US Open University Update

I've been enrolled in the M.S. Computing program at USOU. Since there was some speculation about what was going to happen after it closed down, here is an update:

1. We've been offered the opportunity to continue the program at Open in the U.K. The course materials are identical (they get mailed out of Milton Keynes, and have the U.K. class numbers on them, so the courses shouldn't be any different) and the price is somewhat lower. The schedule is a U.K.-style schedule rather thana a U.S.-style one.

2. USOU has an agreement with Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, N.J. for "teach out", meaning that Thomas Edison will acquire the transcripts from USOU coursework, and will be the place from which one can request transcripts moving forward.

 

Man, that's going to drive certain TESC bashers on this board straight to the lithium.

Thanks for the information, and good luck with your studies!

Regards,


Tony

 

What's the difference in styles?

David L. Boyd

 

Re: Re: US Open University Update

24-week sessions starting in May and October, rather than 15-week sessions starting in August and February. The contents are the same.

 

Greetings.

I don't suppose the failure of USOU harbingers the eventual acceptance of UKOU of American students? I was rather interested in some UKOU courses, but I was never interested in any USOU courses. In fact, I'm not sure what the idea was of having an American British university; its not like we have any particular shortage of colleges .

Cordially,
Richard Kanarek

Fond recollection: I remember writing a polite e-mail to UKOU entreating them to accept American students on the theory that it was the least they could do, what with Americans having saved them from the Jerries and all. I got back an equally polite letter expressing profound apologies, but stating that they were prohibited from accepting non-UK'er by law. You just can't have this sort of dialog with an American institution. <g>

 

Since they let EU-ers in, and Commonwealth-ers, and since they're letting us ex-USOU-er Yanks in, it would seem that this "by law" excuse is probably nonsense...

 

For years, I used to list OU in the UK in my book, citing their rule that they could only deal with people who had UK addresses. but, technically, no requirement of being a UK resident or citizen. In various writings, I mentioned that I'd heard from people resident in the US who were enrolled in OU by using a mail receiving and forwarding service in London.

I got a letter from OU asking me, please, not to mention that any more*. I was reminded of the scene in Catch-22 when Yossarian is doing something especially objectionable and Major Major Major tells him to stop, saying, "What if everybodydid that?" "Then," Yossarian replies, "I'd be crazy not to."
_________
* I can't recall what the latest printing says in this regard, and, since I am traveling in Oregon, without benefit of book, I can't easily find out.

 

My previous message was a bit inaccurate--I thought they let commonwealthers in, but they don't:

Open University Basic Facts
"In general, you must be living in the European Union, Switzerland or Slovenia to study OU courses."

I wonder whether a Slovenian mail forwarding service is cheaper than one in London

 

Open University has over 30,000 students in 40 countries outside of the UK. So it is indeed rather odd that there will be no presence in the U.S. In a speech about USOU, John Daniel (then Vice-Chancellor of Open University) quoted Churchill in saying that “the United States will always do the right thing, after having exhausted all other possibilities.” The quotation is ironic indeed now that USOU has failed. But it does make one think that perhaps Open University’s U.S. representatives will look for other ways to make OU’s programs work in the U.S. One possible model is represented by Hong Kong Open University, which is not owned or managed by the UK Open University (and thus differs fundamentally in this regard from USOU), but which uses UK OU’s course materials in its own courses. I think there is a great opportunity here for a U.S. university to develop a similar partnership with UKOU. Perhaps it's time for me to launch “Potgieter International University”?

 

Doesn't Florida State have a Master's degree in Open and Distance Learning that they offer in conjunction with OU?