University of Liverpool-Laureate Online Education

I received my Masters of Science, Information Systems Management in 2014. Frankly, about a quarter of the way through I realized that if I was doing this purely for the educational value and value placed on the Degree by the outside world, I was wasting my time and money. Their use of technology is laughable; 10 out of 10, I knew more than the Instructors; and, come on, if a Clinton is involved, which they are, you have to know you're being lead astray. However, I continued on for a few years taking a course or two a year because I thought it was tax deductible (it wasn't, then it was, then it wasn't) and there is good value in having access to Emerald, Scopus and other pricey Academic publications - those are worth it! If you want a piece of paper, it's a wonderful idea. If you want an education, it's a terrible idea. If you're Canadian and thinking that you'll get the Tuition Tax Credit - think again! For the sake of simplicity and profit, the University of Liverpool classifies ALL online courses as part-time. This means that Revenue Canada will laugh in your face when it comes time to claim the Tuition Tax Credit, and the Administration for the University of Liverpool cares NOTHING about you, or the thirty-thousand you've spent. You have been warned.

Having just completed the Masters in Information Systems Management I look back with a generally positive experience. The instructors are very varied in abilities and commitment, which is no different from a traditional University environment. I found the student support to be exceptional, all the way through my questions and concerns were addressed quickly and effectively. Course content was good but the group assignments are very tough given the distance levels of commitment out there. Ultimately it all comes down to the dissertation, make no mistake about how grueling it is and how much of the work is up to you. At times I felt somewhat alone in the process but my DA kept me on track and provided feedback that helped me get through it, that being said the responsibility is on you to get it done properly. Overall, hard work but a very satisfying feeling at the end and looking forward to the trip to Liverpool in the summer to graduate.

This is a degree done in partnership between Laureate and the University of Liverpool. Laureate deals with the finances and provide a sturdy technical infrastructure to facilitate the online presentation of this degree. Liverpool University issues the degrees, formulates the module syllabi and review the assignment of grades by the instructors. The response I’ve received from course administrators has been prompt and efficient. A high degree of professionalism is maintained by the instructors and tutors are available for assistance. Do not expect babysitting as learning at the Masters level should rightly be self-driven. Excellent online library facilities are provided by the University that one needs to make frequent use of for researching submissions. The workload is rigid within the 8 week long modules, but breaks can be taken between modules. In an average week one will need to write 3 significant essays and participate in online discussions. The international nature of the University does however mean that at times one needs to debate issues with students that are not adequately proficient with writing in English and the University should do more to vet student’s English language skills. The cost is high however as a current student I would recommend the program to others.

The program was indeed not a walk in the park. There is a lot to hand in and it is understandable that they want it like that: you hand in often so that it is impossible for you to assign your tasks to someone else. For students who are already working and have a family life it is well shaped I guess, as you have no exams on a fixed date. There are deadlines, and you can organise yourself to meet these deadlines; after your real job, or before, or during lunch time ...etc. Expect to have some short nights ;) After each module (each lasts 8 long weeks), you really feel the fatigue and usually you make a small break. But you can immediately proceed with the next module. The rythme and pace is somehow a decision that you take. A lot of interactions with other students is asked. Remember; all the students here are already professionals. they share their experience and usually they are each a specialist in a specific field. You learn a lot! I learned more here than at normal University when I was 20 years old. As for the instructors ... most were good. I had only one (of 8) who was not very cooperative. The plus anyway is the contribution of other students and the group works. I definitely recommand UoL.

I’m in my seventh course with the University of Liverpool online program. Overall I am very happy with the program. Most of the text books that are used are very good. The lecture notes are usually very good as well. I would really like to see a recorded video or audio lecture instead of just a document. I am in the MSc in Information Systems Management, and they have done a good job of incorporating an IT perspective into topics like Organizational Behaviour. The workload is very heavy, lots of writing. You need to be able to generate around 1000 words per week for the initial discussion questions and follow up on others at least three times following. The assignments differ from module to module. For example, in the Marketing module you are building a complete marketing plan. In the Project Management module, you create a complete project management plan. In Systems Analysis and Design you follow a build out a system using good patterns and practices. I am very happy with the content and real world application. The instructors’ participation varies. The lecture notes are not written by the instructor, but the module author. The instructor’s primarily just facilitates discussion in the forums and provide end of week grades/feedback. Some do a better job than others. The instructors I have had have all been PHDs with very impressive resumes; however most are from the U.S. and not associated with UOL directly. I think it would be better if oncampus instructors taught more of the classes to give it a little more feeling of a connection to the actual campus. I like the format of discussion questions and assignments, and I think I learn more that way. You get an opportunity to go really indepth into topics, and the UOL library has excellent resources. The quality of the work of other students is very high and participation is good. I will say, that I am usually an A student, but I’m having to settle for As & Bs in this program. They grade very hard, and it is subjective, but I put in a lot of hours, and I’ve had a to come to the conclusion in order to fit this in with work and family, I’m going to have to be a ‘B’ student. Overall: University is great, quality of the program is very high, workload is very high, instructors have a great background but some participate more than others, student quality is very high. Only improvements could be multimedia lectures, more on-campus professors, and to go a little easier on the grading ?

