Ed209

[Guest]

Hello,

 

I was wondering if anyone has done the ED209 (Child Developemnt) with the OU, I am considering registering for it ready to start in February 2010.

However i will be almost finished the E115, well four months will be left.

 

I was just wondering if it is worth working my socks off for 4 months, to shorten my foundation degree by a year.

 

Could anyone tell me if it is a difficult course to do.

 

 

Many thanks

 

Zo

[Cait]

Hello Robbiefan Zo, and welcome to the forum. I did my fdey with the ou but did 243 and 230, so can't really help. Is this a 60 pointer?

 

I'd say if you are finding E115 easy enough going to consider adding to your workload then why not? Level 2 courses are quite a bit different though and you may need to promise 16 hours a week or something to study.

[Guest]

Hello,

 

Thank you.

 

Yes, it is a 60 pointer. I was going to do those 2 courses that you have done, but feel i would like to know a little bit more about the psychological side to a child's development.

 

It is after all for 4 months, i have just finished E123 & E124 and although it was recommended 16 hours a week study, i never did that much as i didn't complete the little activities as unfortunately i found them a bit slow.

 

So, it depends on whether it is a really hard course and will need 32 hours a week study along with the E115. I do hope i have made sense.

 

 

Thankyou

[Cait]

Yes, that makes sense. The 4 months include Christmas then? will you have time?

 

It all depends on your other commitments - I had 2 children at home and running a Preschool at the same time as well as other stuff like Girlguiding and Church Council, so I couldn't have even thought about it!

[Guest]

Well this is the thing, i am starting a new role in September, i do have 2 children also. I will be doing the courses together from Feb to May next year, so at least it isn't over Christmas.

 

The trouble is i am very very impatient!!!!! I am loving the studying and want to feel as though i am getting somewhere.

 

I would like to go on to do the EYPS and will therefore having finished it all by about 2014!!!!!!!!

 

Thanx again

[sienna]

I did ED209 with the OU sometime ago now. I found it quite challenging, especially the exam that I had to do. Since then I have completed my Foundation Degree Early Years, some modules on a BA hons top-up and an OU course 'Science starts here'. It may just be me but I found ED209 one of the hardest things I have ever done.

 

Good luck with the completion of your Foundation Degree.

[mps09]

HI,

 

I'm doing my ED209 at the moment as my first module (long story...) and I have to say it is really hard work, very full on, started in Feb 09 and feel like I haven't had a minute, there is no break in study really.

 

Personally I wouldn't suggest doing two at the same time but you could speak to OU about it, depends what is involved in the other course I suppose.

 

Hope that helps

[Gezabel]

HI

I haven't done ED209 so have no personal experience to draw on but I would give very careful consideration to to overlapping a level one and level 2 course even for a few months. Together they are 120 points of study which is the maximum allowed by the OU and is equivalent to full time study. I have overlapped courses (like you I can be impatient!) but mine only totalled 90 points

 

I know I keep saying it so sorry for those who have heard it before but another aspect to consider when doing level 2 courses is that your final course grades play a vital role in deciding your degree classification. That wasn't really made clear when I was studying and it was perhaps more by luck than judgement that I got good course grades for my three level two courses. I am now right at the end of my OU study and just completing the final project for my final course for BA(Hons) Early Years.

 

It really depends on what you want to achieve if you you 'just want to pass' and get 'a degree' or whether you want to give it your all and achieve the best you can? If it is the latter then I personally think two courses is a bit much - of course your home/work situation is another factor to consider in the decision making process!

 

If you go to the OU course description page for ED209 and scroll down you will see a link to reviews from students who have done this course. I have just had a quick look and they do vary - some sing the praises, others are positive but say it was a challenging course and a couple of people say it was more like a level 3 than a level 2.

 

In general terms one of the problems in doing two courses is the possible clash of TMA submission dates but I guess you managed that when doing 123 and 124 together. Maybe another way of looking at it is think about the workload and how you managed for 123 and 124 remembering that they are both level one and together worth 60 points - you are now thinking of going up to level 2 and doubling the points!

 

I am not trying to put you off and there are many OU students who successful do such an amount of study - I guess it is really a case of careful thought and consideration.

 

I think there are a variety of threads on this forum about E115 - it is a great course but after 123 and 124 it's a whole new world, very different in style and ALOT of paperwork. I think it is fair to say that the vast majority of OU students found that it took time to adjust to E115 and the new terminology and all that it entailed.

 

I am certainly not trying to put you off from doing both and understand the time factor of trying to get courses done as quickly as possible.

 

I am in a slightly different position as I am an OU 'guinea pig' I started my study in 2003 when they presented E123 for the first time and every course I have done since (E123, E124,E230, E243, E115, E215, KE312 and now EK311) has been a first presentation - in fact I had a gap in my study whilst waiting for courses to be written! It's funny to think that in 2007 there was no BA in Early Years on offer with the OU it was all still at the proposal stage. It's quite exciting to think that the first OU cohort of BA(Hons) wil graduate in December this year:-)

 

Anyway I am prattling now so I will toddle off - good luck with the decision making and remember there are lots of ex and current OU students who are members of this forum and happy to help you along the way with your studies