TrevorS Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-23160461 "Prof Sir Eric Thomas, president of Universities UK, said: "The 40% drop since 2010 in the numbers taking up part-time study is deeply worrying " Deeply worrying for budget income projections no doubt. "A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spokeswoman said it was determined to support all part-time students at university."From 2012 we made non means-tested tuition fee loans available to new part-time students."". Very kind of them. Unfortunately it looks like the oldies are not so keen on debt. That's for those young uns who want to have a chance of a job that doesn't involve food-handling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 These are mostly "hobby" degrees. For many years I planned to do an OU degree part time but, as with proper Unis, the fees for that got jacked up so high I won't be bothering now and will do one of the structured online learning courses referenced here. That OU degree would have been a "hobby" degree done out of pure interest so I am not being demeaning when I talk of hobby degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timak Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 An Open University course, taken to full degree level, will now cost you £15k. A 6 week OU course with 1 days human contact will now cost you £2.5k. No wonder nobody takes them any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 The very low paid jobs where workers are in high demand for example compassionate care work still require qualifications.......if they want the fully trained people for cheap labour to work for them they should be investing in training them..... :angry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpectrumFX Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 I've been keeping an eye on some OU music courses for a while. Used to be ~£800 for one module including a residential summer school bit. They've "updated" the module to take out the residential bit but the price is now £2,500 for those in England. Still ~£800 for me as i'm in Wales, but i'm not interested at £800, and only a moron would pay £2.5k considering what you're getting for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebrowne Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 full degrees under £4 or 5k for 3 year course, exams etc. http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Jib Fingers Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 When I did my maths degree I thought I could have done the whole lot with a few text books designed for the course and/or material online and then just booking into the exams at the end. Any real problems with understanding could have been dealt with online if needed. No real need for lecture theatres these days, but of course they have to justify the salaries and pensions somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StainlessSteelCat Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 (edited) Universities need to wake up to the idea it's a globalised marketplace now - and they are competing with free. As an autodidact, life has never been better. A thousand lifetimes worth of high quality learning is out there and completely free. I don't give a monkey's if I end up with a certificate at the end. The first online company to offer an acredited degree for £500 (<£100 if you are in the developing world) including structured learning, assessment, peer support etc will make a killing. This is the direction the OU should have taken, not the reverse. Edited July 4, 2013 by StainlessSteelCat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Universities need to wake up to the idea it's a globalised marketplace now - and they are competing with free. As an autodidact, life has never been better. A thousand lifetimes worth of high quality learning is out there and completely free. I don't give a monkey's if I end up with a certificate at the end. The first online company to offer an acredited degree for £500 including structured learning, assessment, peer support etc will make a killing. This is the direction the OU should have taken, not the reverse. Bring it on......sooner the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liquid Goldfish Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 full degrees under £4 or 5k for 3 year course, exams etc. http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/ is that what they used to call London "External"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
interestrateripoff Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 To do a part time degree you may need to work part time, when fees where small people could afford it. As part time work is usually low paid it appears Universities have discovered that low paid people can't afford the fees. Shock news totally unexpected. One would have thought someone in the economics dept might have spotted this fundamental flaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellerkat Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 One would have thought someone in the economics dept might have spotted this fundamental flaw. I think I've just spotted the flaw in your statement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappycocco Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 It's about providing salaries and pensions for people that can't hack it in the real world, every few years you need a collapse to stop it getting out of control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sour Mash Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 These are mostly "hobby" degrees. For many years I planned to do an OU degree part time but, as with proper Unis, the fees for that got jacked up so high I won't be bothering now and will do one of the structured online learning courses referenced here. That OU degree would have been a "hobby" degree done out of pure interest so I am not being demeaning when I talk of hobby degrees. Yeah, I was considering doing an Open University degree out of