with the OU? Do you think it's a good idea? Can it compete with the typical uni?


I think the OU is a good idea. It's a shame about the budget cuts, but there's no way it can compete with unis such as Oxbridge (somewhat obviously). I despise this snobbery around "if you don't go to a RG university, you may as well give up any hopes of becoming a successful person". I like that the OU is so... well... open to everyone :smile:
Normal universities are only still competing because they are handing out unconditionals
like smarties.
They've risen from 2,500 in 2012 to 67,000 this year.
What's important for a university is the friends you make on the course, this feeds an alumni relationship which forms job opportunities and lifelong friendships and importantly common bonds. Especially at PG level, but this is extremely difficult at OU where no one ever really meets or lives together. Clear disadvantage, because the brand name of the university isn't very well managed. It's website is sloppy and degree completion is abmissal.
For the OU to survive, it needs an entirely different funding model from brick universities; essentially modest fees paid upfront without access to student finance and with government subsidy provided in cash to the university and not through financial support to the student finance system.

To be entitled to be treated as a special case for funding, the OU has to have a different offer to other universities.

So, I would scrap all full time courses so there is a 4 year mimimum completion time for undergraduate degrees. Moreover, I would have a minimum enrollment age of 23.

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you