Online learning and online courses

being housebound i find the Open University online courses which are free, are brilliant.

I agree that the OU courses are very good, so many subjects and length of courses to choose. I started doing them during lockdown, particular interests are history and art. Futurelearn is another source though over the past year they have become increasingly vocational obviously due to demand.

I’ve lost interest with futurelearn because it has become so vocational. There’s very little on offer just for general interest any more, I feel. It’s more geared to work place development or pre university preparation courses, which are of no interest to me at my age.
I wish I could find something online that offers free courses that are there to keep the old brain cells ticking over rather than preparing one for work promotion or university.

I have done several OU courses and found them brilliant. Zip - you d on't have to gear them for work, it can just be done for something which interests you (I did one in criminology - nothing to do with career possibilities).

I find it incomprehensible that no school leavers seem to use it as a means to further education (if they wish to be educated!!), rather than the ubiquitous university, which saddles them with huge debts.

Universities used to offer adult education courses, but many have been cut, which is a shame.

Even long-standing organisations such as the WEA are now focusing on very basic ‘get into work’ areas, as they are the ones that attract funding. The days when FE colleges offered everything from A levels to pottery or conventional French are long gone, too.

I would love to see more investment in education for its own sake, and to give those who want to change direction, or who missed out when young a second chance. I’m sure it would pay dividends.