Thread: So...shall we have a mummy learners club?

I know Puddlepants is signed up for an OU course. Zoe, are you doing your PGCE? I have 2 OU courses starting at the end of the month.

Perhaps a thread to moan and er...moan, sorry talk, about where to put the children when you need study time etc?

2 OU courses - are you mad?!
(says she who is currently teaching an OU foundation course whilst doing a short course on Da Vinci, and next month will be teaching 2 OU foundation courses whilst doing a long course on medieval history............)

Yes i'm on my PGCE, although as I'm on placement at the moment it's more like work - apart from the essay I had to write over Christmas of course! Dh is fab though and distracts the girls at weekends for me to do planning or uni work. It's been busy and last term pretty stressful (including serious thoughts about whether I could do it at times!) but actually now it's eased up a lot for a short time at least. I am on a reduced timetable which is to allow time to get university set tasks done but I have done most of them already so I am pleased I can have a breather.

It won't last though, I have another 3 weeks on this placement, 6 weeks uni then a second placement which has a much higher workload, a 5000 work research assignment to do plus a project of the schools choosing. eek!

I do have to start applying for jobs now though, they are beginning to advertise for September already.

Well done, Zoe, sounds like you're getting on fabulously.

You really are going on all guns Zoe!

Annie - am I really mad? I figured that as a SAHM I would have the time to do it. I got the credit transfer with 240 points so I only need to do 2 level 3 course to be done and the temptation was too much! Bit worried now.

Are they both 60 credit courses? 120 credits is considered the same as full time study, ie a year at ordinary uni, and is the recommended limit. Most courses recommend 12 hours a week study (but no-one does that much! most students just a couple of hours).
But some students do manage to do 2 at once and, let's face it, many people do a course whiile working full time so someone staying at home should be able to manage 2. Like I said, I plan on teaching 2 60 credit courses and study another, so that's probably similar timewise. And if you're motivated and enjoy the subjects then why not. Just keep to your calender as a guide and if you get behind contact your tutor - often there's a few shortcuts that can help you out.
What are you studying?

Well my last couple of posts on this have sort of become irrelevant due to the events of the last few days!! I've had to revise my whole OU path over the weekend. I did 3 years at UCL in Philosophy. I didn't get my degree award as I missed 5 out of the 8 final exams when I miscarried, hence it taking me over 10 years to get round to sorting it out. Now I knew OU didn't do a straightforward Philosophy degree so I registered to take the BA(hons) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). I sent in my transcripts and other paper work 3 months ago. Day before Christmas Eve I get a letter saying they have recognised my previous study and awarded me 240 credit points, meaning I can bypass Level 1 and 2 and go straight to 3 to complete my degree, needing only 120 more points. As the level 3 courses are worth 60 each that's why I chose 2, thinking I can actually be finished by October, even though maybe I should have looked into doing 2 at the same time!

But....upon checking into the student home last week I saw that the 240 credits have been awarded to an open degree, not to the PPE degree. I emailed but got no reply as to why it wasn't letting me transfer the credits to the PPE. So I finally called this morning. The PPE faculty felt that my previous study was too narrow, being only philosophy and no economics and politics, a politics A level obviously not being enough! I don't really have grounds to appeal as they're right so to get a degree in PPE means taking the level 1 and 2 courses, even if I do level 3 first. So unless I want to start from the beginning I have to do the Open degree.

Initially I was pretty gutted, but actually it's worked out ok. One of the course I picked, A Word of Whose Making was less politics and almost entirely economics and when I saw the text books felt really out of my depth as it's something I'm not very experiences with. So I've dropped it. That means I'm only doing one course now: Thought and experience: themes in the philosophy of mind. This is one I feel ok with as I study it at UCL, and one of the course staff I've actually studied with, I have notes, books and still have all my old essays on this subject. In October of this year this course is due to finish and I've pre-registered for another, which will be my final course Living political ideas. More Politics and Political Philosophy which was what I really loved at university.

I guess it's all going to take longer than I hoped but will actually work out ok in terms of what I'm actually studying now and managing it all. Still not sure how I feel about an Open degree though, I would have liked to have a specialised degree.

Would it matter much for postgraduate?

Not sure how it matters for postgraduate courses but I have an Open first degree - I studied in the days before they had a school of health so did a lovely mix of health, social sciences and English lit If you look at the pages for post grad it should tell you the qualifications required - they're usually quite flexible.
Sounds like the courses you're doing now are more suitable for you.
Just looked, most OU faculties specify that that the degree doesn't have to be specific for postgrad entry but related - not sure how other colleges would be but it would be the contributing courses that are important I would have thought.
Annie

Just reviewed my plan:

Short course in Da Vinci - just finishing (this is an extra)
Exploring history, medieval to modern-1400-1900 - Feb 2010
Medicine and Society in Europe 1500-1930 - Feb 2011
Renaissance art reconsidered Oct 2011
Empire: 1492-1975 - Oct 2012

I also have transfered credit, though mine is OU credit. I have an old arts foundation which I have substituted for the compulsory one on the course, and I'm allowed a random Open course, which I have allocated to a 3rd level Critical practice course which I had a good grade in

I'm also interested in doing more little courses, to fill in gaps in the year. But the OU only pays for 70 credits a year so I'm limited to 10 credit ones until I finish the degree.. Could do ethics, psychology, environment or even one on Darwin and Evolution. Will have a think for what to do for this october.