Broaden your horizons at the Open University
Last updated 16:27, Friday, 25 July 2008
WEST Cumbria’s students have been celebrating after graduating through the Open University. A degree ceremony at The Sage, Gateshead, saw graduates from across the North East and Cumbria receive their certificates.
Keswick guest house owner, DAWN TITLEY, was one of those to graduate. Her art history course lasted two years but this was not the first degree Mrs Titley studied for.
She has developed a portfolio of OU courses including a degree in Social History of Science and The History of Film. “I study purely for my own interest and because of that there is no pressure for me to get a qualification,” Mrs Titley, 53, said. “I enjoyed art when I took it at A-level and that prompted me to look at studying it at degree level. Learning through the OU for the last five years has been perfect for me. I’ve been able to do it in my own time and at home.”
Studying through the OU has changed the lives of many of the graduates, helping them to develop new careers, overcome obstacles or simply offer a joy of learning.
“Taking the degree course has opened more doors for me,” said Mrs Titley. “I can go on to do further study if I wish or consider other career options. It’s definitely helped me develop my interpersonal skills and I’ve met lots of friends who have the same interests as me.”
Mrs Titley says her further study has benefited her on a personal level.
“It has given me a lot more confidence and a greater belief in my own ability. This sort of education is perfect for those who can’t study full time. Anyone can do it.”
The Open University is Britain’s largest university, with more than 200,000 people studying its courses. Since its establishment in 1969, it has opened the door to higher education for more than two million people.
Its courses are designed for students studying in their homes or workplaces, using a range of teaching media from textbooks, TV and radio programmes to audio, video and computer software.
DAVID LOCKETT, of The Avenue, Broughton Moor, was another attendee at the graduation ceremony.
After relocating to Cumbria from Manchester, Mr Lockett, 35, decided on further education after his sister, who had studied with the OU to PhD level, suggested he would find a degree in psychology worthwhile.
He said: “Having a degree in psychology has helped me develop a broad range of skills. There is much more to a psychology degree than just gaining basic knowledge in the subject. My course covered topics such as social psychology and child development; we would undertake small case studies on topics such as the living conditions in developing countries.
“One case study involved me testing parent’s preferences on what they thought was important for their child. I found that parents in China, for example, found it much more important their child be polite and compliant, but European parents considered it important their children have good sociability skills.
“It was really interesting, what I learned from the course content, but I also found I learned new communication skills alongside my study and I developed my ability to adapt and work in other environments.”
With the help of a locally based tutor, David was able to access support and feedback on his work. As he worked through the three years of his course he found the work and studying get progressively harder. His second year demanded much more contemplative material with more critical analysis and his own views on various subjects.
He also found the hours of study steadily increase with the first year of his course averaging 12 hours of study a week, 28 hours a week in his second year and 40 hours a week in year three.
“Although there was a lot of work involved I was working at my own pace so I had the time to put in 40 hours study a week and thoroughly read my course books from cover to cover.
“I loved learning about psychology so I enjoyed all the studying that went with it. But to be an OU student you need to be self-organised, self- determined and fully committed.
“An OU course is great if you’re planning on working whilst you’re studying. I completed my degree in three years but for some people it can take up to six years depending on their situation and how easy it is to fit learning in around their daily lives.
“But when it comes to further study I now know where my interests lie and I would love to go on to specialise in clinical psychology, forensic psychology or even get on a graduate programme for project management.
“A lot of students choose psychology to help them in other aspects such as the project management where it could help them become better communicators or more successful in assessing situations.
“But for people who feel stuck in a career or just have a particular interest – the OU is the perfect choice.”
BEVERLY LEWIS-SKIPPER and ALISTAIR YOUNG were also among those to be presented with their degree certificates by officials from the university at ceremonies over the past month.
Mother-of-five Beverly, 38, is a community worker and, over the past few years, she has juggled family life, her job and her studies to come out on top with a BSc with Honours in Psychology.
Beverly left school without qualifications and took the course to improve her job prospects as well as to be a role model for her children. She has now achieved this aim and, in doing so, has become the first of her family to graduate from a higher learning course.
Beverly, who lives at Church Street, Whitehaven, was pleased with her experience with the OU, in particular how the flexibility of the course allowed her the opportunity to work towards her goals without affecting other areas of her life.
“As the Open University courses offer distance learning, they provide people with the opportunity to study in their own time,” she said.
“Requests for extended deadlines for the coursework were always fairly considered by the tutors.
“I would recommend trying out an Open University course to anyone.”
Alistair Young, 43, has been presented, after six years of study, with a BSc Honours in IT and Computing.
He has spent 25 years at Sellafield, beginning as an apprentice, where he received training and achieved a HNC in Industrial Measures and Control.
He found his OU course extremely beneficial for his day job.
“One of the elements of my job is to interview candidates for IT positions, and I see more and more people coming to me with degrees,” said Alistair, of Moresby.
“Having recently completed a similar degree myself, I find that having that common ground allows me to identify with them to a greater degree.”
Alistair studied for his degree for six years, also having to fit it around family time, work and other commitment. His reasons for applying were to gain more formal qualifications for his career, as well as to provide a good example to his son. He was also pleased with the flexibility offered by the course.
“With the way the course is structured, it is much easier to get through at your own pace and, provided that you put the work in, it is an extremely rewarding experience.”
For more information and a full list of courses visit: www.open.ac.uk
