Open University

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The Open University
Walton hall.JPG
Motto Learn and Live
Established 1969
Type Public
Location Milton Keynes (main campus) & regional centres, United Kingdom
Website http://www.open.ac.uk/

The Open University is the United Kingdom's distance learning government-supported university notable for having an open entry policy, established in 1969. The majority of students are based in the UK, but its long-distance and on-line capabilities allows students to matriculate from around the world. The university awards undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, as well as non-degree qualifications such as diplomas and certificates, or continuing education units.

Mission and reputation

The Open University (OU) aims to provide a university education more accessible than traditional institutions of higher education through its open enrollment, distance, and internet-based educational programs. Its vision includes serving disabled people, who are officially a priority group within the University. The British Government asked the Open University to continue the work of the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) of awarding degrees in non-university institutions, when it was dissolved in 1992. The CNAA formerly awarded degrees at polytechnics which have since become universities.

The programs develop to fulfill this mission has found the university on the cutting edge of technological and educational innovation, which the OU publicizes as one of its most valuable selling points.[1] The OU also is committed to social justice and strongly supports many lines of diversity, as it sees discrimination as "waste of human resources and a denial of opportunity for individual self-fulfillment."[2] Hence, the OU strives to fight social injustice and discrimination through education.

While many universities promote admissions selectivity as a staple of prestige, the Open University's different model establishes success as just the opposite; inclusiveness is a major point with the OU, and it is generally regarded as one of the most inclusive schools in the world, particularly in regards to its distance learning programs.[3] With more than 180,000 students enrolled, including more than 25,000 students studying overseas,[4] it is the largest academic institution in the UK by student number, and qualifies as one of the world's largest universities. It was rated top University in England and Wales for student satisfaction in the 2005[5] and 2006[6] UK government national student satisfaction survey, and second in the 2007 survey.[7] Teaching at the OU has been rated as "excellent"[8] by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. The English national survey of student satisfaction has twice put the Open University in first place.

History

The Open University was founded by the Labour government of Harold Wilson, based on the ideas of Michael Young for a "teleuniversity." He envisioned an educational institution that could use the growing telecommunications innovations of the 1960s to reach out to a larger number and greater variety of students than more traditional modes had done previously.[9] Planning commenced in 1965 under Minister of State for Education Jennie Lee, who led an advisory committee consisting of university vice-chancellors, educationalists, and broadcasters.

The main branch located in Milton Keynes opened in 1970, enrolling its first 25,000 students for classes beginning at the start of 1971. It adopted a radical open admissions policy which took into account work and life experience, as well as previous academic work. Admissions quickly exceeded the preliminary numbers by 1974-1975, and by 1987-1988 yearly enrollment had doubled to 100,000 students, reaching 200,000 by 2001-2002. By 2007 the University had educated more than two million students, 675,000 of which studied enough courses to achieve a qualification after successful assessment.[10]

During the latter half of the twentieth century, the University's population allowed it to open regional offices throughout the United Kingdom, as well as develop distance learning programs. Expansion outside of Europe however proved to be more difficult. In 2000, the university opened a satellite campus in the United States. This American branch closed only two years later, though, due to under enrollment.[3] Beyond such set backs, the Open University continues to grow in popularity, and develop innovative education programs, both for non-traditional and traditional students.

Facilities

Ireland Region office, Belfast, Northern Ireland

The Open University has a main campus and headquarters located in Milton Keynes, with 13 regional centers located throughout the United Kingdom. Each location offers class rooms and administrative offices, although the Milton Keynes campus is the largest and central administrative headquarters for the university.[11] All campuses include tutors and student service offices that provide academic support, as well as vocational and life counseling.

