Key facts

Types	Day and Weekend Online and Distance Learning Oxford Qualification - Part-time Summer Schools - Weekly Classes -
Start date	Oct 2013
Subject area(s)	Archaeology Architectural History Creative Writing History History of Art Italian Literature Philosophy Spanish
Fees	There will be a basic registration fee to be paid each year of £850 in 2013-2014 for Home/EU students and £1,350 for overseas students. These fees are likely to increase slightly each year. In addition, students will pay the normal fee for each of the subject modules that they take.
Application status	Applications being accepted
Application deadline	Sun 30 June 2013
Course contact	If you have any questions about this course, please email ppweekly@conted.ox.ac.uk.

Overview

The Department for Continuing Education is delighted to offer the Certificate of Higher Education. This is a part-time course, lasting between two and four years depending on how intensively you wish to study. Students choose a main subject discipline in which they do most of their classes, but they combine this with study in other academic subjects. The course enables students to use the credit that they obtain from taking weekly classes, short online courses, linked day schools, practical weekends and attendance at the Oxford University Summer School for Adults to count towards gaining an award from the University of Oxford.

Students may decide where and how they study. It is possible to study mainly online for the award, depending on the availability of courses in your subject area, and so long as you take at least one course face-to-face in Oxford. The face-to-face element must amount to at least 10 Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS) points. There is flexibility in the time frame: some students will wish to complete the award within two years of registration, while others may take up to four years to complete. It will also be possible to import credit, up to a maximum of 30 points, from OUDCE courses taken in the four years prior to registration. The Certificate carries 120 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 (equivalent to one year of full time study at first year undergraduate level).

The Course Director is Dr Elizabeth Gemmill.

Online Virtual Open Day

If you are thinking of applying and would like to learn more, do visit our online Open Day at www.conted.ox.ac.uk/certheopenday in which Course Director Dr Elizabeth Gemmill talks about the structure of the course and answers frequently asked questions.

Description

Modules in your main subject area
Students who register for the award will specialise in one of nine main subject areas. These are Archaeology, Art History, Architectural History, History, Italian, Literature, Creative Writing, Philosophy, or Spanish. To qualify for the award of the Certificate, you will need to obtain at least 60 CATS points (but no more than 80 CATS points) in your chosen main subject area. Ten of these points will come from taking an introductory course in that main subject area (see below for details of the introductory courses). The remainder of your credits in your main subject area, up to a maximum of 70 points, will come from taking weekly classes, short online courses, linked day schools, or classes offered in Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA).

Modules outside your main subject area
Your remaining credits need to be obtained by completing courses outside your main subject area. The course is designed in this way to encourage breadth of study and to enable you to take advantage of the wide range of courses in different subject disciplines that the Department offers. Courses are available in Archaeology, Architectural History, Art History, Classics, Computing and Mathematics, Creative Writing, Economics, Environmental Conservation, Film Studies, History and Politics, Languages, Literature, Local and Social History, Music, Natural Sciences, Philosophy, Psychology and Counselling, Religious Studies and Theology.

Introductory course

Students will, during their first year of study, take an introductory course in their main subject area to give them a grounding in the concepts and methods relevant to the subject discipline. Some of the introductory courses are available online and others are offered face-to-face. The introductory classes are listed below; please follow the link to obtain more information about the individual courses.

Archaeology: Archaeology in Practice (online)
Art History: Learning to Look at the Visual Arts (online)
Architectural History: Learning to Look at Western Architecture (online)
History: The Making of Modern Britain (online)
Italian: (face-to-face and available in October 2013)
Literature: Critical Reading (face to face or online course)
Creative Writing: Getting Started in Creative Writing (online)
Philosophy: Introduction to Philosophy (online)
Spanish: (face-to-face and available in October 2013)

If you are interested in studying Spanish or Italian please note that, for credit to be counted towards the Certificate in Higher Education, it must have been gained from classes at Stages 3 and above.

Study Skills

Students will, in addition, undertake a Study Skills module during their first term of study, and the cost of this, online or face-to-face, is covered by the Certificate's programme fee. CATS points obtained from Study Skills courses are included in the 120 CATS points for the Certificate. You will do one of the following:
(a) attend three of the face-to-face Study Skills day schools offered by the Department. For more details about the study skills day schools, click here
Or
(b) complete an online Study Skills course. For more details, click here.

Students who are registered for the Certificate of Higher Education are normally required to attend at least 70% of sessions for each module, or, in the case of online modules, actively to participate in online discussions on a regular basis.

