Below are some of our recent reviews about courses run by The Open University

Open University

Make sure you use the calendar and plan in study time.

Where did you study?Whilst looking after young children
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Name of your course:BSc Open
Type of course:Foundation Science, Evolution, Child Development, Scientific Developments
Length of course:4years
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Quality of course content:Top quality materials, well laid out calendar, tutors approachable
Technical delivery:You needed to have transport to get to seminars. Tutors were all well prepared and delivered at an appropriate pace.
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Peer to peer interaction:I didn’t interact much with my peers as it was a distance learning course.
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Student support:Everything arrived in the post on time. Tutors were contactable by phone or email.
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Overall experience comments:OU met my needs allowing me to study whilst raising my family.
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Provider:Open University
Review dateOctober 28, 2019

The Open University

Online study is amazing if you do not want to be tied down to studying in one location, it is flexible and allows great freedom. I would highly recommend!

Where did you study?I am currently studying while working full time. I plan to join Global Grad for the final year of my degree.
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Name of your course:Chemical Engineering
Type of course:Degree
Length of course:3 years
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Quality of course content:I am finding the content relevant, demanding and up to date.
Technical delivery:I am finding the platform modern and easy to use. There is everything you need and if stuck it is easy to chat in a student forum or get help from online tutors.
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Peer to peer interaction:There are forums as well as groups on social media which I am part of. I have asked a few questions in these groups and have always got a helpful and fast response.
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Student support:My tutors have always been fast at getting in touch with me when I have been struggling with a part of my course or had a question. This is usually via email, although I have arranged a couple of calls with them also which was very helpful!
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Overall experience comments:I am really enjoying studying with the OU so far and am loving the freedom that it is giving me, not only to work along side my studies but also to travel - very excited to take my travels around the world with Global Grad!
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Provider:Open University
Review dateOctober 9, 2019

Open University

Would have preferred to study alongside others ! Summer school was great but think this is discontinued ( other ou courses have them ) would have been great to study online and travel rather than working and family commitments !

Where did you study?Working/ family
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Name of your course:Diploma in music
Type of course:Dip HE
Length of course:2 years
Overall rating of your course
Quality of course content:Generally good
Technical delivery:Lots of listening activities and mix of printed and digital delivery
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Peer to peer interaction:Regular tutorials before assignments 1 week residential summer school
Student support:Student support good easy to contact tutor
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Overall experience comments:Easy to sign up and interact
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Provider:Open University
Review dateSeptember 25, 2019

Open University

Since it can be possible to get ahead, do so if you know an event is coming up! This means you can drop the intensity of your studies when you don’t have as much free time.
If you will be travelling/going somewhere other than home to study, try and find out your studying technique ASAP. That way, you won’t be lugging around unnecessary equipment.
If you find you don’t prioritise your studies, make a timetable up. Since you’re studying flexibly, you will need to work on your time management skills more than the average student. But at the same time, you can pick whenever in the day you want to get your work done- utilise whichever time of day you’re the most productive.
If you are studying with the Open University and are disabled, the OU has the largest community of disabled students in the UK. This is great, but make sure to send in your disability application early! It can take more than ten weeks for everything to be processed.

Where did you study?Half of the time I'm at home working, half of the time I'm travelling
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Name of your course:International Studies (Politics)
Type of course:BA
Length of course:3 years
Overall rating of your course
Quality of course content:Some of the course content is slightly outdated due to the course being about ever changing policies and ideas. However, the theories and thinkers' works are organised in such a way that it is easy to apply them to modern situations, especially in second and third year where independent research makes up a large part of study time.
Technical delivery:The platform is easily accessible and opens up a few weeks before the course officially starts so you can have some time to get used to the interface. I have noted the font has changed between First and Second Year which shows it is updated. The materials used come from a variety of sources and media, and it is easy to access them in different formats depending on whether you are a visual or auditory learner.
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Peer to peer interaction:It seems that a lot of students prefer to use Facebook rather than the Open University forums, but either way, discussions are lighthearted and it is easy to communicate with a wide demographic. I've made some online friends and know the regulars who post in my groups. Additionally, some students organise in-person meetups.
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Student support:My tutors have all been very approachable and we are on a first name basis which makes them seem more personal. All of them have replied within 48 hours of queries. While I haven't attended any in-person tutorials, they have been very uplifting and responsive during the online tutorials. The students have been helpful also, especially experienced students giving tips and tricks to newer members. The OU student association are also active members of the groups. As of writing this, many are graduating and the Facebook group is overflowing with positivism.
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Overall experience comments:I have occasionally found communication issues with the Open University (these have been quickly sorted), but the university has been very accessible and it has flexibility worked around my travels. It's very easy to pick it up whenever I wish to and I can spend as long as I want on tasks before stopping without feeling penalised.
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Provider:Open University
Review dateSeptember 25, 2019

Open University

Enjoyed the taking of photos but would have enjoyed group lectures and instruction more . Lots of benefits of doing the course online though including opportunity to go back through material which was harder to understand ! Perfect solution would be to study alongside other online students ( not necessarily doing the same course ) to create a study environment !

Where did you study?Working / family
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Name of your course:Digital photography creating and sharing better images
Type of course:Short
Overall rating of your course
Quality of course content:Good technical information
Technical delivery:Course came with Adobe photoshop software to use .
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Peer to peer interaction:Good interaction .lots of opportunity for feedback from other students through sharing images
Student support:apart from comments on assignments I didn’t ask for any .. no tutorials
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Overall experience comments:Sign up very easy .. methods of study not the most inspiring but personally prefer to learn in a group situation
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Provider:Open University
Review dateSeptember 25, 2019

Open University

On this course, it was quite a commitment; timescales were tight throughout, and I probably did not commit sufficient time (10-hours every weekend) to gain full benefit.

Where did you study?At home
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Name of your course:Introduction to Computing & Information Technology
Type of course:The first of 12 degree course modules
Length of course:Module, 6-months; Full course, 6-years
Overall rating of your course
Quality of course content:Hard to judge in isolation, but the general approach is probably dated
Technical delivery:Again, hard to judge in isolation, but the general approach is probably dated
Technical delivery
Peer to peer interaction:A bit shambolic from my perspective, but that is probably down to me not belonging to the "social media" generation
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Student support:The student portal was hard to navigate, but all telephone and e-mail interactions were flawless
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Overall experience comments:Quite hard to tell from this single module, but 6-months of study resulted in no new skills
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Provider:Open University
Review dateAugust 23, 2019