OU Top Up BA Early Years

[Alz79]

Just about to head into my 2nd year Early Childhood foundation degree, unsure whether to stick with going to my uni once a week to do my BA Hons top up, or to do it completely distance learning with the OU.

Anyone have experience with OU BA Early Years top up?

[samb]

Does your uni offer an online top up? I'm doing my BA(hons) early childhood studies top up through university of hull/ Doncaster centre online, part time over 2 years. Just finishing last assignment for year 1. I wouldn't have managed going in anywhere as I'm at least an hour away from getting there so I just wouldn't have been able to.

[Alz79]

No, my current uni doesn't offer an online option...I would still have to go in weekly, which is fine, it just takes a lot of sorting with my children and means I can't mind on that day either.

How do you find the course you are on, good?

[Simona]

No, my current uni doesn't offer an online option...I would still have to go in weekly, which is fine, it just takes a lot of sorting with my children and means I can't mind on that day either.

How do you find the course you are on, good?

Have you checked with the Uni if you can have a grant for childcare costs for your children? those on my course did claim but things have changed a lot under this govt

To answer your original question...my preference would be to go to uni not doing it via OU...let us know what you decide!

[Smiley]

I completed BA (Hons) Early Years with the OU and couldn't have done it any other way. Distance learning works for me with the options to attend tutorials in different towns or cities being an option.

[samb]

No, my current uni doesn't offer an online option...I would still have to go in weekly, which is fine, it just takes a lot of sorting with my children and means I can't mind on that day either. How do you find the course you are on, good?

Ah that's a shame although I am sure you could top up online with other universities too so look at all your options, it's not just OU. I couldn't have managed going into a university to do it so from that point of view it has been great as I am actually able to achieve what I want to do. We also have part of our online "blackboard" as a sort of discussion board where we can discuss things we have studied, at first the tutors started off threads to get us going and now we start our own. They also set up a closed facebook group for us so we can chat too which I have found useful. We have Skype or phone tutorials twice a semester for each module. And email ability to tutors and support staff such as technical support or librarians etc. we can borrow books by paying for a postal service although I decided to buy mine cheap from eBay or amazon instead and will sell them on when I am done. And we have full access to the journals etc at the uni library in pdf format- I put them on my iPad. The things that are more difficult for me are... Structuring my time without having a timetable as such, however this hasn't been as hard as I thought. And also sometimes I panic about the technical side of things and haven't got someone there to talk me through it and show me and I think I learn better that way. For example I had to design a wiki about a contemporary issue in early years, I had never done a wiki and it took me longer to do things like attach hyperlinks into the assignment and YouTube clips etc than it actually did to research!

I have had less time to do it than I thought I would when I signed up for the course and so I have been quite impressed with myself that I have managed to keep up. I am doing it part time over 2 years. This year I covered 3 modules which was a total of 8 assignments all going toward my final grade as well as weekly materials to read, discuss and small tasks over 10 weeks november-feb then March-now. Next "year" I will have 1 module and my dissertation. I certainly couldn't have done it full time. There has only been one assignment that I have really struggled with the concept of and that was a literature review and I literally fell asleep trying to read the literature provided! I found it really heavy going and am really hoping it passes! The others I have mainly got 2:1 with one first and one 2:2. I have not studied for 13 years and work 40 hours a week plus have had my SEN son off school a lot too - if I can do it I am sure anyone can :-)

[samb]

Ps ,y reason for not going with OU was cos they wouldn't accept my credits from my other course as it was considered too old so I looked around to find one that did.

[Lal]

I'm studying with OU at the moment and rate it really highly. I'm not do the BA top-up, but have just finished one of the modules which is part of it. Due to my earliest modules being about to not be able to be counted to a qualification and not being able to study some of the units due to working as a nanny I've gone for their Open (unnamed degree). If I want to convert to a named EY or Childhood & Youth I should be able to credit transfer and do an extra module.

Anyway, I've found OU to be really good. The study material is well written and well presented. The last module I did had a dvd/online case studies to link to the material, a whole course forum and a tutor group forum. There were some assignments which some marks were given for participation in the tutor group forum. I also had 3 face to face tutorials local to me and my tutor was always available to contact via email and phone if necessary.

If you look on the OU site you can access examples of the material. They have always been very helpful on the phone so you could give them a call. :)

[Smiley]

Ps ,y reason for not going with OU was cos they wouldn't accept my credits from my other course as it was considered too old so I looked around to find one that did.


I remember your situation, so pleased it' working out and well done. I'm also studying with the same university centre but I don't live too far way so can pop in to see my tutor. I'll be finished at the end of August, hopefully!

[samb]

I remember your situation, so pleased it' working out and well done. I'm also studying with the same university centre but I don't live too far way so can pop in to see my tutor. I'll be finished at the end of August, hopefully!

Thanks smiley. Yes everyone's advise was invaluable when I was looking. Can't believe I've just submitted the last assignment for this year! Wow! Yes popping in would be good- I did go for the induction weekend but it's a 4 hour drive from me!

[Smiley]

Only 30 minutes away for me:)

[Rarara]

Not sure how it all works so forgive me if this doesn't help. Look into Early years Teacher status as I think you can use this to top up a foundation degree? It's free at the moment so would save on fees x

[samb]

You can only do that after it is a degree x