Study
Abroad by Open Learning
Would you like
to study a course that’s offered abroad, but don’t
want to leave home? Would you prefer the course came to
you, rather than you had travel to attend it?
If this sounds
like a good idea, have you considered open learning? The
good news is that open learning - or flexible learning as
it’s sometimes known - is a way of studying that allows
you to study wherever you want, whenever you want, at a
pace you want, to suit your lifestyle. The even better news
is that there’s a huge range of courses offered from
the UK and throughout the world by colleges, universities
and private training providers by open learning. The choice
is expanding all the time. Many companies of all sizes run
part or all of their employee training and development in
the same way.
The principle
of open learning is very simple - the student is at the
centre of the learning process, whether they live just around
the corner from the course provider, or halfway across the
world. You receive the materials, and work through them
with the help of your tutor. Course materials can be in
the form of books, audio or video tapes, CDROM, or a mixture
of these. Increasingly, open learning’s going on-line
these days and we’ll return to this in a moment. Whatever
the format, open learning materials are not the same as
textbooks. They are written in a friendly, informal style
designed to involve you in the learning process. There are
usually activities, tasks or exercises throughout the text
to give you an idea how you’re getting on, plus an
assessment exercise to return to your tutor. You’re
encouraged to make notes on your learning materials and
generally to use them in the way which suits you best.
The materials
are one of your most important learning resources; another
is your tutor. This is the person who makes sure the course
is right for you, helps you understand, reminds you of deadlines
and is generally interested in your progress. Oh, and he
or she marks your assessments too.
Open learning
courses vary - some lead to formal qualifications, some
are for interest. Some are closely related to the world
of work and lead to vocational qualifications, others are
academic and lead to more traditional qualifications. Some
lead to a final examination, others are assessed through
course work or by building a portfolio to demonstrate your
competence. Some start at any time, some (like the UK’s
Open University degree courses) only start at certain times
of year. Some courses are short, other last for several
years. Some allow you to work entirely at your own pace,
others require you to submit work by key dates. Some have
some workshops or seminars where you can meet other students,
if you’re able to travel.
The
key advantage for open learners is that distance doesn’t
matter. If the course comes to you, the disruption and expense
of leaving home to study abroad can be avoided. If you’re
working, you don’t need to leave your job. You don’t
have to leave your family. And experience shows that opening
learning students gain results which are just as good as
classroom-based learners - often better.
Of course, like
any method of learning, there are some drawbacks. You need
to be organised and get yourself into a regular habit of
studying for a number of hours each week, although when
you put in the study hours is up to you and could be different
each week. You need to find somewhere to study in peace,
which could be home, work or a place where you’ll not
be disturbed. (One open learning student studied at her
friend’s house when her friend was out at work - no-one
bothered her there.) You have to be motivated, and not drop
your studies when something else sounds more interesting.
If you’re employed, it helps if your employer gives
you support in the form of study time, finance for fees
or a mentor. And open learning students can often feel isolated,
even though they have a tutor.
The Internet
has made the world a smaller place and at the same time
brought some changes to open learning. Some courses now
still use the types of course materials we mentioned earlier,
but tutor and student keep in contact on-line through Email,
bringing near-instant conversations and answers to problems.
A more advanced type of learner support is through Virtual
Learning Environments, or VLEs. These often have learning
materials on-line too, so you can study at a desk top -
perhaps clicking to key web sites for extra information
- or download and print materials to work through at your
leisure.
VLEs create a
study environment on line and have the huge advantage that
learners can now chat by Email to colleagues on the same
course, as well as to their tutor. You can discuss the course
content, chat informally to the rest of the group and even
carry out team assessment exercises together. The software
structure allows you to visit on-line ‘rooms’
or areas which have the same purpose as in a college or
university - there are areas for reading study materials
(the ‘lecture room’), rooms to discuss content
with other students (the ‘seminar room’), rooms
for informal chat which the tutor won’t enter (the
‘student cafe’), rooms to follow up extra reading,
websites and resources (‘the library’) and areas
with notice boards for course time tables, assessment dates,
course structures, etc. Many course providers are introducing
VLEs to include students onto their courses who are based
all over the world.
In the UK, many
reputable providers of open learning are members of the
British Association of Open Learning (BAOL), a charity committed
to quality in open learning and supplying a range of services
to its members, including a journal ‘Open Learning
Today.’ Although BAOL does not provide lists of open
learning courses its website (www.
baol.co.uk) may be of interest and there are some
international members.
Author Judith
Warren, from Ellerton Training Services, Edinburgh, Scotland
has wide experience of implementing open learning systems,
writing materials, training tutors and tutoring learners.
She has recently worked with learners on-line and with virtual
learning environments as well as with assisting companies
to introduce their own open learning programmes. Judith
is a Director of BAOL.
Ellerton Training
Services is a distributor for Pergamon Flexible Learning
materials in supervision and management which lead to the
National Examining Board in Supervisory Management (NEBSM)
Award, and an accredited assessment centre for NEBSM. Email:
enquiries@ellertontraining.freeserve.co.uk
