My first year with the OU is about to come to an end.  Overall, I have really enjoyed this year’s course as the changing subject matter has kept me constantly engaged.  We’ve covered everything from global warming and climate, to the history of the Earth, to physics, to chemistry, to biology, to geology, to quantum physics and now wrapping up the course is life in the universe.  Even though I will continue with science as a biology major, I have thoroughly enjoyed both the geosciences and quantum physics I have gotten to learn about this year.

I am really impressed with the Open University as well.  The support is always there when I need it, the materials are provided, and everything is laid out in a very clear and concise manner.  I will say one thing though:  the speed and difficulty of the course, even for a year one course, is more than anything I had experienced in the American university system.  When I attended McNeese State University, I would show up for class, take notes, study a few days before the exams, and get an A or B.  Typically, three exams per class per semester, and I continually made the Dean’s list for my grades.  Here, the grading scheme is significantly harder, with tests as well as tutor marked assignments at the end of each unit, the average time spent per assignment being 20-25 hours.  I probably invested an average 15 hours a week in reading and comprehending the material in line with the syllabus, with the tutor marked assignments occurring once a month.

And now we’ve come to the big finale: the end of course assignment.  This baby is 17 pages of questions regarding the entire scope of the course.  I started today, with a hot cup of tea for assistance, and dove into what I am sure will take me the entire month to do.  I’ve got until June 3rd to complete it.

I feel really empowered by the experience of this year back in academia.  After all, I completed this huge amount of work for this course all the while working a full time job and being pregnant.  It hasn’t always been manageable either, as I was left with no choice but to turn in the second tutor assignment half completed due to feeling so unwell with my first trimester that I couldn’t find the time to complete it back in December.  But overall, I’ve gotten really good grades on my assignments and tests once I learned the ropes and hit the steep learning curve regarding what was expected of me.  Oddly, my best grade still stands as the chemistry unit… and I really don’t like chemistry!

Once I settle into my new life as a mother to Little Doodle, I will be enrolling in the next course starting for October or November. From here on out everything will be biology-centric and I am looking forward to some of the fun and interesting classes I will be taking.  Mark’s math course is about to wrap up here in June as well, he has also done very well for himself.  One day, I hope we can inspire the same love for learning in Little Doodle.