What courses would you like the OU to run?

I live in Thailand, which limits the courses available to me, though the list does seem to have been extended recently.

I would like to see more courses made available to those who don't live in the EU, particularly those that don't have a written exam at the end. This shouldn't be too difficult to arrange though the higher costs may put a lot of people off.

Alan

I am studying towards the MBA and have studied the certificate and diploma in management. I am very interested in people at work and find managing people fascinating. Even thought the certificate and diploma go a long way and in some detail about people management, I would like to take a course that goes beyond B642 and B700, a course that goes some way to study the psychology behind people’s behaviour, why they get motivated through different approaches. B824, Managing Human Resources is a very good course, all about strategy, but it lacks what I am missing.

I am managing a very diverse team and B642, B700 and B824 have been absolutely brilliant. But I do miss that detail that answers all those Why’s. Thinking about all those learning methods that psychologist, clinical social workers etc talk about, there must be something managers can learn from those theories. Managing people is after all a great deal of managing learning.

I would like more courses on textiles and in particular quilting and the history of both.

I also would like more courses to have end of course assessments and not the examinations that are attached to so many of the courses.

I am one of those unfortunate people who really are almost physically sick before exams. To date, I have not failed one and I have taken a great deal. However, I just choose to do courses with ECA. My degree is for me and not for any particular job. Could we not have a situation within the OU where courses could attract a choice between an examination or ECA? Good luck with the history degree.

EP 327

HOW ABOUT THE OU (CONTINUE)RUNNING NAMED SCIENCE DEGREES??!

Due to a lack of Masters in military history , i contacted Leeds university and i can do a research masters in my chosen subject. now all i have to do is see if i can get some form of funding, it would be nice if the OU did masters in military as a research masters, but alas they dont seem to.

Whatever happened to the electronics courses?
I'd really like to see something like T202 to return in future.

http://ict.open.ac.uk/courses/t202/index.html

Andy

I agree with the lack of science and electronics courses, there should be an emphasis on modern sciences, what about space sciences as maybe just maybe space sciences and engineering will be this countries future.

Anthropology would be good, please!

i would like to see social work degree in northern ireland. as i would be interested in it

Definitely some sort of introduction to electronics.

The masters is actually a good point. My first degree was in biology and chemistry, the chemistry mainly analytical chemistry and the biology mainly molecular biology/ biochemistry.

When I looked at courses for a masters there just doesn't seem to be enough options. And what's there seems disjointed and have been there for years, eg brain and behaviour.

http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?Q01F12

scroll down to the options

There's molecules in medicine, but that's specific to medicine. Then you have to make your degree up from other subjects.

There doesn't seem to be a structured course over the three or four years. Say three or four courses on molecular biology covering different areas of it, or a course specific biochemistry course. And of course this could extend to other subjects.

This should be structured, first two or three courses taught and finishing with a project.

The masters are like a lot of modular undergraduate degree's. Mine was like that, jack of all trades but master of none. You know, bits of everything but nothing in detail, all rushed to cover as much of the subjects as possible. We did one course called biodiversity, it was literally, these are viruses, that's a bacteria, now a protist, look plants, that was an angiosperm you just past.....Humans. Kids doing O levels in individual subjects would know more.

I don't know how many masters students there are, or what the demand is. Perhaps the OU concentrates mainly on the undergraduate courses and the demand for masters is probably not that much. Courses will be very expensive to produce, perhaps that's why the options are restricted. Perhaps it's like that in all universities I don't know.

In the end, the only only that I could find that looked quite structured was in earth sciences so I decided to do that.

http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?Q01F53

Electronics Engineer here, just completed a part time HNC and working in the industry. As all the above posts stated, I was very dissapointed to find no electronics related courses. Infact I almost dismissed the OU completley for this reason.

I am just about to start my B.Eng(Hons) in October and am trying to bias it towards the software side as this is more relevant to my career plan. Seems the HNC will give me the technical skills I need while the B.Eng will just earn me some letters after my name!

A full Msc in biochemistry or molecular biology. There just the one module which means I have to do Earth science.

Electronics, without doubt. A subject that seems to be overlooked by a lot of colleges.

To reply to Stefan, the CIPD offer a Post Grad Certificate in the Psychology of Management, but it's horrendously expensive if you're self financing. I think it would be fantastic if the OU offered something similar. At present there's lots on Management process & strategy etc, but little which delves more deeply into understanding people but within a psychological context. Birkbeck also do something similar. It would be good to have a course which didn't require previous study of psychology but made the link between psychology & managing people.

i woul like to see a degree in scots law instead of just english law, i see as the logical next step though i cant really understand why there isnt already one esp since the highest no of students per capita is in shetland!

my other idea is a bit ambitious so i appreciate if it can never be done, but what about a veterenary degree?

I'm doing an honours degree in law, and I'd like to be able to continue it, if I pass, with a master's degree.Prefereably in a subject of my own choice.

Can't see an MA in International Relations. That's what I'd like. Or have I missed it?

Russian

Hi all

I am interested in theatre and infection control and feel that perhaps the Open University could run some kind of course (similar to An Introduction to Health and Social Care) on theatre nursing/support/ODP/ODO or offer the Diploma of Higher Education in Operating Department Practice.

Perhaps offer awards, such as, Certificate in Operating Department Practice, Certificate in Operating Support Assistants, Certificate in Operating Theatre Infection Control, etc.

There should be more variety of post-grad biological / nursing / medical science modules. I would love to do my nursing masters with the OU, but will have to look elsewhere.

Would love, as one of the posts above, for there to be a degree in medicine. I appreciate that there are certain elements which must be practical, but if the bulk of the learning could be done in one go at the start of the course, then it would allow more people to enter. As a mother I would love to study whilst at home so that when my youngest has started school I could then go and do the practical stuff. It would also help with the financial side of things as this would prove very difficult as the course set-up currently stands. With so few specailists in some of the medical fields and waiting lists to match the proportion, surely it would be in the public's interest to introduce an easier method of study, even if it stipulates that the study eventually pertains to those areas of medicine most in need. The BMA needs to see that change can be good - unfortunately they may see it as being at their expense and more than likely snub any such ideas.

I also can't understand why the OU is taking so long to introduce a law degree relevent to Northern Ireland - quite astounded!!!

How about Combined Honours Degree eg BA (Hons) Combined French with Religious Studies. At present you can do a watered down version which is a BA (Hons) Humanities but it means you miss out on some of the modules which would give the degree more cloute.

Denise

A scottish law degree would be nice.

I would love it, if the OU did a History of Film degree or similar. I know at the moment they do a Film and Television History course but this appears to be finishing in 2011.

I would like to study for a degree in Heritage Management as this is a particular interest of mine.

I would love to be able to study more towards a forensic science & criminal justice degree with the OU.  As it is I will have to leave and travel around 55 miles per day to study at a different uni :(