Can anyone tell us what is the North American equivalent of the Open University in the UK?
www.open.ac.uk
I drop in on the TV programmes every now and then .They are transmitted in the small hours
Can't understand a lot of what they are saying
But some of them are so old Kipper ties,beards and flares are "The In Thing"
Joking apart there are many informative Programmes among the output even I can understand..And I left School with nothing

Not sure what you mean by "open university," bedstor, but we do have on the telly lectures on a variety of subjects from different colleges and universities. I would say they are at a graduate school level. Of course you don't get credit for watching.

Catty

Catty
The Open University is suitable for say, people who have to work and cannot visit the campus for lectures, Their HQ is in Milton Keynes which is midway between London and Birmingham,
There are other Colleges which run courses, but their qualifications are NOT University grades,but Ok for Trade qualifications though.

quote:

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Originally posted by bedstor:
Catty
The Open University is suitable for say, people who have to work and cannot visit the campus for lectures, Their HQ is in Milton Keynes which is midway between London and Birmingham,
There are other Colleges which run courses, but their qualifications are NOT University grades,but Ok for Trade qualifications though.

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My son has just enrolled in some "distance learning" courses here in the US. He has no possibility whatever of actually attending classes at a university, as he is in the service, and at sea for 60 days at a stretch, but they were able to send him study materials, and he can take examinations aboard his ship if necessary.

For a long time, a number of universities here have offered courses by correspondence, although I don't know that anyone could actually complete a degree this way. In my area, it's now possible to take certain courses via computer and television.

Alan Moore

There are plenty of "distance learning" courses offered all over the nation - I am involved in one myself. You can definitely get a degree without attending a single class or setting foot in any college. How good that degree will look on your CV is something else again. The better colleges will arrange for you to take exams at a college near you, with a hired proctor, the others will let you take exams online.
Distance learning is a fine thing, it is not for everybody, but people who can not attend physically will be able to learn this way. A bad degree is a whole lot better than no degree at all.

Catty

There are quite a few accredited schools through which one can get a bachelor's and a master's degree without attending classes, and even a few PhDs can be earned with very little or no on-campus times.

Some books on the subject:

The New 2002 Oxford Guide: An Encyclopedia Directory of Non Traditional College Educational Opportunities Including Non-Residential Programs in the USA
by John H. Morgan (Editor)

Bear's Guide to Non-Traditional College Degrees: How to Get the Degree You Want
by John Bear

National Index of Recognized and Unrecognized Alternative and Non Traditional Colleges
by Jean M. De Layfayette, et al

The alternative guide to college degrees & non-traditional higher education
by John Bear

The Best and Worst Non-Traditional and Alternative Colleges and Universities in the United States
by Jean M. De Lafayette, John H. Chen (Editor)

Black List of United States Non-Traditional Postsecondary Institutions: Fake and Fictitious Colleges, Universities and Degrees in the United States
by Jean M. Lagayette, et al

When getting my degree in the early 1990s, I relied heavily on telecourses, which allowed me to carry 28-30 semester hours in a few semesters. (Of course, I also attended 2 schools full time simultaneously for a year. I was in a hurry.)

As I understand it there is no equivalent of the OU in the US but Athabasca University in Canada I think actually uses the British OU materials.