For a summary of the regulations please see HigherEducationRegulations2013.pdf.

Course aims

Since this is a multi-disciplinary programme, with modules offered across the humanities, sciences and social sciences, the learning outcomes are expressed in general terms only.

Knowledge and understanding

By the end of the programme students will be expected to:

Demonstrate a broad knowledge and understanding of the subject matter, concepts and methods relating to the main subject area in which they have specialised during the Certificate.
Demonstrate an awareness of how concepts and methods in that subject area are open to change and debate.
Demonstrate some awareness of the subject matter, concepts and methods relating to other subject areas that they have studied during the Certificate.

Cognitive/ intellectual skills

By the end of the programme students will be expected to:

Think critically about the methods and concepts relating to the main subject area in which they have specialised during the Certificate.
Compare the methods and concepts of the different subject disciplines which they have studied during the Certificate.
To plan, research and complete coursework assignments using subject matter, concepts and methods appropriate to the relevant subject discipline.
To communicate the results of their work effectively and to follow the scholarly presentational conventions of the relevant subject discipline.

Transferable skills

By the end of the programme students will be expected to:

Be able to study independently and effectively and to reflect on the study process.
Analyse and solve problems.
Interact effectively within a learning group.
Present a point of view and communicate clearly in writing and orally.
Have an understanding of correct referencing and how to avoid plagiarism.

Certification

Students who successfully complete the course will be awarded Oxford University’s Certificate of Higher Education. Outstanding performance will qualify you for a Distinction. You will be invited to receive your Certificate at the annual Awards Ceremony of the Department for Continuing Education, held at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford.

The Certificate carries 120 Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS) points at first year undergraduate level (FHEQ Level 4). It is, therefore, equivalent to the first year of full-time study. Oxford University’s Department for Continuing Education does not offer undergraduate degrees, but students who obtain the Certificate may, if they wish, apply to transfer the credit from the Certificate to another academic institution, such as the Open University, which does offer degrees.

Alternatively, students who complete the Certificate successfully and who wish to continue study in their main subject area may be interested in applying for other award-bearing courses within the Department for Continuing Education. The Department offers a number of Certificates and Diplomas at undergraduate level. For more information about these, please go to the ‘Oxford Qualifications’ section of the website: click here.

Assessment methods

Assessment is through the coursework which students complete for the individual modules that they take, and through additional assignments designed to develop a broader knowledge and understanding of their main subject area.

There are three additional written assignments, two of which are of 2,500 words in length, and one of which is of 3,500 words. You also complete a reflective learning journal. There is no written examination at the end of the course.

Teaching methods

Induction Day, Libraries, and Support for Learning

There will be an induction day for all new Certificate students at the start of the academic year. This will include an introduction to the Department for Continuing Education and its facilities, to the Departmental Library at Rewley House, and to the other libraries and resources within the University that Certificate students are entitled to use. All Certificate students will receive a University card.

When you register for the Certificate of Higher Education you will be eligible for academic advice and guidance from the Course Director, to help you review your progress, plan your academic pathway to completion of the award of the Certificate, and plan your progression to higher levels of study. Students studying mainly online will be given the opportunity for advice and guidance sessions to be conducted by telephone or e-mail exchange, although every student will be expected to meet the Course Director in person at least once during the period of their registration. In addition, advice and guidance on assignments will be provided by the course tutors and the assessors for additional coursework. There will also be guidance on credit transfer, special circumstances, and financial assistance from our Registry. For further details please email: registry@conted.ox.ac.uk.

Studying in Oxford

Some students registering for the Certificate will wish to study mainly online, and the Certificate has been designed to make this possible, so long as there are enough online courses available for you to fulfil the requirements of your chosen pathway through the Certificate. But all students will need to undertake some face-to-face study in Oxford, amounting to at least 10 CATS points of study. Your face-to-face study may consist of one or a combination of the following modules offered by the Department for Continuing Education:

(a) successful completion of a week’s course at Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA); click here for more details.
(b) successful completion of a weekly class in Oxford, outside Oxford or at the London Road campus at the University of Reading; click here for more details .

We anticipate that students based overseas may find that attending Oxford University Summer School for Adults is the most convenient way for them to fulfil the requirement to undertake face-to-face study in Oxford. OUSSA gives you the opportunity to study in the context of a small and informal group, and there are, in addition, one-to-one tutorials with your tutor. As well as your classes, you will be encouraged to take advantage of being in Oxford to visit its outstanding museums and art galleries, and to go to concerts and theatre trips in the evenings.

Apply for this course