Is the Open University in England recognized as a legit institution? My guess is yes but any insight you might have on this institution would be helpful. Also can you do a search on this site that will hold a phrase together. A search for "Open University" will bring up any thread that has both words in it but I want a search that will only call up the phrase. Callum
Yes The Open University and accreditation The Open University's national and international accreditation service was established in 1992 following the abolition of the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA). Through its Royal Charter the Open University is able to accredit higher education courses or programmes provided by organisations which do not have degree-awarding powers. These programmes can then lead to validated taught or research degrees or a credit rating of the Open University. The University is also an Awarding Body for certain National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications. OUVS can provide letters verifying CNAA awards. The Open University is one of the largest validating universities in Britain. It presently has over 100 accredited and approved institutions with approximately 11,500 registered students or candidates following over 250 approved programmes. The benefits and costs of accreditation Accreditation by the Open University enables students or employees to gain nationally and internationally recognised qualifications. These qualifications are valuable in their own right, but may also be used to gain credit towards further awards from the Open University or other higher education institutions. Open University accreditation adds significant value to a course or programme. It provides a public assurance that the accredited programme reaches nationally recognised standards. As an institution of national and international reputation the University is expected to ensure that its accredited institutions provide courses to high standard. The University is itself subject to audit and scrutiny by the British Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). Once an organisation has been accredited it will be provided with a full range of support and advisory services by the University. These include the provision of information, materials, and conferences through the University's Centre for Higher Education Research and Information (CHERI). There is a charge for OUVS accreditation to cover the University's operational costs and the services of specialist advisors. Following initial accreditation and course validation etc. there are standard fees for student registration, certification and quality monitoring. There is no charge, however, for initial informal discussions of accreditation proposals with OU staff.
Open University is also a, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, candidate for regional accreditation. http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11494&highlight=open+university
Im considering enrolling with the Open University in the UK. Can you advise me of any important information you may have come across? Have you since enrolled with them? If so how do you find them? Thanks.
i know OU got chartered following a parliament's resolution (= i think the standard UK procedure for "legitimate" institutions ) and it is clearly a brainchild of former UK leftist governments. I asked even about how recognized their degrees are: in the UK a few professional associations do recognize them and the rest goes on a case by case basis.
The OU is a perfectly reputable UK university. It offers opportunities for learning for those who can't manage full-time education, or who aren't able or don't want to attend a campus-based part-time course. It is academically rigorous, has excellent course materials specifically designed for the distance learner and has excellent recognition and reception of its degrees throughout the UK (the conept that only a *few* professional associations recognize their degrees is twenty years out of date). It has world-class graduate programmes in a number of areas. All things considered, it's an excellent choice for an education if you happen to be in Europe. It is not, however, an easy option. Like Heriot Watt, the OU makes it easy to get in, but you have to perform very well to get out with your degree. Angela
The answer i quoted came from their representative when i asked specific questions. They said the public association recognizing their degrees as a professional requirement ( ex education, law, whatever ) are listed on their website. While the "few" word might be a personal choice, i couldn't see dozens of listings, either. But i'm not in the UK, hence it is of no importance. What matters is they're chartered following a parliament's decision, hence fully compliant with high standards. The case by case quote came from their representative as well. They said that their degrees MOSTLY face no prejudice. I wanted a black & white statement & they were honest at that: there are cases even in the UK when objections had been made. As well, they said OUTSIDE THE UK it is a matter of "luck" with the recipient institution/association. But this applies to ANY university transfer/equivalency request. They said here they purposefully disregard even EU directives on degree equivalency.
Hi Ham I accept that your comments were given honestly and without prejudice about the Open University in the UK. However, I would like to say that I have never heard of any academic institution in the UK ever doubting the legitimacy of an OU degree, bachelor or post-graduate. I know many academics who have at least one of their degrees from the OU; I know many more who at one time in their academic careers were a tutor for the OU. The OU is a British University fully accredited by its Royal Charter. Its degree therefore are accepted by all European countries, all Commonwealth countries, and all countries that recognise British degrees. Any prejudice against the OU, like all prejudice, is an output of ignorance. The quality of its degrees are not decided by 'professional institutions'. As expressed earlier, the OU is a Distance Teaching (DT)programme not a Distance Learning (DL) programme ( a distinction I have mentioned here many times), but that is a difference in pedagogy not quality, and its output in its degree programmes are of identical quality and academic standing to the best of British universities.
