Open University

Oldernotwiser

KILL_BILL wrote: »

why did you want to do that particular degree and what work do you want to do with it ?

I asked you that!

Becles

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Obviously you would lose marks for poor referencing of any material but your comment does highlight the OU's weakness on focusing on the material provided. In a traditional university, any relevant material, properly referenced, would be acceptable and trhe evidence of wider research would ber eflected in a higher grade.

I wonder if it's because in a traditional university, you attend lectures so they can physically see that you've done the course.

The essay I wrote last week was on ethical marketing in a company of my choice. There's loads of information on the internet and I could have easily not read the book, and still written the essay. I guess if wider research was acceptable, you need not do any of the course work to pass.

Blackpool_Saver

asbokid wrote: »

A lot of us done that course when we was in Feltham. Best career move, looks good on the CV they said and they was right. And very useful to know what your brief is talking about when you see him.

A lot of us DID that course when we WERE in Feltham. They WERE right.

This is degree study ?????

SunderlandBlackCat

Blackpool_Saver wrote: »

A lot of us DID that course when we WERE in Feltham. They WERE right.

This is degree study ?????

I thought that post was tongue in cheek at first, but then again after seeing and hearing the standards of English from some of the graduates I've worked with, maybe not.

olly300

Becles wrote: »

I wonder if it's because in a traditional university, you attend lectures so they can physically see that you've done the course.

From my experience of studying at traditional universities it got to the point they took register in lectures of less than 100 people, and tutorials as students would not attend if the lecture/tutor was bad or if they simply couldn't be bothered.

I spend an entire part of degree course asleep in lectures because the lecturer was dreadful but I had to attend otherwise non-attendance could be used as an excuse to fail me.

The course notes for that series of lectures where available on the university network as another student had put them on. In addition another subject which we took before and had to do an assignment in overlapped lots of the subject area so there was actually no reason to turn up.

There as in other subjects if there were over 100 students, and students didn't turn up due to a bad lecturer they couldn't do anything.

Becles wrote: »

The essay I wrote last week was on ethical marketing in a company of my choice. There's loads of information on the internet and I could have easily not read the book, and still written the essay. I guess if wider research was acceptable, you need not do any of the course work to pass.

If you don't cover the subject matter and particular points they require in the essay regardless of where you got your information from you can't pass.

However only specifically stating that you must use the course material seems to be what under 16s are expected to do at school, but not a university.

In addition the OU course material also mentions additional reading. There is no point doing this reading if you can't use it due to be only required to use the course material.

debrag

I'm studying Molecular Science then plan on going to do a distance degree with Potsmouth (crime & criminology leading to criminology & criminal psychology)

Oldernotwiser

Becles wrote: »

I wonder if it's because in a traditional university, you attend lectures so they can physically see that you've done the course.

At my university, lectures were optional. Attending lectures is often a very minor part of university study.

tomterm8

Zazen999 wrote: »

I did my degree at a bricks and mortar uni; so I do have experience...but I find this totally wrong. Words fail me. This person should not be tutoring any degree.

My father is an associate lecturer at the OU. He's had several long rants about the fact that on one of the courses he teach there is a policy to encourage use of the course materials and to discourage, to an extent, outside research.

p.s. He also finds the ETMA system difficult to work. He generally gets me to submit and download the articles. It takes me five minutes, but people forget that 60 year olds didn't grow up with technology.

I also find it unrealistic to think that traditional universities necessarily give you more time with other students. Formal activities on my full time course at my university were only 12 hours a week (6 hours tutorials, 6 hours lectures). You get about the same time at the OU anyway if you exercise all the options.

debrag

yes I'm always reading that I don't need to do anything outsideof the course everything I need is in the books.

people go to Open uni for various reason why compare it to a 'traditional uni'. I like that it is cheaper plus I can work. Don't have the wide spread of courses though and I'm finding it hard getting to the residential schools. I need to fit in 3 before I finish my course (last mod is 2012/13)

dmg24

I had a bad experience with OU, but think it was largely due to a poor tutor and slow email communications.

The tutor rarely responded to emails, and when she did, they did not address the questions I had asked! She was aware that I have problems with the phone, so knew that I relied on email communication.

I had also asked for written transcripts of the DVDs, and was assured that this would not be a problem. I chased these for a month and kept getting the same assurances from various people, but no materials!

I asked to cancel my enrolment, and was assured that someone would be in touch to discuss my concerns. After waiting a further week, I gave up and asked them just to refund my monies. This is the only thing that they did without me having to chase them!

I know that OU works for many people, but I would question their true commitment to equality of opportunity for the disabled.

OP, have you looked at whether any other universities offer the subject you want by distance learning?