Its been well over a year now since i completed my History Masters, in fact its almost a year since my graduation. Busy with a new job and wanting a break from study after 9 years of work with the Open University i resolved to leave things for a bit. In the end it was probably a bit longer than i really intended but i have now finally signed up to a new course!
I am not going to pursue another degree or masters though, been there and done that and to be honest with the HE funding changes i can't afford even the OU anymore. So instead i intend to do a number of short courses in areas that interest me starting with the weather! My first (hopefully of many) courses will be SG089 Science : the weather. Last year i bought a book on meteorology but found it hard to get into, hopefully the course will help me with this and maybe soon i can be predicting the weather! There are a number of other short courses on historical subjects at other universities i am also interested in but lets try SG089 first...
Showing posts with label university. Show all posts
Showing posts with label university. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Leeds College of Art
Lovely mosaic on the Leeds College of Art Vernon St building. Its still an important part of the college's visual identity.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Dipping a toe in the MOOC waters
MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses are pretty big now. They are university courses offered free to everyone with an internet connection. A few friends have taken such courses and i thought it was time i tried one too so i have enrolled on the very interesting sounding Future of Storytelling Course offered by the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences via iversity.
It lasts for a few weeks but shouldn't get in the way of the "day job" academic wise (i have plenty of free time at the moment anyway!) This course isn't related to my masters in any way but may be useful for career purposes and general interest as i do quite a lot of writing online. If the course works out there are a few others starting in early 2014 i have also got my eye on.
If thats not enough i've got a free trial on the Lynda software training site too and i'm trying to get the most out of that improving my career focussed skills as they are lagging badly in many areas. Seems a better way to spend my time during the Winter months than on Facebook anyway.
It lasts for a few weeks but shouldn't get in the way of the "day job" academic wise (i have plenty of free time at the moment anyway!) This course isn't related to my masters in any way but may be useful for career purposes and general interest as i do quite a lot of writing online. If the course works out there are a few others starting in early 2014 i have also got my eye on.
If thats not enough i've got a free trial on the Lynda software training site too and i'm trying to get the most out of that improving my career focussed skills as they are lagging badly in many areas. Seems a better way to spend my time during the Winter months than on Facebook anyway.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
A level result day
A level result day (a.k.a. girls being photographed jumping in the air day), and on this day i always remember when i got my results. This was back in 1990 which was about 5 ice ages ago in the early Holocene. I turned up at my awful 6th form college (since closed down) to confirm what i already expected that i had failed my Maths and Physics A levels. I got U and N respectively.
More importantly however was my Computer Studies A Level. I needed an E to get into Birmingham Polytechnic to start a HND in Computer Science, in the end i got a D and my polytechnic/university career began at the end of the next month. In hindsight i could have got straight onto a degree course if i had gone through clearing but i always prefer to stick to plan A and that was to do the HND first then do a degree, and 5 years later i had achieved both.
Midlands Today filmed a report from my college though i was not asked by the reporter (David Davies in fact in his pre-FA days) about my results probably because i was not blonde or female. However it probably would have been a bit embarrassing to tell the nation (or the West Midlands at least) how my results read D U N. Incidentally one of my friends got E N D which was mildly amusing.
That was 23 years ago, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. 18 years working in web development and a second academic career with the Open University. Actually thinking about it i should have chosen history for my A levels all of those years ago, i probably would have got to university to study history back in 1990. I could have my own Channel 5 or BBC4 TV career by now...
More importantly however was my Computer Studies A Level. I needed an E to get into Birmingham Polytechnic to start a HND in Computer Science, in the end i got a D and my polytechnic/university career began at the end of the next month. In hindsight i could have got straight onto a degree course if i had gone through clearing but i always prefer to stick to plan A and that was to do the HND first then do a degree, and 5 years later i had achieved both.
Midlands Today filmed a report from my college though i was not asked by the reporter (David Davies in fact in his pre-FA days) about my results probably because i was not blonde or female. However it probably would have been a bit embarrassing to tell the nation (or the West Midlands at least) how my results read D U N. Incidentally one of my friends got E N D which was mildly amusing.
That was 23 years ago, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. 18 years working in web development and a second academic career with the Open University. Actually thinking about it i should have chosen history for my A levels all of those years ago, i probably would have got to university to study history back in 1990. I could have my own Channel 5 or BBC4 TV career by now...
