This group is maintained on behalf of the Open University Students Assocation in Scotland.
We will use it to bring you news and information on what is happening within your Assocation. Please also feel free to use it to communicate with OUSA in Scotland and "meet" other OU students within Scotland.
OUSA in Scotland is governed by an elected Assembly of student representatives. Elections take place in late Summer each year (although 2011 may be a little later) and any OU student resident within Scotland is entitled to stand for election. In addition to our elected members we also have some observer members who generally are student representatives on OU in Scotland committees who have not stood for election to the Assembly.
Assembly leadership and administration is undertaken by an Executive which is also made up of elected student representatives. These elections take place concurrently with the main Assembly elections. We will bring you news of the next round of elections here once nominations open. As an OU student in Scotland, you could be part of our Assembly.
The OUSA in Scotland Assembly has the following functions:
- to facilitate the representation of OU students at a local and national level within the Open University and Higher Education sector
- to define national level OUSA policy
- to facilitate obtaining the widest possible student opinion and access to discussion and decision making in OUSA
- to provide an OUSA public face to OU events within Scotland (e.g. residential school, graduation)
- to support local OUSA Groups and Networks within Scotland.
You can contact OUSA in Scotland on executive@ousa-in-scotland.org.uk or visit our online fourms at http://learn.open.ac.uk/mod/resourcepage/view.php?id=566353.
Our websites http://www.ousa-in-scotland.org.uk or http://www.open.ac.uk/ousa/ contain more information on OUSA.
You can also find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=114085388633021&v=wall.
Higher Education in Scotland News
Information brought to you by the Open University Students Association in Scotland
In October, the long awaited Browne Review into funding Higher Education in England was published. This has received much media coverage particularly in the area of the fee increase up to £9000. Although not directly affecting students in Scotland, as ours is a UK based University serving an international community the proposals of the Browne Review will have a major impact upon the OU as a whole. What the Browne Review does for England is shift the burden of fees on to the individual student with the main means of support being the student loan (which will be repaid, with interest, at a later date). It also calls for parity between full-time and part-time students. Very worryingly it recommends that access to “student finance” in the form of loans is based on UCAS points. This goes against the principle of openness that is ingrained into our University. Furthermore, the proposals set a minimum threshold of 30 credit points for eligibility for support.
In Scotland, the government has rejected the Browne Review and has recently released a green paper setting out a number of proposals for a Scottish Solution. In particular our Government is opposed to the idea of the burden for fees falling on the student.
OU students in Scotland (as in the rest of the UK) currently pay a portion of the cost of their course. The remainder of the cost is met by the Government via the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), and the OU in Scotland receives this funding directly. Some Scottish students may qualify for an ILA of £200 or £500 to assist with the cost of their portion of the fees. Other students may have all of their fees paid in the form of the part-time fee waiver. Students outwith the UK pay a higher course fee primarily because the OU does not receive the Government subsidy for them. Full-time students in Scotland meanwhile, have their fees paid in full by the Government.
The Scottish green paper sets out a number of proposals as to how Higher Education could be funded in future. The current Government is strongly in favour of the state retaining prime responsibility for tuition fees although a graduate contribution is a possibility. The six different options are set out in chapter 6 of the paper http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/12/15125728/0.
In chapter 5 on Student Support the paper states “To support and encourage more part-time study are there new ideas we could consider such as providing fee loans for such study or could we pay fees for all part-time students with no previous experience as we do for full-time study?” The paper then goes on to ask the following:
· Should we provide more loans to cover part-time fees?
· How could businesses be incentivised to support part-time study?
· Should we encourage more part-time study?
Currently Scottish OU students pay the same course fees as other UK students. However, a few years ago the OU Council agreed to break the link between the fees which paves the way for so called “differential fees” whereby course fees may vary depending upon which nation of the UK a student is resident in. With the UK and Scottish Governments now having very different approaches to funding higher education it seems almost inevitable that differential fees will become a reality.
Neither OUSA nor the OU have been quiet about any of the above. Both the OU and OUSA centrally made submissions to the Browne Review and the President has since sent a response to relevant UK government ministers in response to the review. The OU in Scotland, as a member of Universities Scotland has argued the case for part-time students in the run up to the publication of the Scottish Government paper.
It is important to realise that at this stage the Green Paper is only suggesting possible options and with a Scottish election in May, anything could still happen – not all political parties have embraced the paper. It’s unlikely that there will be any specific HE policies emerge before the elections. What is known however, is that there will be changes. A consultation phase has now been entered and the Government is actively seeking responses and comments to the paper. Organisations and individuals are being invited to submit responses, public consultation events are being organised and online consultation is supposed to be being set up. Both the OU in Scotland and OUSA in Scotland will be submitting responses to the paper from a part-time students viewpoint.
The Green paper and the consultation are probably the most important thing to happen in Scottish Higher Education in over a decade as they provide the opportunity to shape the future. The responses to the consultation will become a valuable resource for the incoming government’s advisors. It is therefore imperative that the viewpoint of part-time students is represented in the response.
