Pixel42
4th November 2007, 11:52 AM
Over the years I've done quite a few Open University courses as an associate student, i.e. alongside undergraduates but without actually working towards a qualification. I've done modules from their Science and Mathematics syllabuses for my own personal interest, and from their MBA syllabus for work.
Now that I'm retired and the novelty of doing nothing after years of working 60 hour weeks has worn off, I decided to see what courses were currently available. At first I was alarmed to discover that the sort of courses I'd done in the past now cost £500 -£600 each, but then I followed a link to this site:
http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/home.php
The OU have made available hundreds of units from their degree courses to anyone anywhere in the world free of charge.
Just look at what they've put online:
http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/index.php
Dozens of short courses, ranging from a few hours of study to 20 or 30 hours, on art, history, science, technology - whatever subject you're interested in you'll find it, together with a forum where you can discuss it.
Other universities have put material online, but the fact that the Open Univerity was designed for distance learning means that the quality of their written material has always been superb, so this is a treasure trove.
I have always considered the creation of the Open University to be the most important socialist innovation since the welfare state, so I thought such largesse deserved to be publicised, hence this thread.
I started by working through the unit on the Big Bang and I've just started the one on David Hume. I've got plenty more on my To Do list.
Enjoy. :)
Now that I'm retired and the novelty of doing nothing after years of working 60 hour weeks has worn off, I decided to see what courses were currently available. At first I was alarmed to discover that the sort of courses I'd done in the past now cost £500 -£600 each, but then I followed a link to this site:
http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/home.php
The OU have made available hundreds of units from their degree courses to anyone anywhere in the world free of charge.
Just look at what they've put online:
http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/index.php
Dozens of short courses, ranging from a few hours of study to 20 or 30 hours, on art, history, science, technology - whatever subject you're interested in you'll find it, together with a forum where you can discuss it.
Other universities have put material online, but the fact that the Open Univerity was designed for distance learning means that the quality of their written material has always been superb, so this is a treasure trove.
I have always considered the creation of the Open University to be the most important socialist innovation since the welfare state, so I thought such largesse deserved to be publicised, hence this thread.
I started by working through the unit on the Big Bang and I've just started the one on David Hume. I've got plenty more on my To Do list.
Enjoy. :)