Degree - Distance learning

[jcollings]

Surely this is the quickest way

 

Fake Degree Certificates | How To Get A First

[tudorcrisp]

When people have talked about getting grants etc... where did people go? I am topping up a HND to a degree, starting next week. I am quite lucky in that my work are going to pay half of the course fee as part of my CPD. If i can try and get any more help (as the bill will still be roughly £750-£1000) on a paltry IT Techs wage, i will!

[HMCTech]

I just finished doing a Foundation Degree which took three years part time at a cost of about £900 a year and I can top up to a BSc with a years day release at a local uni. Did I learn anything? No, the work was out of date the lecturers had hardly worked in industry and I went through the motions to tick some boxes.

 

If you want to do it go for it, if you only want to do it to shine your cv up then you may not have the commitment needed to give up two nights a week and many weekends doing assignments.

 

There are many things employers look for in a candidate that go beyond work experiance and qualifications. Our head stands behind "So what do you do outside of work?" being the most important question in his interviews. Anyone who gives the best account of them as a person gets higher praise from him. People always seem to overlook this. I work for a national childrens charity doing advocacy work and I love discussing it with others and it looks damn good on your cv. Perhaps doing something similar may be a good option for all to have a better cv.

[dhicks]

I'm thinking of maybe doing some part time teaching in the future so it about career development on several fronts.

 

Are you aiming for qualified teacher status (QTS), so you can officially be employed as a teacher in a state school? Or are you simply aiming to do a spot of tutoring or similar? A PGCE or GTP course is hard work, especially on top of spending 5 years doing a degree part-time. You might do better to do an NVQ course to be a teaching assistant, that might be sufficient to cover what you're aiming for.

 

--

David Hicks

[Rydra]

I have a fair bit of experience with the OU, and I loved it, but it can be VERY demanding of your time.

 

To work full time, and to do the degree in 6 years, you are going to have to put in a lot of time, and if you have a social life currently outside of work, you can kiss that goodbye for a good part of the time your doing it unless you can get support from your employer for it.

 

I have 80 points at lvl 1, 100 points at lvl 2. I decided to take 9 months off this year, as I was finding my social life had become non existent.

 

I've been studying with them all of last year, i stopped for 2 years previous to that to do the whole getting married/buying a house thing, and had studied for 2 years prior to that.

 

IT courses:

 

If you've got a head for maths, logic and interested in programming.... M263: Building Blocks of Software.

 

I found this course really challenging, as I have no background in programming at all. It really pushes your understanding of programming, and is little to do with actual coding, and more to do with understanding principles in good code writing. It's not a good starter course, but could make a good 2nd year course.

 

CCNA (T216): Exactly as it says on the tin! It's the CCNA course, the material provided by cisco. I'm planning to pick this up next start time.

 

TM128: Microsoft Server Technologies - New from October 2010, looks promising and sold out instantly on release. With a little extra study this will be enough to get a Microsoft cert on the outside.

I want to do this one next year too, hence why i took this year off, to have a break before i try and do 2 courses at once, which can be tough work.

 

T155: Linux- An Introduction - Good fun, short 10 week/10 point course for anyone who's never worked with linux before. You wont be building your own linux server cluster from this, it's a very basic course, and i pretty much did the whole course in 2 weeks, with the main project being done in one weekend/2 late evenings of work.

 

There are lots of courses dedicated to web development, and especially Java with the OU, and about as many dedicated to working around the business side of ICT, and newer courses around new tech and telecomms based stuff.

 

I'm struggling to pick my lvl 3 courses myself, as I can't really see which one will actually benefit me and my current line of work!

 

Just for noting, my first 2 years of OU study was in Chemistry, I have a certificate in Natural Sciences already, and I've done S103 (now S104), S205 and the 2 residential courses that go with them SXR103 and SXR205.

I also attempted the do the astronomy course (S282), and many said it was a good course, but I found it absolutely awful and boring. It was a level 2 course, and mostly covered work i did in my first year of A-level physics, and i gave up after the 3rd assignment.

[bodminman]

I completed the Learning, Technology & Research (now called Learning Through Technology) degree at Anglia Ruskin University in December 2009. It is part-time, i.e. a 3 year course which you completed around your full time job, though others joined the course part way through as they's taken time out for one reason or another. I see they now have a part time option, whether this means you can take longer to complete it, I don't know. I found it hard going doing it after a full days work, and by the final term I was completely knackered, but now I've had a year's break I'm considering the MA.

 

 

Edit: I had to fund myself

 

May I ask how much this cost?

[bodminman]

Are you aiming for qualified teacher status (QTS), so you can officially be employed as a teacher in a state school? Or are you simply aiming to do a spot of tutoring or similar? A PGCE or GTP course is hard work, especially on top of spending 5 years doing a degree part-time. You might do better to do an NVQ course to be a teaching assistant, that might be sufficient to cover what you're aiming for.

 

--

David Hicks

 

I want to go the whole hog, ie QTS. Me and the missus are thinking of going abroad at some point so thought this would be an enormous asset. Worth the effort I think!

[teejay]

I want to go the whole hog, ie QTS. Me and the missus are thinking of going abroad at some point so thought this would be an enormous asset. Worth the effort I think!

 

Some countries (eg Canada) do not accept part time degrees/PGCE/GTP as sufficient qualifications for teaching, only full-time qualifications. Why, I've no idea.

[bodminman]

Some countries (eg Canada) do not accept part time degrees/PGCE/GTP as sufficient qualifications for teaching, only full-time qualifications. Why, I've no idea.

 

That's a strange one isn't it!?! Why should they discount a degree that someone has taken whilst juggling a work life and family life. If anything surely this shows commitment/dedication etc etc etc

[GREED]

+ 1 for Open Uni, just abut to complete receive my degree after 6 years PT.

[dhicks]

Some countries (eg Canada) do not accept part time degrees/PGCE/GTP as sufficient qualifications for teaching, only full-time qualifications.

 

I don't think any PGCE or GTP programmes come as a part-time option, teacher training is pretty full-on.

 

--

David Hicks

[witch]

I didn't think so either, but according to this:

Postgraduate Certificate of Education - Get into teaching - TDA

you can do a PGCE in two years if you do it part time

[teejay]

GTP is regarded as part time as well, you're employed in a teaching post whilst studying it. A good friend of mine did GTP and after a few years teaching here emigrated to Canada. They wouldn't accept GTP as a teaching qualification as they regarded it as a part time course. He therefore had a choice of 2 years retraining as a teacher at his own expense, or go back into industry, which is what he did.

So, if planning to emigrate, check what qualifications are acceptable in that country before you start your study ;-)

Edited January 20, 2011 by teejay