Open University www.open.ac.uk Review

I have been a student at the Open University for 5 years doing a degree in computing and I am very disappointed in the quality of my degree. The course texts and software used were always out of date. On one course the software was 8 years old. I often find the course text's tend to give an introduction to many different areas but never go into sufficient detail. I compared what I have learnt from this degree to what I would have learnt if I went to another University and a lot is missing from the OU degree. We have only learnt one programming language and not covered hardware. I also find a lot of the modules discuss business too much. If I wanted to learn about business I would have studied for a business degree.



The course's are very overpriced and one course which was only a 10 pointer cost as much as a 30 pointer. The marking scheme is also stupidity at its best. For example if you get 90% on your assignments (TMA's) and only 60% on your exam your overall course grade will be 60%. They do not take into account the fact you had a bad day or the exam was bad. A couple of the exams have been of poor quality. This idiotic marking scheme has had a massive effect on the final classification of my degree.



The student support staff are a joke. They clearly know nothing about the courses or degrees the Open University offer. I learnt a long time ago not to bother asking them for advice. The website while modern is not the easiest to navigate and searching for certain pieces information (i.e. exam procedures, complaint forms) is not made easy.



Obviously as this is a distance learning university the social side is rubbish. They do offer forums for each module but I have found these to be deserted most of the time. Usually students only speak when they have to.



In conclusion my time at the Open University has been a waste of money. If I complete my degree it will not represent my true abilities and it will not be as good as a similar degree from a traditional university. I am going to have to another university and get a proper degree if I want to get anywhere in the computing industry.



If you are considering studying at the Open University then don't. It is not the only distance learning establishment in the UK.