OU L192 - the end is in sight

[Paulal]

Did anyone else finish this course?  I have just completed my oral exam, and had confirmation on the OU website that my ECA1 has arrived.  I hope to pass but that will be it! Did anyone else find it hard for a beginner?  comments on the course welcome

Paula

[Lapaix]

What is this course, please?

Lynda

[sikhim]

Well done but just wondered, are you in the UK or in France?

if in France, how did you manage the seminars, orals, etc.

Sikhim  (I am in Lyon and could do with a bit of brain-challenging activities)

[Andrewjspencer]

I didn't bother finishing the course. Not because it was too hard but because it just didn't provide what I was looking for. It is very light on grammar etc, relied heavily on listening to conversations etc. Not what I needed.

Don't think I am alone in finding it disappointing....

[Iceni]

I pulled out for the same reasons as Andy - plus I had a medical problem. I told my tutor and the OU some months ago - an aknowledgement would have been nice. I found their personal service towards students dire and if you want to learn to speak French, doing it via listening to CD's and filling in answers in a book is really not going to work. The regular tests bore no comparison to the course and some admitted that they were able to answer the tests and get high scores without doing the work.

A total waste of money I could and can ill afford.

[Gooliegumdrop]

Well I'd just like to add another view to this discussion and redress the balance a little.

I am unable to personally comment on any experience of studying the Open University's L192 French Beginners course (as I have only seen a copy of it, not actually studied it)   http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C02L192 But, I did do their French courses at level 2 & 3 in order to gain a Diploma in French, as well as a couple of their Spanish courses, and found them all excellent. It is fair to say, however, that I already had a reasonable proficiency in French due to having spent some years living in the country (so may have found them more worthwhile than some other people).

Anyway, on a personal level, I have always found the Open University and their courses top class and excellent value for money. However, I note that the beginners level language courses in all of French, Spanish and German have a high drop-out rate of nearly 50%, so they are obviously not suited to everyone! The OU is renowned for its specialization in autonomous distance learning - this approach may, of course, be unsuitable for some. It should also be remembered that the OU's beginners' level language courses are meant to take the learner from zero to approximately GCSE level in less than a year - no mean feat, there is a lot of work involved!

In this discussion, one of the reasons for dropping out was cited as there being 'not enough grammar', yet L192 is a beginner's level course. So, would a lot of complex grammar be appropriate at this level? There is much more to language than just grammar, and I personally feel that any good course should focus on the four skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening - which L192 does.

As for the assignments often being in the form of a 'questionnaire', again I would like to reiterate that L192 is a beginners course. Would having to write long essays be appropriate at this level? There is plenty of chance for essay writing in the follow on course L120, which by the way, covers quite a large amount of grammar.

With regard to the OU tutors, I have always found them all to be extremely efficient, helpful and very dedicated towards their students, so think it is indeed unfortunate that one of the posters here has had a bad experience in that respect. But I would urge that they take this up with their OU regional centre, as any poor service is, of course, unacceptable.

Finally, I have signed up to this year's L193 beginners German. My course materials arrived a week or so ago, and I couldn't wait to get 'stuck into them'. So far, I have found the materials brilliant. A great deal of preparation was obviously put into them when they were compiled, as they are up to date and very much based on current language learning trends. I am as yet to meet my tutor as the course doesn't officially start until November, but I expect that he or she will demonstate the usual enthusiam and professionalism that I have encountered from my OU tutors so far.

Congratulations to those forum readers who have completed L192. Believe me, even with a lower grade, the sense of achievement you will feel when you receive your results in December, will make it all worthwhile!

Julie

www.francoservices.com

 

[Tillergirl]

Hi,

I too had my oral for L192 a few weeks ago. Rather bravely or insanely however you view it did both L192 and L120 at the same time.

L120 does have more grammar too it than L192 and both are worth doing through to the finish.

 

If you Live in France and want to study with the OU with the Language courses there is the option of studying an online version so you can have tutorials online through a lyceum service. Cuts out the need to travel back and forth to the uk.

I have found both courses challenging in some areas and on the whole rewarding as I have within the last month now moved to france and can just about manage to hold my head above water language wise.

Good Luck with your results I don't think we will have our final result until sometime near december i have heard.

All the Best

Sarah Tiller.

[Tillergirl]

Hi,

I don't know if you are already aware. But the final results are expecting around the 15th of December.

Good Luck.

I let you know here if i have passed.

All the Best

Sarah Tiller

[Sue56]

Hi - I posted the L211 message earlier and read out of curiosity this posting.

As Julie said, I found OU staff very helpful and supportive. Face to face tutorials, e-mails, telephone and written advice all very helpful from my tutor.  Any queries, telephone, e-mail or otherwise to local regional office have always been answered promptly and effectively. 

I did not do L192 so unable to comment on content.  Sorry to hear students have had problems, perhaps it is because so much is covered at beginners level which the average 16 year old taking GCSE French has had about 5 years of study beforehand.  Therefore a year is cramming rather a lot in for a beginner.   

Just out of interest Sarah - how on earth did you manage L192 and L120 at the same time?!  If you could do L120 why bother with L192? 

15th December for results - not long to wait now.  Good luck to everyone waiting - let us know how you got on.

Sue

[Tillergirl]

I knew that i should be able to do L192 but wasn't sure how i could cope with L120.

I did both of them as i was fast approaching to move date to France.

Arrived in August.

