18 - Wales - Organisational variations, alternative structures
Open and distance learning
Open
and distance learning opportunities are provided by the Open University
(see below), the National Open College Network, the Open College of the
Arts and by private correspondence colleges. Further education institutions may also provide open learning workshops.
The
Open University (OU) is a major provider of distance learning. Like
other universities, the Open University is an autonomous institution
able to award its own degrees. It was granted its Royal Charter in
1969, and the first students were admitted in 1971. The Open University
is now the UK's largest university in terms of student numbers, with
around 180,000 students, most of whom are studying part-time. Around
10,000 OU students have a disability.
No entry qualifications are required for Open University courses, other than for
postgraduate programmes.
Open
University students pay their own tuition fees, although many are
eligible for the new package of support for part-time students, depending on how intensively they are studying their course and on their income.
The
Open University's style of teaching is called 'supported open
learning', meaning that students receive support from a tutor and the
student services staff at regional centres, as well as from centralised
areas such as the library. Some courses include a residential or day
school. These are held at various times and locations.
The Code
of Practice for the guidance of institutions subscribing to the Quality
Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) includes a section (section
2) covering flexible and distributed learning (including e-learning)
(QAA, 2004).
Collaborative provision
Higher
education institutions may enter into a wide range of collaborative or
partnership arrangements with other institutions or organisations, in
both the UK and overseas. One example of such an arrangement is known
as franchising, where an awarding institution agrees to authorise the
provision of the whole or part of one or more of its own approved
programmes, by a partner organisation.
The Code of Practice for
the guidance of institutions subscribing to the Quality Assurance
Agency for Higher Education (QAA) includes a section (section 2)
covering collaborative provision (QAA, 2004x).
Continuing education
Higher
education institutions may also offer continuing education and
professional development courses for individuals, organisations, and
professional groups. Courses are offered on a part-time basis, online,
or in the form of short courses (one day to several weeks and
residential summer schools). Courses cover a wide range of subjects,
and many of them lead to university qualifications.
Eurydice - the information network on education in Europe
Date: 2009
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