No more English Lit

[SueEllen]

Maybe languages are better than the sciences? I'm glad she had a good experience, and maybe the online thing is more generational and I'm just behind the times

I doubt it.

I think they are relying on people to have others around them to help them out, which is not the point of the courses and will increase their drop out rates.

[northernladuk]

I don't have an issue with prices going up but I don't expect a degradation in service as a result. The overall offering is very poor compared to when I first started studying with them.

I remember the days of monthly in-person tutorials, books, science kits, week-long summer camps (at an extra but not unreasonable charge). I know that times move on and online brings the opportunity for efficiency, blended learning, and reaching a wider audience but I feel they have gotten the balance wrong. When you're struggling to understand something and don't know how to ask the question, being forced to type it into a chat box on an online tutorial or online forum is hard work compared to having a chat with the tutor at the monthly meetup.

They are literally becoming a "computer says no" outfit because they have trimmed back the people and replaced them with technology.

I hope for the money they've updated their courses.

One thing that did make me giggle was doing the M101 Maths foundation and having to watch the TV programmes. In the late 90's they were still using programmes made in the 70's hosted by a guy with massive hair, brown cauduroy pants and jumper with patches on the sleeves.

I can't remember the course code but I did one called 'Communicating Technology' a few years after M101 and the case study was on an 8 track cassette and some other projection technology I'd never heard of either. Lucky I wasn't relying on the content for my career at that point

[ladymuck]

I loved the old OU TV programmes! They did move onto DVD for a while, which was just as entertaining.

[SueEllen]

I loved the old OU TV programmes! They did move onto DVD for a while, which was just as entertaining.

I think I concentrated more on the "fashion" than the content.

[DoctorStrangelove]

I loved the old OU TV programmes! They did move onto DVD for a while, which was just as entertaining.

Towards the end you could tell the quadruplex VTRs weren't set up particularly well & the tapes were wearing out.

Sunday mornings had some cracking stuff from the OU in those days.

BBC2 didn't start* until 20:00 19:00 for a long time, showing OU programmes from 18:00 to 20:00 19:00 IIRC.

*Sadly the Radio Times thing only lists the BBC progs, doesn't include the OU progs.