These are aimed at students who study on their own time, at home or wherever is most convenient for them. More than 60,000 of OU's students study courses that require the use of a computer. Some 80 percent of the OU's 5500 students in mainland Europe are online, and about 20,000 mail messages and 150,000 online conferencing messages are read daily by OU students and tutors. Students receive specially designed course materials which include books, videos, audio tapes, CD-ROMS and, for some science courses, experiment kits. Each of them is given his or her own personal tutor and keeps in touch with these tutors and their fellow students by mail, telephone, fax or e-mail.
Tutors mark assignments and give support and advice throughout the course.
And the OU is moving increasingly into the world of the e-university, offering courses and materials via the World Wide Web. All materials come through the course website, all the assignments are done online and the tutor feedback on them also comes via the Web. The Web also allows the OU to offer its programs globally. The new Masters degree in Applied Linguistics will be available to students around the world using traditional printed and video materials but supported by tutors online using electronic conferencing. English is the language of instruction and there are twelve different degree programs.