I mostly agree with the comments posted on June 2, 2009. Like others have said, you will be expected to work quite hard for this course, but you shouldn't necessarily equate "hard work" with "quality". Sometimes it is, but quite often it's not. E.g. I spend several hours each week responding to discussions from fellow students which really aren't worth a response. Unfortunately you have to do this in order to keep your participation level high, and the engaging, well-written, well-reasoned discussions are few and far between. I am very regularly disappointed by the quality of information provided. My latest set of lecture notes had several obvious technical errors. Instructors vary from above average (none are really outstanding) to those who simply cut-and-paste from a script. None of the instructors or course administrators are from the University of Liverpool - the university's involvement seems to be limited to issuing the degree at the end. The quality of the learning systems provided is also poor. There have been issues with course information not showing up online until students ask about it, problems with browser compatiblity etc. The best aspect of this course is nothing to do with the learning. The student support (in the form of student support managers) is quite good. In summary, this is a course run by a commercial company and rubber stamped by a well-known UK university. Its quality is marginal and its cost is quite high, which makes it poor value for money. You might do worse, but you could also probably do better.

Expect to work very hard and put in many hours per week. You'll be putting many hours of research on a weekly basis and doing an enormous amount of writing and critical thinking. So, far I am very satisfied with the quality of the program and am looking forward to my upcoming courses. I have been employed in IT for 15 years within a large corporation as a supervisor.

I'm a seasoned IT type and have been told throughout my career I have high standards. Just a quick intro to help put my comments into context. I am in the midst of the Liverpool Laureate Online program and fell for the accreditation and other referential collateral but have to say that I am frequently and periodically disappointed with this expensive offering. Simply put, the instructors would be better called posters although if you try some are willing to be engaged in the learning process. More over, how is it that student posts that would fail high school English class are even considered for a Pass mark? Yet, these students make it all the way through the module... and believe me, every module you will find several of your esteemed classmates wasting your time with a post you are supposed to be able to read and discuss. This would be the least supportive environment I could pretty much imagine made even more insulting given the direct and indirect costs. And do not miss the point that if you cannot complete your studies in 3 years you are given the privilege of paying an addition USD$1,000 per year to continue in the program. At this so-called school you will quickly learn it is fixated on the cost of things but is oblivious to value. Further, my experience is that they change your technical tools at least once a year and have downtime at least once or twice a month - not altogether convenient in an 8 week course. Some days I feel like I'm at Beta Online University. The only spark of merit is the online librarian / library. I have tried to transfer to other schools and none (meaning, not one) will recognize the work done in this program since it's not exam based. Accredited you say? Think again. My advice: Pay a little bit more if you have to - and you may not - and go with a school that actually runs its own Masters program with its own faculty and has a proper IT shop providing service. Failing that look at Heriot-Watt

As i begin my last module before the dissertation, i can say the workload in this program is quite intense if you work. It is no different than a regular full time program with all the research and open end questions, projects, and assignments that stirrs up the brain grey matter and keep you adding more and more, and the more you add the more you have to prove, discuss, document cite and reference correctly. This program is not for those who are looking for a quick degree. The real life experiences added from other team members are priceless compared to the what we pay for the program as the discussions leave room for real life experiences from workplaces, which makes it very close to acquiring hands on knowledge.

I'm just in my 6th module at UOL and I can say something, after one year that I started, I can affirm, it isn't a mill degree. Just one thing, we didn't have any pause in the end of the year, between Christmas and New Year holidays, "Box Day". Yep, during my Christmas I was together with my family and also doing my researches and had a deadline to meet, which one was the same during all course. Each module has 8 weeks of study, 2 months, and each week starts on Thursday and finish on Wednesday of the next week. I started thinking in study about 20 hours per week, 2 hours during work days and 10 hours in the weekend. Well, I made my plan for that, but sometimes it works sometimes not, as may you have to do more research than you expect to do it. I can say that some weeks I studied about 30 to 40 hours per week, that distributed about 3 to 4 hours per day during work days and 20 in the weekends, so I didn't have any weekend, holiday, anymore. But, I'm fully happy and I'm finishing the modules/subjects soon, it will be left my dissertation/thesis only. I would recommend without hesitation or think twice. Adilson Dias

When I had started this program in the mid of 06 I had no idea what to expect, except for the fact that I wanted an advance degree that will accelerate my career. The program is structured very well, the teachers are very good in their line of work and very dependable, the facilities helpful and material splendid. Overall the university is a tough nut to crack, if you are looking for a program which is a breeze to get through; this is not the one for you, and in now way is this university a degree mill. It requires intensive research and very hard work. 20 hours a week is sufficient to get you through, 25+ if you want to do it properly. Instead of exams, you are judged every week and the workload is quite overwhelming, which means a drastic cut in your personal activities. Because of the fact that I came from a Technology background, this made things a 'Bit' easier when comparing to non technical people, but this is only for the technical courses. I am very thankful to the university on what they have been able to teach me but remember online education is not for everyone, so spend time to understand what to expect. If you can work independently and are willing to give time to studies then this is certainly for you.