Friday, February 15, 2013
Parkside campus
No i haven't joined the Village People, today i joined a staff tour of Birmingham City University's new Parkside campus next to Millennium Point as part of Birmingham's Eastside regeneration. A very impressive building it looks inside too, there is still a lot of work to be done as you can see from my photographs though mostly fitting out now and construction is ahead of schedule. Classes are due to start here in September.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Worcester & the Severn
I haven't been to Worcester for a few months so thought it was high time i paid the lovely place a visit. I wanted to explore more of the river banks so went upstream a bit and then down as far as Diglis Bridge. My visit coincided with a University boating regatta so i was able to take plenty of photos of boats being rowed up and down.
It was like being in the film "True Blue" with the coaches bellowing orders through megaphones and students yelling for their teams. You can see the photos i took here.
It was like being in the film "True Blue" with the coaches bellowing orders through megaphones and students yelling for their teams. You can see the photos i took here.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Away Day
The age of austerity bites, a couple of years ago our annual department away day was a treasure hunt in Stratford-upon-Avon, but this time it was some staff development at Walsall FC's Bescot stadium. Having said that i quite enjoyed the shabby yet honest working class environment. The morning of the day was a bit boring, with a talk on leadership though we did get some clips from the film True Blue which i'd never heard of before (and ordered on DVD afterwards, natch). The afternoon was more fun, if slightly surreal. Team games in the carpark of Walsall FC!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Jewellery Quarter
Yesterday i visited the university's School of Jewellery which is one of our campuses i have not visited before (and thus was able to cross it off in my Ian Allan ABC of Birmingham City University Campuses). The SOJ is located in the city's Jewellery Quarter, home of many jewellers and workshops, which is a nice part of the city i haven't visited that much even though i worked on the edge of the Quarter for the first 3 years of my working life! I must come again one day, though preferably in the Summer.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Open days
Just survived the final 2 Birmingham City University open days of the year, now no more until next June! As you might have gathered they are not the favourite part of my job. The reason is because open days involve far too much interaction with meat space...
This time the open days were a bit different for me, after dozens of open days at Perry Barr (including in June) this time i was at Millennium Point (which we call City Centre Campus) and i enjoyed the experience a lot more. Lot less busy for a start and nicer surroundings. The engineering faculty is here and thats where computing courses are these days and i did see a couple of my old lecturers still hanging around. Engineering also means you can have some nice props on display, like this:
This time the open days were a bit different for me, after dozens of open days at Perry Barr (including in June) this time i was at Millennium Point (which we call City Centre Campus) and i enjoyed the experience a lot more. Lot less busy for a start and nicer surroundings. The engineering faculty is here and thats where computing courses are these days and i did see a couple of my old lecturers still hanging around. Engineering also means you can have some nice props on display, like this:
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
A new adventure begins
Next month will mark a year since my final exam of my BA History with the Open University, and as that degree is safely out of the way (i got a 2:1) its time to move onto the MA...
I registered for the course back in April ready for a start in October, that did seem a long way away when i registered but now i am just a few weeks away and yesterday i received my course materials... and there seems to be a lot to read!
Hopefully i don't have to read all of it as there is a choice of module later on in the course, this part of my MA will be a 15 month course too not a 8 month one like the BA modules were. Maybe i'll make a start with reading the introduction at least at the weekend.
I registered for the course back in April ready for a start in October, that did seem a long way away when i registered but now i am just a few weeks away and yesterday i received my course materials... and there seems to be a lot to read!
Hopefully i don't have to read all of it as there is a choice of module later on in the course, this part of my MA will be a 15 month course too not a 8 month one like the BA modules were. Maybe i'll make a start with reading the introduction at least at the weekend.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Open University new fees
As you may know i am an Open University student having completed a BA in History with them last year and am preparing to start a Masters in October. Today the Open University have announced their new fees from 2012 as part of the big shake-up of university funding and like everywhere prices are going up. "Full time" undergraduate degree fees will now be £5000 a year. That is for 120 points which is the most you can study in a year with the OU. Most people tend to do no more than 60 points a year, from 2012 they will be paying £2500 a year for a 60 point module. For comparison over the 6 years of my degree i paid somewhere between £600 to £700 a year.
Obviously this is a big increase and i fear for the OU's future a bit. A lot of people choose OU degrees for interest not career reasons and they will likely be put off by these fees, i might well have been if i was looking to start in 2012 though a History degree was always my dream.
Although student loans will be available that does not apply to everyone. Value for money will also become a much bigger issue. Although i think the OU is great (obviously) £2500 a year for a few books, a dozen tutorials and an exam seems a lot steeper than a few hundred pounds. "Normal" universities might be still a lot more expensive but you do get the day-to-day university experience as part of that. Working at a university myself i know where the money has to go to pay all the other costs involved in running a university but these are not so apparent or even relevant to your average student.
