Surge in online uni courses

THE number of people signing up for Open University online courses has surged amid the pandemic, figures show.

Student numbers at the distance-learning organisation have risen by 15 per cent over the past year, with more people choosing to study online due to Covid.

Open University (OU) says the coronavirus pandemic has been the main driver of the rise as it has increased the demand for upskilling and reskilling, and emphasised the attractiveness of distance learning.

The OU, which is the UK’s only university dedicated to distance learning, has seen a growth in numbers across all four UK nations, and there has also been an increase in people enrolling with the OU to study full-time.

Overall, the total number of students for 2020/21, which includes both new and continuing undergraduates, postgraduates and apprenticeship students, is up 15% on last year, to more than 163,000.

Meanwhile, more than 59,000 new students registered with the OU in the past year, compared with nearly 47,000 in 2019/20, according to figures. The findings come after university students saw their teaching moved online in the spring term last year when the first lockdown in March was announced.

Most students in England, apart from those on critical courses, were then told not to return to campus as part of the third lockdown in January this year.

The DfE has said all remaining students in England are still not allowed to return to in-person lessons on campus until mid-May at the earliest.