How much work is Open University?

snugglepet20

I am currently a SAHM who is about to have 3 children under 4 years old. I cannot go back to work because of childcare costs but I am getting VERY bored.

I was thinking of doing Open University to keep my brain active but I was wondering how much time I would need each week. I know they give guides but these seem pretty generous timewise, would a few hours a night be enough for a 60 credit module? Also are the courses interesting, I am thinking of psychology or something healthcare related to enhance my career or maybe history just for fun.

cazziebo

Difficult to answer - depends on so many factors...

I started OU because I was on my own with two very young kids and had these long evenings to fill. I didn't start off with many expectations but 10 years later have two Masters degrees and some credits towards a general degree. I hadn't studied for 20 years when I started.

I did Psychology - just for fun - and found it really interesting. Some students put in the full recommended 15 hours per week - some get by on much less. Have to say, in my case it depended on how much I enjoyed the subject. (I work full time and have also been involved in a number of youth organisations as children got older so time was precious).

I've thoroughly enjoyed it. I've grown so much as a person, made some fantastic friends, and yes - it has enhanced my career. I loved the residentials (although they are discontinuing many of them) which I looked on as my "me time".

They do taster courses that you could try out. Quality of materials and teaching is excellent and the support (almost every time an assignment is due I feel like chucking it!) has been great. It's also very well respected, certainly not second rate.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do

Oldernotwiser

I agree with cazziebo that the number of hours involved will vary depending on your educationa lbackground and motivation.

The level 1 courses are broadly based and will give you the opportunity to discover your interests and try subjects that you know little about.

alyth

I agree with both Cassie and ONW - last year I did a 60 point, the Arts Past & Present, and I could go weeks without looking at the books, but still came out with a pass of 80%. However it does depend on the subject you are studying, parts of my course I just ignored, other parts of it I really enjoyed and did a lot more independent study than the materials provided by the OU.

Why not try one of the 10 point short courses - I've been accepted to uni on an unconditional based on my OU studies, but I still plan to do a couple of 10 pointers over the summer. So in that respect the OU is hugely regarded as a pre-cursor to doing a degree.

messimoney

Im starting OU in may and they say 10 hrs per 1 point so a 60 point course will take you 600 hrs, break that down over 12 months which is how long the 60 point course runs for and you have your answer. Maths is not my course btw!

Tigsteroonie

As the others have said, it really depends on your educational background and level. I did a 60pt Level 1 Science course two years ago, and it started really simply (I'd knock out a week's work in an evening) but then when it got onto cellular biology, I really struggled. That said, overall I found the only weeks where I actually took all the time they estimated was when I was completing a test paper.

My boy will be 9months by the time I start my next set of courses in May, I'm doing a 30pt & a 10pt. I don't think I'll be able to do those a couple of hours in the evening, not when I'm tired from the day; so I've roped in DH support to ensure I get a long quiet afternoon at the weekend if need be.

skylight

Having 5 kids at home, a waste of space but mentally ill and now an ex OH - I too started psychology for fun. I couldn't keep up. It was difficult enough to find time to do usual household stuff let alone anything else.

But, I have that licked now. Dumped the OH, sorted house and kids so I have time to study and going back into a 10 pointer bookkeeping/accounting short course as a starter (and a totally different direction!)

The biggest thing is that you only get back what you put in (which is true with most things in life) so make sure you have enough time and essentially the support.

Fabwitch

I started my degree with the OU, when my kids were 6 months old, 19 months old and 5 years old. I did 60 points a year and gained my BSc Hons Social Policy six years later. It was hard work but very rewarding. You have to manage your time effectively and work around the kids. But it is achievable if you really want to do it. Mind you once you start sztudying it is addictive and I have since studied further courses with the OU and other organisations. Go for it and work hard and you will do well. xxx

GettingItRight

Hi all!

I am about to finish my 2nd OU course. They have both been level 1 courses. I've been unfortunate in both courses, as I have had disruptions to both which were unrelated to the OU and of no fault to them.

With any long distance course, you need to be self-disciplined and make sure you do the studying. Some people who fall behind can catch up, others sometimes struggle in this situation. Each course varies in study time requirement, but I believe anyone who is not working should really maximise this advantage.

The course I am studying does not finish with a certificate. I am probably going to hunt around a relevant examination board and see what I exam I can try to enter as a result of this course.

The materials on my current course were better than my first course. I was provided with a study book and CD which helped go a little more indepth on topics. The negative part was that some errors had been found in the study book. For some, this seemed to demotivated them a little, but others this did not cause an issue. On my first course, there were no errors in the material and I think such errors in materials are not that common.

Despite that minor issue, I've found studying with the OU an enjoyable and worthwhile experience. They are a more reliable distant learning route than some of the reviews I've read online about other distant learning companies. Also it's great to mix with fellow students, helping each other out etc etc.

My next aim is to really try and study some GCSE subjects. I did awful at school, but because of my long distance travelling to-and-from work, I cannot go into college and study part-time.

For this reason I am trying to find out how as a 31 year old, I can go about self-studying GCSEs by buying my own materials, using no tutor and then arrange my GCSE exams. I believe coursework is a barrier which I need to try and jump. So far I can only see that I could study an IGCSE which is 100% exam. My preference is GCSE though, as I believe this is recognised better by universities etc.

Why am I wanting to study GCSE this way without using a distant online company? All I've read about seem to have consistant bad reviews from past students, who never receive materials, get a lack of support from tutors and really regret wasting a few hundred pounds.

I think my aim is going to be a difficult mission, so wish me luck please

alyth

Actually I have to admit that there were a few errors in my course that I did last year, to the extent that i had to keep checking my course chat site thing - one of the errors related to one of the TMAs and the wording was very ambiguous and changed the way the question should have been answered - you've just reminded me of that.

One big issue I had with my course was the fact that I was only supposed to refer to the materials given by the OU and not to use outside study resources. I love studying, it is my life, so I would go off and find other sources and other information, and include that in my TMAs. I had a raging exchange of emails with my tutor when I was marked down for using outside resources in one TMA. I actually posted on this site for advice and someone replied that their father was an OU tutor, in one course students were encouraged to go outside studying, on another course he taught they were discouraged. So if I ever do another course I will check that first.

Having said that, my OU studies got me my unconditional offer for uni, so I can't knock it too much and I did love a lot of the course work - you have to be extremely disciplined and I am, so it worked well for me.

From the basic information I know, what you can do if you want to study GSCEs or A Levels, this might be different in Scotland, is that you can contact the qualifying body - I don't know what it is called in England but in Scotland it is SQA - and get the course content of the subject you want to study. You study at your own pace and then contact your nearest examing centre and arrange to sit the exam there - at a cost. I'm on an access course studying highers and there are a few independent students that study with me, and that's what they have done. That last sentence doesn't make sense - sorry they are self-funding and attend classes and then sit the exam. But I have read of students doing home study and then just sitting the exams, for example with me sitting higher english.

Why not do an access course if you want to go to uni?

snugglepet20

Thanks for all your answers, you all seem pretty pleased with the OU so that is a good sign! I think I will pick a level 2 course because I already have a diploma of higher education and I think that takes you up to the end of level 2. Now I just have to choose which one!