personal interest but as you say, the fee increases put me right off that idea. I can expand my knowledge in pretty much any area using free tools and resources online but it would have been nice to do a properly structured degree and might even have opened the path to a career change further in life, which self-research and learning won't really do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StainlessSteelCat Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 (edited) It's about providing salaries and pensions for people that can't hack it in the real world, every few years you need a collapse to stop it getting out of control. Given the amount of zombie companies in all kinds of sectors out there, I am beginning to wonder what the real world looks like. Edited July 4, 2013 by StainlessSteelCat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrevorS Posted July 4, 2013 Author Share Posted July 4, 2013 is that what they used to call London "External"? Westminster Poly! Same old eclectic collection of ramshackle buildings littered around Oxford Street, with the occasional stainless steel cafe grafted on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldbug9999 Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 The first online company to offer an acredited degree for £500 (<£100 if you are in the developing world) including structured learning, assessment, peer support etc will make a killing. This is the direction the OU should have taken, not the reverse. And which university whos currently coining it in on extortionate fees is going to offer them accreditation ?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 And which university whos currently coining it in on extortionate fees is going to offer them accreditation ?. Who is it that decides that whatever is learnt deserves accreditation.......the employer that pays the wages? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Executive Sadman Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-23160461 "Prof Sir Eric Thomas, president of Universities UK, said: "The 40% drop since 2010 in the numbers taking up part-time study is deeply worrying " Deeply worrying for budget income projections no doubt. "A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spokeswoman said it was determined to support all part-time students at university."From 2012 we made non means-tested tuition fee loans available to new part-time students."". Very kind of them. Unfortunately it looks like the oldies are not so keen on debt. That's for those young uns who want to have a chance of a job that doesn't involve food-handling. Deeply worrying? That students are waking up to what a utter con university is for most of them? Yep, i guess if youre a lecturer, that is deeply worrying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 full degrees under £4 or 5k for 3 year course, exams etc. http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/ Thanks. Interesting link. I tried to do an LLB part time at DeMontfort but have give up at the time due to the fee jacking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebrowne Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 yes, very good prices relative to everyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_duke_of_hazzard Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 These are mostly "hobby" degrees. For many years I planned to do an OU degree part time but, as with proper Unis, the fees for that got jacked up so high I won't be bothering now and will do one of the structured online learning courses referenced here. That OU degree would have been a "hobby" degree done out of pure interest so I am not being demeaning when I talk of hobby degrees. Same here. I did the first year of a Masters in Art History, can't remember how much it cost but it didn't feel like a lot. Has since gone up so much it's not really worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norbert Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 (edited) Same here. I did the first year of a Masters in Art History, can't remember how much it cost but it didn't feel like a lot. Has since gone up so much it's not really worth it. ...And me too. I started a masters with the OU a few years back, got about a quarter through but put it on hold owing to change of focus. Went to pick it up again a few years later, scratched my head at why the costs for each module had more than doubled, thought what I actually got for it and thought "you can **** right off!". How the OU can justify thousands of pounds for so little is beyond me. It used to be accessible higher education for all. Not so sure now.... Seriously, the amount they are charging, I'd expect a one-two week residential school, fully inclusive, for each module. Edited July 4, 2013 by Norbert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pl1 Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 An Open University course, taken to full degree level, will now cost you £15k. A 6 week OU course with 1 days human contact will now cost you £2.5k. No wonder nobody [from Britain] takes them any more. I'm sure the Chinese might pick up the slack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StainlessSteelCat Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 And which university whos currently coining it in on extortionate fees is going to offer them accreditation ?. Whichever is suffering most. I foresee a global race to reduce prices once students (or perhaps more likely, their parents) realise they are mostly paying thousands extra for an often not very good brand name on their degree certificate. The Cambridge's, Harvard's and MIT's of this world will always probably get away with charging a premium - even for online only. The ex-polys towards the bottom of the league tables? Or an up-and-coming uni based in the developing world? I doubt it. That'll drag down the online prices of the middle tier unis as well I reckon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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