The two together were a challenge but i am glad i did L192 as well as that helped fill in some gaps in my knowledge without these little snippets L120 would have been much more frustrating at times.

I will add that while i was still living in England i also had private turion for 2 hours a week. And i can safely say that it was this additional support that got me through.

I was intending on immediately enrolling for L211 starting in February but as i am currently without employment i can not afford that course at present although i could not bare the thought of no study for a year, So have registered for Reading Classical Latin A297.

As the foundation of many modern languages come through Latin i am hoping this will aid my continuing learning of French. Well we shall see as time goes on.

[Sue56]

Good for you - Still think you're mad though

 

[Tillergirl]

I proberbly am.

Certainly felt like i was going insane at times but i am through the worst of that now.

Just want to know my results really se if i did ok or not.

[Tillergirl]

Right well as promised here are my results.

Are you ready?

Sit down your going to be in for a surprise I was.

L192 Bon Depart ( remember this is the beginners one) Fail

L120 Ouverture (slightly more advance passed Alevel range) Pass.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking.

HOW?

I looked more closely at the website to find out how i would be able to get more information i.e. feedback on these results and was again surprised to see in writing.  No feedback is given,  No remarks allowed and No you cant have your work back to see where it all went wrong.

My opinion at this bitter and twisted momement. Thanks a bunch for your support OU.

How am I suposed to learn and progress if you wont tell me where i went so terribly wrong?

 

Now all I can do is wait for a registration pack to arrive for a resist in approximatly 6 weeks time.

 

We will wait and see what happens.

 

All the best to everyone else and hope you had a nicer surprise than I did.

Tillergirl.

[nom de plume]

I am sorry about your results, it makes no sense but did you put more

effort into the harder course? I think exams today have their own

agenda, unless you do exactly what the question asks you will get it

wrong no matter how gramaticly correct your answer is. If the examiner

says the moon is blue it is better not to disagree but say c'est vrai!

Diana

[Sue56]

Hi - does seem odd failing the lower and passing the higher.  Look on the bright side though - it could have been the other way around. 

I passed my L120 but only just it would seem.  My TMA's averaged 84 but my exams (written & oral) came in at 47.  I am disappointed although I knew I had mucked up with the writing as I hadn't prepared properly for it and it really was a wing and a prayer.  The oral I was worried about and nearly talked myself out of it the night before.  I have looked at the Assessment Criteria which tells you what % you obtained for each element of the exams which has given me a good indication of where I went wrong - no big surprise.

Anyway at the end of the day I've passed which was what I wanted. 

I'm not going onto the next OU course yet partyly because of other commitments can't really fit in summer school but mainly because I want to be more confident at this level.

Well done anyway for your pass.[:D]

 

[Tillergirl]

Hi Sue glad you passed i only just scraped through on the oral side for L120 which i was lucky with as i completely froze on the day and couldn't think of a word to say to start my presentation for about 15-20 seconds.

On the L192 side of things after  seeing the breakdown of marks for the ECA's  it came out with a ridiculous score of 0-14% for reading comprehension. As soon as i saw that i knew it wasn't possible and there could only be one logical explantion which my tutor even asked did i send the whole thing in.

I know I sent everything to OU but I sent both ECA's for L192 and L120 in the same envelope these pieces of work would have been seperatede after reaching OU for sending onwards to the markers.  So the only thing we can think of is somewhere a piece of my exam has gone missing.

I have emailed OU with both mine and my tutors concerns over the results and have asked them to see if it has been recorded weather the piece was incomplete.

So it just wait and see time at the momement.

Congrats to you though.

Sarah. (tillergirl)

[Tillergirl]

Have had a reply from the OU Course results office they are going to look into the records for my work and see if there is anything there and get back to me.

It is just for my piece of mind i know that if some of my work was lost it wont change the outcome of the results but at least i know i'm not stupid.

I am going to register for a resist exam the only thing being i have to wait until october next year before i can actually do the resist.

Still it gives me plenty of time to revise.

 

[Sue56]

Hi - sounds most likely explanation. I know my scraping through the exam was purely down to my lack of commitment towards the end of the course and being totally unprepared - as I said I very nearly didn't even go to the oral exam.   Will keep fingers crossed for you and hope OU come up with lost piece of work or are able to justify (or not as the case may be) the low marking you received.  Let us know of any news.

Sue

[Tillergirl]

Well I recieved the letter finally this week it would appear that part of my ECA woork was not recieved by the marker hence the 0-14% mark on reading comprehension.

Alas that is why I failed.

I am dissapointed both with myself and the OU. As I know i sent all my work of as i checked and double checked as i was putting in the envelope.

Also I seperated my L192 work and L120 work in the same envelope by putting them in seperate plastic wallets one for each ECA with the cover sheets at the front to prevent paperwork going astray.  I can only assume that i forgot to put my PIN number on each sheet of paper to cover this eventuallity and as such if the missing piece was subsequently found it could not be identified.

[Sue56]

What a shame.  Are you not entitled to a re-sit or re-submit if it was just this one peice of work which was not complete?  Is there anyway they could tell from what you did submit that there was obviously more? Or is it simply not worth the hassle - as I think we said before you passed the harder one so don't torture yourself over L192, there's always L211!!.

Sue

[Tillergirl]

I was entitled to enter for a resit in October but decided to wait for the OU to get back to me first as to what went wrong before registering and in doing so have missed the dealine to register for the resit so now if I want to resist instead of it costing £40 I will have to pay the full course fee.

Really not sure if I want too now.