4 ms·

I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who has studied at FernUni. I have been toying with the idea of doing some kind of maths or comp sci degree for a wh

I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who has studied at FernUni. I have been toying with the idea of doing some kind of maths or comp sci degree for a while now. It would have to be part time / remote because I'm not willing to stop working. The only suitable thing I've come across is Georgia Tech's online masters. I considered the Open University but their CS courses look poor and it has become too expensive for something that would be a hobby. However, I'm not really sure what FernUni would offer over just buying OU books on Amazon and working through them.

newsgourmet 6y ago
At the very least, an official degree. You can legally call yourself MSc or whatever degree you went for.
Tomte 6y ago
> However, I'm not really sure what FernUni would offer over just buying OU books on Amazon and working through them. A very active Moodle instance, graded homework and access to a tutor. If you're in Germany: regular homework discussions with a tutor at your local regional center. Not to be underestimated: a whole cohort of other people that are going through the exact same material and exact same homework at the same time. Also, some external "motivation". "I need to submit my homework tomorrow" is much more urgent than "I originally planned to read chapter 3".
- imtringued 6y ago
  It's true. Half the value comes from the fact that you aren't doing it alone. The other half comes from the pressure to finish.
- Tainnor 6y ago
  What do you study at FU Hagen? Also, your nickname makes me nostalgic. ;)
  - Tomte 6y ago
    I aborted both law and mathematics over the last ten years, and am now starting educational science. It's cheap, I like doing it, and if I'm like most who never make it to graduation, who cares? It's still fun and valuable (to me).
    - Tainnor 6y ago
      That's a good attitude. How far along did you come with maths, if you don't mind me asking?
Tainnor 6y ago
I consider the maths degree at FU Hagen to be quite good. They maybe don't have the same breadth that larger departments might have, and they do have 1 or 2 bad courses (probability theory for example), but especially the introductory courses are didactically excellent. I'm somewhat less convinced about the CS credit I did (as a minor), some of it seems hopelessly outdated.
the_only_law 6y ago
I’ve been absolutely shocked at the lack of mathematics degrees available on line. I think I’ve seen more engineering and science programs online which would seem much less impractical than math.

newsgourmet 6y ago

At the very least, an official degree. You can legally call yourself MSc or whatever degree you went for.

Tomte 6y ago

> However, I'm not really sure what FernUni would offer over just buying OU books on Amazon and working through them. A very active Moodle instance, graded homework and access to a tutor. If you're in Germany: regular homework discussions with a tutor at your local regional center. Not to be underestimated: a whole cohort of other people that are going through the exact same material and exact same homework at the same time. Also, some external "motivation". "I need to submit my homework tomorrow" is much more urgent than "I originally planned to read chapter 3".

imtringued 6y ago
It's true. Half the value comes from the fact that you aren't doing it alone. The other half comes from the pressure to finish.
Tainnor 6y ago
What do you study at FU Hagen? Also, your nickname makes me nostalgic. ;)
- Tomte 6y ago
  I aborted both law and mathematics over the last ten years, and am now starting educational science. It's cheap, I like doing it, and if I'm like most who never make it to graduation, who cares? It's still fun and valuable (to me).
  - Tainnor 6y ago
    That's a good attitude. How far along did you come with maths, if you don't mind me asking?

Tainnor 6y ago

I consider the maths degree at FU Hagen to be quite good. They maybe don't have the same breadth that larger departments might have, and they do have 1 or 2 bad courses (probability theory for example), but especially the introductory courses are didactically excellent. I'm somewhat less convinced about the CS credit I did (as a minor), some of it seems hopelessly outdated.

the_only_law 6y ago

I’ve been absolutely shocked at the lack of mathematics degrees available on line. I think I’ve seen more engineering and science programs online which would seem much less impractical than math.