The Open University - OU Speciality : Art & Design
programme: Arts and Humanities

All the OU modules are fully online with no required meetings, making it ideal for students who don’t want to stress about finding housing or being able to attend lectures or exams.

The module materials are very well made. Instead of reading books written by random authors, the books are written by professors at the OU for those specific modules. So the language, the level, and the content all feel tailored to the modules they were written for.

Humanities students don’t have to do exams and instead practice academic writing and analytical skills with essays. Each module also has its own page and planner, with checklists and recommended date ranges for completion of each task (like readings and other activities), so its very easy to stay on track and manage your tasks.

There are also no group tasks or projects, besides occasionally interacting on forums, which means students don’t have to worry about the performance of other students and earn their grades through their own individual efforts. This can be a great relief for students who studied at applied sciences universities before and may have experienced chaotic and mismanaged group projects.

All the tutors I had gave me detailed feedback that has really helped me improve and develop goals for myself. They have also been very understanding whenever I had to request an extension. Having one tutor per module ensures that if you understand the feedback they give you and apply it to your work you are guaranteed to see an improvement in the grades you receive for your assignments. However, you will need to adapt whenever you get a new tutor or if you submit work that will be reviewed by an another assessor.

As for student life, there are clubs and other opportunities to get to know other students and take part in activites. There are forums students have access to for each module and everyone is very welcoming. How much you engage with the community is up to you, students get emails and other information about a variety of activities after registering.

The main downside of the OU is that for many modules the final assignment, which is typically worth about 40% of the grade, is not returned. Students receive little to no feedback on these assignments and this really hinders their ability to improve their writing and learn further. Especially as these are the result of months of engagement and learning throughout a module and require much more in depth research and writing than any other work. It can make students moving from level 2 to level 3 feel like they don’t have all the tools available to them to receive a distinction.

Another downside is that because most modules are worth 60 credits (30 ECTS), equivalent to half of a school year’s worth of credits, they are very broad and might cover many subjects that are merely adjancent to the interest of a student, rather than focusing on any specific topic. The more common format other universities offer where modules are worth 3-15 credits each allows students to select topics they have a deeper interest in. And as level 3 modules typically expect some level of experience, it can feel as if you are stuck with very few options after completing level 2.

Students must be comfortable studying independently and managing their own time to succeed at the OU as there are no required meetings and the planner available allows you to be independent with how and when you complete tasks. Though this freedom is perfect for students who feel like too much of their time is wasted commuting or sitting through repetitive workshops at regular universities.

Despite the downsides, I think the OU is perfect for students that value their independence and time management and who are self-motivated. The quality of the education is on par with any physical university without the challenges that come with finding housing and navigating the university environment as a mature student.

Leaving school. University wasn’t something that popped into my mind. Now later on in life once I had figured some things out and what I wanted to do I decided to look into some courses. The Open university not only offered distance learning but allowed me to work around other commitments but studying part time. It offered a range of courses with growth support from the tutors and others that were doing the same course as me.
I’m really glad that this can be offered as not everyone is ready for university or has the stable income to do so at such a time. Open University offered the flexibility whilst still gaining a qualification you are passionate in.

The OU is a very flexible university that allows you to tailor your degree to suit your life circumstances. I feel very lucky to be able to do this, and to choose modules that best suit me from a variety of different subject areas. Because I am able to do that, I found that it enabled me to discover my interests far better than a brick uni degree would have done. I have found most of my modules excellently put together, and my tutors extremely helpful and supportive.

For me, working remotely suits me perfectly, but I can see that for some people it wouldn’t be ideal. Sometimes it’s also rather difficult to engage socially with fellow students, but especially in later years, communities of students are easier to find and engage with.

Overall, my experience with the OU has been massively positive.