In its 30 years OCA has evolved from face to face and correspondence courses to a blended internet and distance based offering and has defied traditional educational boundaries imposed by age, geography, previous experience and privilege. Through technology we can create a borderless community which serves personal, creative and autonomous interaction between students, tutors, and peers.
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Based on student feedback, OCA has committed to introduce group work as a core teaching element by 2020-21. We envisage that all undergraduate students can expect access at least one session per course unit or annually, and group work will be offered in addition to existing one-to-one tuition.
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Post-study success, however that looks for individual students, is a key ambition of OCA. We hope that our courses will provide you with valuable skills, but in addition to this we are developing initiatives to provide opportunities to network with peers, develop collaborative projects, and set up businesses. With this in mind, we are establishing a new Enterprise Enhancement Scheme, providing funding to students to engage in enterprise activity.
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As an alternative learning provider we mean to be alternative not as a second best alternative, but to be different. In seeing our students as partners and listening to our students’ voices, we can move from a transactional model where students are informed and consulted, to being co-creators in learning and teaching.
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From the end of January Photography Programme Leader Gina Lundy will be taking maternity leave. We are really excited to welcome Dan Robinson into the role whilst she is away. Below, Dan and Gina discuss the coming 12 months, course review and the vision for the Photography Programme going forward.
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Warren Buffett is the latest in a long line of influential people advising us to value the gift of feedback. He explained “Honesty is a very expensive gift; just don’t expect it from cheap people” meaning that the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s ambivalence.
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Peter Haveland, a tutor on visual studies and photography courses is retiring from his teaching career and leaving OCA. He’s been working with OCA for the best part of twenty years, so has seen the organisation evolve and grow. To mark Peter’s retirement, and out of my own curiosity, I asked him a few questions to reflect on his time as a tutor.
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Our next Arts & Environment E-meet is November 27th, 6-7pm UK time. Link to join https://oca.zoom.us/j/418087540 Please sign up for the meet first via this google form WHAT and WHY? Get involved. This is an informal online chat using zoom. A 60 minute conversation to share ideas and resources to support each other’s work-in-progress. Our […]
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Alongside the new changes to the Academic Regulatory Framework, OCA is introducing a number of new mechanisms designed to better support students. What is the support in the ARF? These are the Active Study Policy, Reasonable Adjustments Policy, and a revised Mitigating Circumstances Policy, and also the changes to degree pathways. OCA […]
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From 2nd January 2020 OCA is introducing a revised Academic Regulatory Framework. This document, which forms part of the Student Regulations, underpins and governs how all of OCAs degree programmes work, from the credits that are earnt on completion of a unit to the length of time available to complete a unit, level, and degree. […]
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