The Open University is still a great option though but i think they may need to up their game a bit. At where i work i have noticed students becoming much more concerned with value for money and have a much higher expectation from their career mortgage investment (which is what your student fees and loans are) so the same will be true at the OU.
Obviously this is a big increase and i fear for the OU's future a bit. A lot of people choose OU degrees for interest not career reasons and they will likely be put off by these fees, i might well have been if i was looking to start in 2012 though a History degree was always my dream.
Although student loans will be available that does not apply to everyone. Value for money will also become a much bigger issue. Although i think the OU is great (obviously) £2500 a year for a few books, a dozen tutorials and an exam seems a lot steeper than a few hundred pounds. "Normal" universities might be still a lot more expensive but you do get the day-to-day university experience as part of that. Working at a university myself i know where the money has to go to pay all the other costs involved in running a university but these are not so apparent or even relevant to your average student.
The Open University is still a great option though but i think they may need to up their game a bit. At where i work i have noticed students becoming much more concerned with value for money and have a much higher expectation from their career mortgage investment (which is what your student fees and loans are) so the same will be true at the OU.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
My graduation
Finally i have attended an awards or graduation ceremony! I had 2 chances while i was a student at UCE but missed it both times (the first time by choice, the second time an error) so i was determined to make it third time lucky at the awards ceremony for the BA Honours in History i got last December with the Open University.
I've had to wait awhile for all the gowning business to take place but it all went smoothly. Now i await the start of my MA in October, maybe i will be back at Birmingham's Symphony Hall for another awards ceremony in a few years time...
I've had to wait awhile for all the gowning business to take place but it all went smoothly. Now i await the start of my MA in October, maybe i will be back at Birmingham's Symphony Hall for another awards ceremony in a few years time...
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Open day!
Its a Summer Saturday with sunshine and showers, why it must be the university's open day! I hate to think how many open days i have done over now in my 10 years at the university apart from it being too many obviously. This one wasn't to bad as i was making sure presentations went smoothly and also taking some pictures around the campus. Including this one. Update : i've now uploaded the photos to the University's Flickr account.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
10 years at BCU
Today marks my 10th anniversary as an employee of Birmingham City University, or UCE as it was when i started. I started the day after May bank holiday in 2001, in fact it was May 8th when i started but as that is a Sunday this year i thought it would be better to celebrate it today!
I remember my first day quite well. When i arrived at Leyland House everything was locked up and i couldn't get in! Nobody started until 9am back then (in fact i started the 8am trend) and i arrived for work quite early, as you always do on your first day, so i had to wait. Luckily it was a lovely sunny day like today!
My desk at the start was in the office the Press Team is now on, actually i was sat where Vicky who runs @mybcu now sits. The Marketing department was very different then though, much smaller for a start. We only occupied half of Leyland House as the International Office had the rest. Nowadays Leyland House is bursting at the seams with the Marketing department alone though there is talk we will move to Edge building at some stage though probably not this year.
My first task as a BCU employee was to change the logo on the website as the logo had just changed (to the one where UCE has "Birmingham" underneath it in smaller letters). I think my next task was to add a few press releases to the website. In the afternoon i had a meeting with the head of ICT though the afternoon now seems a bit of a blur. I still came back the next day though and 10 years later i am still here, and working on the website.
Luckily now there is a CMS and other people working on the site too. However i've never been busier than i am now. Technology was supposed to make our working lives easier eh?
I remember my first day quite well. When i arrived at Leyland House everything was locked up and i couldn't get in! Nobody started until 9am back then (in fact i started the 8am trend) and i arrived for work quite early, as you always do on your first day, so i had to wait. Luckily it was a lovely sunny day like today!
My desk at the start was in the office the Press Team is now on, actually i was sat where Vicky who runs @mybcu now sits. The Marketing department was very different then though, much smaller for a start. We only occupied half of Leyland House as the International Office had the rest. Nowadays Leyland House is bursting at the seams with the Marketing department alone though there is talk we will move to Edge building at some stage though probably not this year.
My first task as a BCU employee was to change the logo on the website as the logo had just changed (to the one where UCE has "Birmingham" underneath it in smaller letters). I think my next task was to add a few press releases to the website. In the afternoon i had a meeting with the head of ICT though the afternoon now seems a bit of a blur. I still came back the next day though and 10 years later i am still here, and working on the website.
Luckily now there is a CMS and other people working on the site too. However i've never been busier than i am now. Technology was supposed to make our working lives easier eh?
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