The Betty Boothroyd Library is located at the main campus, and houses a large collection, along with studying facilities and resources such as computers. The library also houses several special collections, such as The Oral History Project, the Fauvel Collection, the Jennie Lee Collection, and the British Institute for Management Archive. The library also offers a wide range of on-line services, including collection catalogs, databases, and e-journals to all students, no matter which campus they study at.[12]

To accommodate its distance learning and large dispersion of students, the university offers an on-line conference and networking forum, called FirstClass, which is used to study-groups, social networking, and subject related discussions, to help develop a sense of community among its students.[13]

Programs

The Open University grants undergraduate Certificates, typically awarded after 60 completed credits at Level 1 or Level 3, Diplomas (abbreviated Dip) after 120 credits—typically 60 points at Level 2 and 60 points at Level 3, ordinary Bachelor degrees after 300 credits, and Bachelor degrees with honors. Majors for these types of degrees include Engineering, Business Studies, Childhood and Youth Studies, Computing, Mathematical Sciences, Statistics, Criminology, and Psychological Studies, English Language and Literature, Environmental Studies, European Studies, Health Studies, History, Human Geography, General Humanities, Information Technology and Computing, International Studies, Language Studies, Molecular Science, Natural Sciences, Nursing Practice, Philosophy, Psychology, Physical Science, Politics, and Social Sciences.

As well as degrees in named subject, the Open University also grants "open" Bachelor degrees where the syllabus is designed by the students by combining any number of Open University courses up to 360 credits for an open honors degree - the main restriction on which courses can be included is that there must be at least 120 at level 3 and no more than 120 at level 1.

The Open University provides the opportunity to study for a PhD on a part-time distance learning basis, or a full time on-site basis, in a wide range of disciplines. The university also offers a range of Masters of Arts levels courses such as Art History, Classical Studies, Environment, Policy and Society, History, Music, Online and Distance Education, Popular Culture. The Master of Science majors include Advancing Healthcare Practice, Development Management, Engineering, Forensic Psychology and Criminology, Human Resource Management, International Finance and Management, Medical Physics and Social Research Methods. Postgraduate certificates are awarded for 60 points of study on specified courses; postgraduate diplomas are awarded for 120 points of study on specified courses. The University offers "Advanced Diplomas" that involve 60 credits at undergraduate level and 60 credits at postgraduate level, designed as "bridges" between undergraduate and postgraduate study.

Colleges, Institutes and Centers

Open University has seven colleges, or Faculties as they are known:

Open University also has two Institutes:

There are five Research Centers:

Student life

Students at the Open University have a different academic experience to that of more traditional universities. For its distance learning students, the OU uses a variety of methods, including written and audio materials, the Internet, disc-based software, and television programs on DVD. Materials are composed of originally-authored work by in-house and external academic contributors, and from third-party materials licensed for use by OU students. For most courses, students are supported by tutors ("Associate Lecturers") who provide feedback on their work and are generally available to them at face-to-face tutorials, by telephone, and/or on the Internet.

Some courses have mandatory day schools. These are day-long sessions which a student must attend in order to pass the course. One example of such a course is the Advanced Certificate in Health Promotion, which has two mandatory day schools/workshops, focusing on communication skills, counseling, and practical issues related to health promotion. Nevertheless, it is possible to seek excusable upon the basis of ill-health (or other extenuating circumstances), and many courses have no mandatory face-to-face component.[14]

Similarly, many courses have traditionally offered week long summer schools offering an opportunity for students to remove themselves from the general distractions of their life and focus on their study for a short time.

Social life for Open University students is also different from the traditional university model. Since most of its students are older and employed full-time, the main campus and regional centers are not like other campuses that house students and offer a varied social life and community beyond academics. An increasingly large population of students do not attend classes in person at all, because they are disabled, abroad, in prison, serving in the armed forces, or looking after family members.[15]

This does not mean however that there is no community of social interaction among students. Whereas many universities offer extracurricular activities and clubs that meet in person, the Open University has the Open University Students Association, which operates both in person and via the internet and is designed to help students with academics as well as career and social related advice. The FirstClass web program is also designed to help students form discussion and study groups with fellow students, no matter which campus they attend. Both of these services are designed to develop a long-distance network for the students of the Open University.[16]

Traditions

Every year the Open University hosts the OUSA Annual Conference in which administrative and faculty of the university deliver speeches and presentations and hear opinions from students on topics related to the university and its operations.[17]

Unlike most UK universities, degree ceremonies at the Open University are not the occasion on which degrees are formally conferred. This happens in absentia at a joint meeting of the University's Council and Senate ahead of the ceremony. The University's ceremonies—or "Presentations of Graduates"—occur during the long summer throughout Britain and Ireland, as well as one ceremony in Versailles, France. These ceremonies are presided over by a senior academic at Pro-Vice-Chancellor level or higher, and have the normal ritual associated with a graduation ceremony, including academic dress and procession.

