Learning with THE OPEN UNIVERSITY

AS A NEW YEAR APPROACHES IT’S TIME TO TAKE STOCK. MAYBE YOU’RE READY TO CHANGE DIRECTION AND FIND A NEW CAREER, OR GET A FURTHER QUALIFICATION TO BOOST YOUR EXISTING SKILLS. OR PERHAPS YOU JUST LIKE THE IDEA OF A FRESH INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE. FOR OVER 40

Established in 1969, The Open University (OU) is the largest university in the UK with more than 205,000 students and over 5,000 tutors. Founded on the principle that the very highest standard of education should be accessible by the many, not the few, more adults choose the OU to help them get ahead than any other university.

Truly a university for the 21st century, its students access their course materials not just through books but also PCs, DVDs, YouTube videos, laptops, tablets and smart phones, and it pioneers the use of new technology to make higher education available to people all around the world.

The OU puts you, the student, firmly in charge, giving you the flexibility to work when and where you want. You can study at home, on the move – even on the beach if you want to! Studying for an OU degree means you no longer have to put your life on hold and it is designed to fit in with your lifestyle, your job and other commitments.

However, there’s nothing distant or impersonal about the OU and many students who have studied elsewhere say that they’ve been better supported at the OU than at campus universities.

Throughout your study, you will have a personal tutor, as well as telephone and online support, to guide and assist you every step of the way, and there’s also the opportunity to attend face-to-face group tutorials and study and socialise at day schools with fellow students. The OU has the UK’s largest online student community and has achieved over 90 per cent for student satisfaction year in, year out, in the National Student Survey.

With over 400 modules and 190 qualifications available from undergraduate to postgraduate and doctoral levels, and covering a comprehensive range of disciplines from Arts & Humanities to Languages, and from Computing & IT to Law, the OU also offers an Open degree, one of the most flexible in the UK which allows you to study any subjects you like in any combination.

Over 800 free study units are available online as tasters of some of these subjects at www.open.edu/openlearn. The site averages 430,000 unique visitors a month and has around 11,000 hours of learning materials allowing you to get a feel for what’s on offer before signing up.

There’s no typical OU student and people from all ages and backgrounds choose to study with the OU. Its open admissions policy means that a willingness and commitment to study and put in the hard work count more than previous academic qualifications: 42% of students had one A level or a lower qualification on entry. An OU qualification demonstrates to employers that you’re someone who is up for a challenge and committed to • 77% of OU students are studying to increase

their career or employment prospects • Over 71% of OU students work full or part

time during their studies •The average age of new undergraduate OU

students is 30 • 80% of FTSE 100 companies have

sponsored staff on OU courses • Over two thirds of the 100 largest UK universities

have purchased OU educational materials • The OU has the largest disabled student

community of any UK university • The OU became the first university in Europe to reach more than one million subscriptions through its new iTunes U App successfully seeing it through. It’s this proof of commitment which is one of the reasons why prospective employers rate OU graduates so highly.

The OU is dedicated to making the student experience as rewarding as possible, and is proud of its record of making education available to all.

The university is a Stonewall Diversity Champion and has an active LGBT staff network which works collaboratively with their BME, Women’s, and Disability networks. As part of their positive support for equality and diversity principles, this year they sponsored the Positive Role Model award for LGBT in the National Diversity Awards. This strong commitment for equality and diversity also means that the OU regularly monitors participation and outcomes for staff and students by sexual orientation, as well as having a team dedicated to helping students who are transitioning gender. They also conduct world-leading research into gender and sexual identity.

Since 1969 the OU has helped more than 1.84 million people worldwide to achieve their learning goals and fulfil their potential.

Isn’t it about time that you became one of them?