Dear Prof. Kennedy - I've always assumed exactly what you've just stated regarding the OU and have never heard or read anything to the contrary. I was intrigued at your description of the difference between a DT university and a DL university. I confess I've not seen your previous descriptions of this distinction and request that you provide a link (sorry for my laziness) or otherwise reproduce your remarks. Thanks, Jack
Dear Prof. Kennedy - I've always assumed exactly what you've just stated regarding the OU and have never heard or read anything to the contrary. I was intrigued at your description of the difference between a DT university and a DL university. I confess I've not seen your previous descriptions of this distinction and request that you provide a link (sorry for my laziness) or otherwise reproduce your remarks. Thanks, Jack
----------------- Its degree therefore are accepted by all European countries, all Commonwealth countries, and all countries that recognise British degrees. Any prejudice against the OU, like all prejudice, is an output of ignorance. The quality of its degrees are not decided by 'professional institutions'. ------------------ i'd be very very careful here. you can see what i have to say ( first hand experience ) here: ************ that statement is de iure correct but de facto rubbish. I talked with Open University (UK): a fully chartered university. The advisors in the UK and their local advisor admitted ITALY ( and other countries ) openly trash BOTH the EEC directive on degree equivalency ( hint: by constitution already an enforceable law ) and more wishful documents such as the Lisbon declaration. That is, they do N O T recognize your OU degree just for the asking, but you must apply for equipollence at a LOCAL university, where they are free to act as they wish. Puzzled, i called the ministry in Rome. The head of the appropriate department said that i ought to first apply to a local university, but should i be dissatisfied with the outcome & be really convinced there's ground for legal action, i could report to them & start a legal action. Local universities are in NO WAY bound to recognize foreign degrees unless: a) bilateral treaties ( such as France/Québec ) are in place b) less binding, if the 2 universities have some interuniversitary agreement on exchanges etc ( that usually has a say about equipollence ). Usually one might expect objections on: - the DL status of the institution ( whether fully chartered or not ) - some frivulous diatribe over "how formative" the foreign university's courses are, compared to whatever the local university thinks of their own. http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16050 ************ as you see, it is not straight "doubting"... it is under the more acceptable cover of "credit transfer"/"policy making"/formation assessment. This subsists at any level. For example, i think canadian middle provinces ( MN/SA ) recognize some LD degrees for a teaching position, while in Québec it is 10x burdensome. Interesting enough, in Canada they shared the same "doubts" about my italian transcripts as here they do with my canadian ones. That dealing with specious statements such as: YOUR foreign course over say WWII history is just worth 1/4 of OUR comparable course ( no guidelines given of course ).
The Open University was the brainchild of former Prime Minister Harold Wilson (Labour Party) who's wish was to be remembered for opening up higher education to the general public.
My experience in Canada is that their professional institutions don't always accept degrees/qualifications between provinces. For example; whilst my Ontario B.Ed and teaching certificate is recognised in Ontario and many other countries of the world it would not necessarily allow me to teach in other Canadian provinces without 'upgrading.' So too with teachers from other provinces who wish to teach in Ontario or out of home province.
Yes, Jennie Lee was also instrumental The Following is taken from the OU website; "HISTORY OF THE OPEN UNIVERSITY The Open University was the world’s first successful distance teaching university. Born in the 1960s, the ‘White Heat of Technology’ era, ............. .................................... There was no mention of a University of the Air in the Labour Party manifesto for the 1964 general election. The idea was very much the personal property of its leader, Harold Wilson................ ..................... Having won the election, Harold Wilson appointed Jennie Lee, Minister for the Arts, and asked her to take over the University of the Air project, moving her to the Department of Education and Science (DES)................................................. “In the Ministry, I was de jure a Minister of State – a junior minister – but de facto I was working on my own, dealing directly with the Treasury and with the Prime Minister. The civil servants hated it: all very irregular. But it was the only way you could get a new job done." http://www3.open.ac.uk/media/factsheets/index.asp roy maybery
Ham As I said and assert, rejection of OU degrees is based on ignorance. Rejection of other university's degrees from fully accredited institutions is possible, probably based on restrictive and protectionist practices. That Italy, in your example, claims to be outside the recriprocation principle regarding the degrees of member states is more a last ditch effort to deny what is inevitable. Some German states also do not recognise DL (or DT) degrees, again ignorance and protectionism. But events will by-pass them; it is only a matter of time before the last redoubts of Neanderthal resistance are overcome. This says more about the reactionary state of some Italian and some German educational establishments. The state has no business in academic standards once it authorises an institution as suitable to award degrees. If some academics in an institution behave in this manner, so be it, but it has nothing to do with the quality of OU degrees or of the OU as a fine academic institution. If paid public officials adopt the same stance, they are a disgrace to academic standards. They pronounce on what they are not qualified to understand.
http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=147457#post147457 i just called the french embassy about the above and..."divine surprise", they confirmed France too is very steady at boycotting the EEC degree directive & what's next & confirmed the ONLY way to get equipollence just for the asking is the presence of a specific treaty between countries ( such ex France-Québec ). I said elsewhere i faced the same "protectionism" even while applying in Canada on the basis of my italian transcripts...
They are legitimate, as the other posters have indicated. But the big issue is that you are in Canada. The OU apparently does not serve DL (or DT?) students in North America. I have inquired several times over the last 5 years about their MSc in Math and been consistently told that the degrees are only available in the EU and a few other European countries. Please post if you find that their policy has changed. Best wishes---Jim
Thoraldus Strivlyn has hit the nail firmly on the head. While they did recently attempt to run some courses in in the USA they have never offered courses in Canada (A Commonwealth Country.) So frm my point of view as a Canadian resident the OU is a useless institution.