Similar insitutions

Since its creation, the OU has paved the way for a number of other institutions that have adopted similar on-line and distance education programs, with special emphasis on accepting non-traditional students based on their life experience. Such universities are accredited at the same level as the traditional institutions in their different regions. The following are some examples.

The Open University of Israel (Hebrew: האוניברסיטה הפתוחה, HaUniversita HaPtukha) is one of Israel's major universities and was modeled after the Open University in the UK. The university is based the city of Ra'anana, awards undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, diplomas, and certificates, and accepts students from around the world.

The Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University of Thailand was officially established by Royal Charter on September 5, 1978. As the eleventh state university, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University has all the honors and privileges of other universities. It was the first open university in Southeast Asia to use a distance teaching/learning system.

The Open Universities Australia (OUA) (previously Open Learning Australia (OLA)) is an Australian open distance education organization. The majority of students are based in Australia, although the courses are available to the rest of the world. Undergraduate courses offered have no first year entry requirements, and there are no quotas for most courses.

The Open University of Greece (Hellenic Open University - HOU) is a multi-school university run by the Greek State. The institution, which is based in Patras, is unique in the Greek context in that it exclusively provides distance education at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

The University of Phoenix (UPX) is a private university that specializes in adult education. The largest in North America, it has an enrollment of more than 345,300 students.[18] The school was founded in 1976 by John Sperling and is owned by the Apollo Group. The university has more than 200 campuses offering more than 100 degree programs at the associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels in various fields of study.[19]

Notes

  1. ↑ Open University, "About the OU: Mission Statement" Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  2. ↑ Open University, "About the OU: Equality and Diversity" Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Michael Arnone, "United States Open University Announces It Will Close in June," The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 5, 2002. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
  4. ↑ Open University, "About the OU: The purpose of the OU." Retrieved February 2, 2009
  5. ↑ BBC, "Students rate university courses," BBCNews September 21, 2005. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
  6. ↑ (BBC "Student satisfaction survey results," BBC News, August 23, 2006. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
  7. ↑ Open University, "The Open University highly rated for student satisfaction," Open University, September 11, 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
  8. ↑ OU ranks ninth in University League Table Sesame, July 31, 2002. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  9. ↑ Open University "History of the OU." Retrieved February 5, 2009.
  10. ↑ Open University "About The Open University." Retrieved February 7, 2009.
  11. ↑ Open University "About the OU: How studying works." Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  12. ↑ Open University "Library Info." Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  13. ↑ Open University. "About the OU" Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  14. ↑ Open University "Certificate in Health Sciences." Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  15. ↑ Open University "About the OU." Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  16. ↑ Open University "OU Students Association." Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  17. ↑ Open University "OUSA Annual Conference." Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  18. ↑ Lee Allen, "University of Phoenix provides growth opportunities for working adults," Inside Tuscon Business, August 08, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  19. ↑ University of Phoenix "UPX Campus Locations" Retrieved February 19, 2009.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Perraton, Hilary. Open and Distance Learning in Developing Countries. RoutledgeFalmer, 2000. ISBN 0415194199
  • Legge, D. Education of Adults in Britain. Open University, 1982. ISBN 0335002676
  • Raggatt, Peter, Richard Edwards, and Nick Small (eds.). The Learning Society: Challenges and Trends. New York, NY: Routledge, 1995. ISBN 0415136156
  • Bates, A. W. (Tony). Technology, Open Learning and Distance Education. New York, NY: Routledge, 1995. ISBN 0415127998

External links


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