Now that we’re ageing better than ever before, there’s no better time to pick up new skills than in retirement. In fact, in 2012 the UK had more over 60 enrolments into education courses than ever before with over 2,000 over 60s starting their first degree. So, why not give it a go?
Education systems have changed dramatically since we were school leavers and we are given so many options in what we can study, how we can study and where we can study. There are so many new systems available that cater for all experience and age levels… Some are even free! So read on to find out how you can go back to studying now.
MOOCS
Massive Open Online Courses are the new revolution of study. They are quite literally courses online that are free and take any number of participants. They cost nothing unless you want a certificate at the end and then you will be charged a small fee. There are absolutely no entry requirements so anyone at any skill level at any age can join! Australia has an increasing number of MOOCS available and Open Universities Australia have established their own MOOC platform, Open2Study.
Dr Nicole Hartley, Marketing Academic from the University of Queensland shared some extra information on MOOCS with us and told us why they are so great.
“The range of courses available via MOOCS is growing daily and they are offered across a spectrum of areas of study including: social sciences, biology, medicine, business, computer science, maths, humanities, physics and engineering. They are modelled on university courses and run from anywhere between 6-10 weeks.”
Dr Hartley also shared some information on the three platforms that host MOOCS.
“There are currently three MOOCS platforms that host courses worldwide;
Corsea – Founded at Stanford University with 1.7million users. They currently offer courses through approximately 108 partner universities through out the world which include UNSW and University of Western Australia in Australia.
EdX – Founded at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with 2.1 million users. They are currently partnered with 34 universities including University of Queensland and Australian National University in Australia.
Udacity – A less renowned platform from Standford University with 1.6 million users.”
To take a look at the incredible number of courses you can jump into right now, click here.
TAFE
Each state has a centre for TAFE, a technical and further education platform that offers a wide range of courses that contribute to earning education certificates and diplomas.
TAFE operates in a similar way to universities as most courses require on campus participation and you are required to attend classes, participate in group work and you have exams and assignments for assessment. Each course is assessed based on competencies making TAFE a practical and hands on learning experience.
TAFE courses are quite expensive and most courses are paid in full, upfront with either a student loan or cash, so if you want to start a TAFE course, make sure you’ve done your planning.
TAFE courses cover almost every single industry and field with different skills for different levels of expertise and responsibility. In some cases, completing TAFE courses will allow you to shorten a university degree, as is common in the field of business.
To find out more about TAFE, click here.
U3A
The University of the Third Age (U3A)
The University of the Third Age is the world’s first virtual university offering a wide range of courses. They focus on education for older people and have additional resources to help older people gain new skills. All you need to get started is a computer and a working internet connection! Australian courses include subjects under science, astronomy, biology, evolution, philosophy, psychology, creative writing, history, botany, conservation and religion so you have a wide range to choose from!
Getting started with U3A is easy. You pay a simple $25 annual membership fee to join and you have access to almost all courses offered. There are some courses that are not self initiated and to cover the cost of the teacher they are $5 per course.
To learn more about U3A, click here.
Whatever you want to do, we guarantee that there will be an awesome way to give it a go via one of these awesome education platforms.
Are you going back to study? Do you want to? What will you be doing and where? Share your stories with us in the comments below…