Managing your time

How do I study?

Open Learning offers you the freedom to study when and where it suits you – you can learn at home, during your lunch hour or anywhere else that you have internet access.

From week to week most of your studies will be self-managed. As with any academic course at this level, each assignment will have a deadline so you must be careful to manage your time. Tutors and academic advisors will be available to you by phone, email or online chat in case any questions or conflicts arise. We believe that learning from constructive dialogue with your fellow students is a vital part of any academic course. For this reason, there will be elements of each module that are timetabled to enable group lectures and discussions. These classes will usually take place in the evenings and the schedule will be communicated to you before you enrol.

The increased flexibility of our innovative learning method means that no two weeks will be identical but we have outlined how a "typical" week might look:

Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday

Log into the system, review the key learning opportunities that week and how they fit into the overall framework of the subject.
Do background reading as directed in the online tutor instructions. This may involve looking at your textbook, visiting recommended web sites or reading around the topic in journals and other texts in the online library.
Call your tutor if there are areas that you don´t understand or want to explore further.

Friday / Saturday

Post items on the discussion forum to share with others in your class. There will be no more than 20 in your class, giving a good opportunity to build a strong learning community.
The discussion forum is based around a topic determined by your tutor but you will be encouraged to expand the topic. This will ensure you and your class get an in depth view of the topic.
You will be expected to post items for discussion and respond to other students postings using knowledge gained through readings, work or discussion with others.
Your tutor will also access the discussion boards to add another perspective and ensure students are demonstrating key areas of knowledge and understanding.
By now you will have feedback from work submitted the previous week. Take time to visit your gradebook and review tutor comments.
If you need further help or want to query the marks, contact your tutor.
Depending on the subject matter this may be a week for a Kaplan Live online lecture which will take place in the evening. You will listen, take notes and participate online.

Sunday/Monday

This is the opportunity to post any final contributions and reflect on what you have learned this week through lectures, reading, discussion and relating the topic to your workplace.
You will complete a small project, often based around a workplace scenario, and submit online through your dropbox.

When will I complete my online Foundation Degree?

You can determine the speed of your studies. A unique feature of a Kaplan Open Learning Foundation Degree is that you can dictate how long it takes until you attain a degree. You can choose how many modules to take at one time and how quickly you move from one module to the next.

A traditional campus Foundation Degree programme includes long study breaks during the winter, summer and other holidays. This means that momentum can be lost and it may take much longer to complete a course than you would like. With Kaplan Open Learning you can choose if and when you take study breaks and how you structure your learning.

Each course consists of 16 modules and each module lasts an average of 15 weeks. Students will study 1-2 subject modules for approximately 10 hours a week over a 15 week period. It will take a minimum of two years to complete your Foundation Degree or you may elect to study at a more relaxed pace and take up to five years.

One of our Academic Advisers will work with you during the application process and throughout your studies to help you decide the right pace for you, based on your unique circumstances.

How can I fit an online Foundation Degree into my life?

You will need to manage your study time carefully to successfully complete a Kaplan Open Learning Foundation Degree. Fitting your studies into a busy life is an important part of your path to success and this may be a challenging process if you haven´t studied for awhile.

It is important that you start a course with the proper expectations and commitment. Ask yourself what it is that has made you embark on the course in the first place. Picture your graduation day and how the degree will enhance your future. Keeping your mind clearly focused on this goal will help you maintain your motivation.

Our staff understands that almost all of our students will have jobs and many of them will have families. We have a team of advisors ready to work with you to find a schedule that suits your lifestyle.