OUSA in Scotland will bring you further updates on this issue over the coming months. If you are interested in finding out more take a look at the following websites:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/12/15125728/0
Building a Smarter Future – the Scottish Government green paper. Chapters 5 and 6 are the most relevant.
http://www.nusconnect.org.uk/asset/news/6155/Briefing-Responses-to-the-Green-Paper.pdf
NUS Scotland’s briefing response to the Scottish Government paper – provides a useful summary of the contents of the paper and the views of stakeholders. Recommended reading.
The initial response from the Universities Scotland organisation. Will be followed by a detailed response addressing all the questions raised in the Scottish Government paper.
An OU campaigning website which, despite the English branding, does now cover the Scottish Solution. The Browne Review and the OU submissions to the review are available for download from this site.
http://news.kmi.open.ac.uk/rostra/news.php?r=82
The news section of the OUSA website which provides information on OUSA’s response to the Browne Review including copies of letters sent by the President.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11727892
BBC news website page with links to many recent news articles on university funding.
http://www.engageforeducation.org/smarter-future/
Scottish Government website for online consultation / blogging.
Information brought to you by the Open University Students Association in Scotland In October, the long awaited Browne Review into funding Higher Education in England was published. This has received much media coverage particularly in the area of the fee increase up to £9000. Although not directly affecting students in Scotland, as ours is a UK based University serving an ...
Informal Student Groups
As part of its pilot of the new style OUSA structure, OUSA in Scotland has established 14 different informal Student Groups. These Groups are intended to open up opportunities for students to socialise, network and provide mutual support to each other. Some Groups are purely social, others interest related whilst other Groups act as support networks. The Groups are very flexible, free to join and operate on an informal basis. Some organise regular meet ups for students whilst others operate primarily online. Have a look at what’s on offer and get in touch if you would like to find out more.
OUSA Edinburgh Social Group
Purpose: To provide a programme of informal social activities and mutual support for OU students within Edinburgh and the surrounding area. Monthly pub meet ups on the first Tuesday of each month at Milne’s Bar.
OUSA Aberdeen and North East Scotland Social Group
Purpose: To provide a programme of informal social activities and mutual support for O U students in Aberdeen and the North East.
OUSA Glasgow Social Group
Purpose: To provide a programme of informal social activities and mutual support for OU students within Glasgow and the surrounding area. Monthly pub meet ups on the first Wednesday of each month at the Counting House.
OUSA South West Scotland Network
Purpose: To gather a community of students to share experiences and identify the issues that affect their study within the O U.
OUSA Scottish Islands Student Group
Purpose: To gather a community of students who live on Scottish Islands. To enable students to share experiences and identify the issues that can affect their study with the O U.
OUSA Scottish Remote Student Group
Purpose: To gather a community of remote students to share experiences and identify the issues that affect remote students within the O U.
OUSA Scottish Arts Network
Purpose: To gather a community of Arts students to share experiences and identify the issues that affect them within the O U.
OUSA Scottish Maths Computing and Technology Network
Purpose: To gather a community of Maths, Computing and Technology students to share experiences and identify the issues that affect them within the O U.
OUSA Scottish Postgraduate Student Group
Purpose: To gather a community of postgraduate students to share expereinces and identify the issues that affect postgraduate students within the O U.
OUSA Scottish Disability Network
Purpose: To gather a community of disabled students to share experiences and identify the issues that affect disabled students.
OUSA Scottish Lesbian, Gay or Bi-sexual Student Network
Purpose: To gather a community of L G B T T students to share experiences and identify the issues that affect L G B T T students within the OU.
OUSA Scottish Photography Group
Purpose: To gather a community of students with interest in photography using film, black and white, colour and/or digital means.
Purpose: To gather a community of students who already use a Mac or who are considering using a Mac. To support students to use a Mac during their O U studies.
Purpose: to foster an interest in, and support, theatre throughout Scotland. To utilise the bulk buying power of the student population to secure discounts through group bookings.
Would you like to set up a Student Group within Scotland to cater for a different set of students? Get in touch to find out what is involved.
As part of its pilot of the new style OUSA structure, OUSA in Scotland has established 14 different informal Student Groups. These Groups are intended to open up opportunities for students to socialise, network and provide mutual support to each other. Some Groups are purely social, others interest related whilst other Groups act as support networks. The Groups are very flexible, free to join ...
Welcome
Hi
Welcome to the OUSA in Scotland group. My name is Susan and I am currently the OUSA Executive Committee Member for Scotland (until mid April 2011). Just completed B190 Introduction to Book-keeping and Accounting.
Say hello and introduce yourself.
Susan
Hi Welcome to the OUSA in Scotland group. My name is Susan and I am currently the OUSA Executive Committee Member for Scotland (until mid April 2011). Just completed B190 Introduction to Book-keeping and Accounting. Say hello and introduce yourself. Susan
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