The Open College Avis 

I am a full time working mother and decided to undertake the above course with the knowledge that it was online and would be different to the set up on a 'normal' college course that I have been used to in the past. It suited me to be able to do it on my own time without the commitment of having to be in class.
What I was not prepared for though was the lack of support. I did 8 modules with 6/7 different tutors only one of them took the time to introduce themselves to me. You are literally given PDFs of 100s of pages and off you go with briefs on assignments that sometimes I found very vague or confusing. My mistake as I should have researched further but I assumed (based on friends/colleagues experiences with online courses in other colleges) that it would be somewhat blended learning, for example, video tutorials from the tutor and that they would check in with you weekly/fortnightly, help you set targets etc. You can email them but you'll be waiting for a response. I don't know how many times I set time aside time to do course work but was waiting on clarification or feedback to proceed which would come late even in instances where I had booked time off work to get through assignments. The responses themselves sometimes left me even more confused than when I had originally started.
When COVID hit this got even worse which you wouldn't mind for a period of time but 3 months later when lockdown is over and no one in the office is answering the phone, returning phone calls or emails when you have paid in full at the beginning is more than disappointing.

One time I did a video presentation and accidentally uploaded the wrong file which I wasn't made aware of until weeks later. You are just told 'the onus is on the student to ensure the correct documentation is submitted' and while yes I understand that I have done a lot of courses and if anything like this was to happen then the tutor would let you know straight away and allow for human error. Through appeals and literally begging and pointing out to them an error made to me by one of their staff, it was eventually accepted and graded (just to point out I wasn't late submitting either). It just feels like they are working against you rather than with you.

If you are someone who has loads of time on your hands and is happy to pay money for self-directed learning then The Open College is for you, if not though I would advise researching other colleges. I am just so glad it is behind me and I have my cert but I will always look back on it as an incredibly stressful period of my life.

I did the Supervisory Management course. Enjoyed the course and found the staff at the college very good. Great to have a recognized qualification which has really helped me in my current job. However very disappointed that I had absolutely no contact from the course tutor at all throughout the course. Not even an initial welcome & introduction or periodic check ins!!!

I would give it less than one star if I could.
I was unhappy with a nutrition course I signed up for. The 8 week course cost over 300 euro and when I received the material I have found it's not an online college course at all. It's just a bunch of PDFs and the little videos are just this guy explaining what you'll have to read in 2 minutes. So as it wasn't what I expected I asked them to cancel the course and give me a refund (within two weeks of having started).

Not only they refused to refund me but they charged me for the second half of the course after I have asked to cancel. And you know what if that wasn't enough it was incredibly difficult to get in touch with them and I got sent from phone call to email to chat services and it took them over a week to respond. This is not a college it's an outlet for them to take you your money for PDFs you can read yourself on the internet. Do not recommend it.

I am currently doing the finance QQI L6 and it’s excellent.
Since starting the course I have informed my managers and now work with our budget team a day a week.
My final exam is this Friday! I’ll definitely be recommending it to my directs.
Ken Lalor.

Excellent programme, which is very well presented and planned. Very supportive Tutor who supported each and every member of the class. Very encouraging and very helpful.

Very hard to get your money back even if you change your mind in the early stages. Being charged again even though I cancelled a month ago with a promise of being refunded the difference for the fist payment.

Hi, Just wondering if anyone has gotten a permanent job as SNA after doing this course. Am interested In signing up

Train the Trainer

Good course either as an introduction to the area or as a refresher. Materials were clearly organised and tasks were relevant and feedback was clear and timely. My tutor, Lorraine, was incredibly supportive and responsive throughout, despite the amount of work she obviously had to get through with so many people looking to retrain.

I have completed the Montessori QQI Level 6 course within The Open College and I am glad to say that I have had a great experience while enrolling my course.
My tutor was very helpful, the material provided was very easily accessible and understandable and I have got a very quick response when I needed help.
Would highly recommend the institution to any of my friends for sure.
Regards
Fabiane B.

I always wanted to do this course for some years now but the courses around me locally never had enough numbers to run this course. When finding out about this course online I was nervous but up for a new challenge. The overall experience was great, the course work was enjoyable and the tutors were very helpful. Lorraine and Noel I have to mention. If anyone is interested in this course I would highly recommend it.

I found all the staff very helpful with all my enquiries. The literature and back up that comes with the courses us 2nd to none and i wouldnt hesitate in doing more courses with the open college. The psyment plans make it easier to manage aswell. Many thanks guys for all your help.

I recently completed my online course Train the trainer with The open college. I had some concerns about doing a course online (because I am more used to a classroom environment), but my tutor Lorraine Walsh was so kind, extremely helpful and very easy to communicate with. She made my learning experience very pleasant. I would definitely recommend The open college to my family, friends and colleagues. I would like to thank The open college for a great learning experience.

Fantastic having a course, four Wednesdays rather than a straight week
Facilities were excellent, instructor was again excellent. Thinking about doing another course with you, price was great value for money
Thank you Mary (and the staff)
Kind regards
Steve Egan

I was very pleased with the course I completed recently -Train the trainer. I found the content to be very relevant & informative & taught appropriately. The tutor was very knowledgeable & personable. She made the training environment very comfortable & was very approachable and helpful.

The course was very comprehensive and informative. The group gelled well and were supportive of each other. Mary, our tutor was also supportive and knowledgeable. Even after the course I feel I am being supported and encouraged.
Would recommend to anyone wanting to go down this path.

Excellent course :)
Train the Trainers course was well presented, with a lot of supporting material, the tutor, Mary, was fabulous and the group of learners very varied.
The accessibility to the place, brilliant.
I would highly recommend the course in The Open College to whoever wants to enjoy while learning.

The Open College are the most professional, helpful, courteous and polite mannered company I have had the pleasure of dealing with in a while.
I started my course November 2018 and finished April 2019.

I am a mature student so I was a little nervous at the start and had to ring the college on numerous occasions. Even though my questions were probably ridiculous half of the time the college were so friendly, tolerant and extremely helpful.

Throughout my entire course experience dealing with receptionist's who have such a pleasant manner answering your query and I have to mention Eoghan in assignments section he never once complained while helping me when I'm sure he dreaded to see my number on the phone,lol!! The Tutors are outstanding and it's full guidance 100% all the way with them.
All in all I cannot promote this college enough, outstanding and professional in every aspect. Thanks to all of you for a great experience x

I enjoyed the course a lot. The tutor was very capable and engaging. He had a lot of professional experience, form which he could draw on on provide many interesting case studies. This made the course very relevant and I prepared me for the role of the trainer significantly!

When it comes to the training centre itself, I think the room was too small and quite dark. It might be the fault of an old bulb in a projector as well, but the slides were a bit too dark.

I found the train the trainer programme excellent. Great content, tutor and classmates added to a really good experience.

Excellent course!!! Highly recommend!