The Open University — Attraction in Milton Keynes

I've taken three classes with the Open University over the last several years. I was sold on the prospect of a real, accredited University, offering solid online courses, from which I could transfer credits to any other accredited Universities. But it's just a money pit, I've come to discover.

They ship you bare-minimum learning resources, which suffice to pass the tests, but fall far short of providing a real education on the subject matter.

They take, on average, two weeks to respond to any concern of any kind. And sometimes they don't respond at all. There seems to be a bare-bones staff present at all times, and I've heard complaints from staff that they are overworked and underpaid, compared to staff at other Universities.

There are lots of hidden tripwires designed, as best I can figure, to ensnare students to tack on hidden fees. For example, in the latest class I took, there was an exam at the very end. But this required a second, separate registration, which had to be completed several months prior to the actual exam. And if you miss that deadline? You have to wait an entire year, re-register with the same class, and then register the exam on time. And for this, they are gracious enough to give you a 90% discount on the class for the second go-around. All because you didn't sign up to take a test in a class which you already paid and signed up for.

I have several other examples of similar tactics they use. Like, mid-way through my first class, something in my personal life prevented me from finishing the class, and I made several inquiries about whether I had the option to finish the class at a later date. Every response was a no. But later I found out that there was indeed an option to defer my class, with a 60% discount (since I had completed roughly 60% of the course). So instead of pointing out the option thus potentially saving me a huge amount of money and time and work, they instead effectively shrugged at me saying "We sympathize with your personal problems, but we have nothing for you."

This one is partially my fault, because stuck away 2/3 of the way down a 100 page-long terms&conditions form, the option for deferring classes was listed. But they must have known it was an option. How could they not?

In conclusion: save your money. In this day and age, there are a variety of accredited online programs. I recommend staying away...

I'm a mature student, nearing the end of my first 2 modules in Mathematics. I was very apprehensive about being able to cope but the teaching guides are excellent and interesting with a good balance of theory and application, also the online support is excellent with online tutorials, online screencasts and live online forums where students can post queries and receive help from other students and tutors. Also each student has a personal tutor to further explain things we don't understand. There is an excellent online week by week planner. There are online practice quizzes which were the greatest help for me to show where I needed more work. I study best on my own at my own pace so this has been perfect for me. I can't wait for my next 2 modules!!

I'm halfway through my degree now and absolutely loving it. It's hard work but the OU has everything there to help. It has definitely been worth every hour of studying.

I started 2 more 2nd year modules in October 2018, then my circumstances changed at home. It soon became obvious to me that I would definitely not be able to cope with both modules so I rang up the OU student support team. They were very helpful and understanding. So I deferred one module. Then my situation got worse so that I could not study at all. My personal tutor was very patient and supportive and gave me sensible advice. He was able to postpone my first assignment by one week so I tried that weekend and was able to send it in. My situation is okay now and I'm back on track with my studies.I'm so glad I didn't stop the second module too.

It's 2025, last module to do. I've enjoyed this degree very much, lots of online tutorials, practice quizzes and other helpful posts. Tutors have helped with tricky topics and student forums have also helped with their questions and answers as well as giving me ideas of how I'm learning comparatively. I've had to defer my studies a few times as I've had some personal situations and I found that I cannot work out tricky maths when I'm very stressed. Especially at the third year level. The OU send regular job placement opportunities as well. The degree has been varied, interesting, very challenging at times and highly stimulating. The online structured daily study planner was a vital tool to keep...

I've studied with the ou since 2011. Unfortunately in those ten years I've witnessed a massive decline both in the quality of tuition and course content. It's very environmental focused now and has pretty much got rid of most of its other interesting science courses. In previous years your tutor would e mail you back promptly but for my last course in 2021 I waited 12 days for a response and eventually had to e mail again to nudge a reply out of him. He didn't know much about a linked course which was imperative to have knowledge on as it ultimately fed into our final project. Consequently he allowed me to go ahead with a project idea for months only to, last minute, declare I couldn't pursue it as the link to the other course content wasn't strong enough. As a result I lost months of project planning leaving me disadvantaged and now stuck in limbo with a pending module result and quite possibly facing an academic misconduct accusation due to having to rush my project. A process which, btw has taken two months with no detail as to why my mark has been withheld as yet. This is how little the employees at the ou think of their students, witholding marks indefinitely with little information provided to you as to why My tutors feedback was lacking constructive criticism and enthusiasm, both of which are essential motivators for students.Overall I feel thoroughly let down as a mostly positive decade of study with ou ends on such a low due to a lacklustre tutor and left wing academics hell-bent on forcing students to write dissertations or thesis on environment issues.

Edit. There months and one week late I finally received my results! Due 1st Dec. Arrived Match 3rd! I have also found out when my complaint over delayed marks was internally investigated that my project is also being investigated for alleged plagirism. Even though my marks been released and this is the first I've heard of alleged plagirism of the project!. When I tried asking what's going on yesterday first one ou staff member hung up on me, the other said she'd call back today and hasn't! Advise. Do not waste your money on this institute. I've now taken my complaint to the OIA. The way they treat their students is nothing short of appalling and they need holding to...