Yes, we have written a Student Handbook which is sent out to all new students. If you would like to read an online version click here.

There is also the OCA's Guide to Studying with the Open College of the Arts, which can be downloaded from here.

Is there a document which sets out all the OCA policies and procedures which have a relevance to students?

Yes, we have compiled a new document called the Student Regulations which is now sent out to all new students (as from August 2011). It can be accessed online here.

History

When was the OCA established?

The OCA was established as an arts education charity in 1987.

Over the years we have consolidated our position as a specialist provider of university level distance learning courses in the Creative Arts. For example, we have integrated all our courses with the UK HE Credits Scheme for transferring credits into and from the OCA (see also: FAQs - Qualifications, Pathways and HE Credits); we have also obtained external validation for all our courses from Bucks New University. We are continually expanding our range of courses (see also: Main Subject Groupings) and improving the student experience (e.g. by developing lively web forums, and opening up access to facilities such as the Bridgeman Art Library).

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Who founded the OCA?

OCA was founded by Michael Young (Lord Young of Dartington). He was also the driving force behind citizen centred initiatives such as the Consumers Association, and distance learning initiatives such as the National Extension College and the Open University. The original OCA art and design courses were written by eminent RA academicians.

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What was the original mission of the OCA?

Michael Young's mission was to offer the general public the chance to take high quality arts courses by distance learning, without prior qualifications or restrictions. He saw the OCA as a means of transforming people's lives, giving them the opportunity and skills to express their creative talents under the guidance of professional artists.

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Legal Status

Is the OCA a charity or profit making organisation?

The OCA is an arts education charity. It is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (registration number 327446).

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What happens to any surplus after covering costs?

In addition to being a registered charity the OCA is also a company limited by guarantee. This means that no profit is – or indeed could ever be - taken out of the college in the form of dividends. Any operating surplus is either used to develop new courses or channelled into the Bursary Fund to provide financial support for potential learners who are experiencing hardship of some kind (see the Bursary Guidance Notes for details).

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What is the OCA's Charitable Purpose?

In 2009/10 the OCA Trustees refreshed the statement of the OCA charitable purpose. It is repeated here with explanatory notes.

'To widen access to Creative Arts Education at Undergraduate and Graduate levels through Open and Flexible Learning'.

Explanatory notes

1.Currently we offer courses in:

Art History
Music
Creative Writing
Fine Art
Photography and Film
Visual Communication and
Textiles

All of these courses aim to develop practical skills and personal vision.

2. By 'widening access' we mean:

none of our first level courses have formal entry qualification requirements;
all of our courses can be studied from any location and do not require students to travel to attend classes – this is of particular relevance for those with mobility constraints, who live in remote areas or are in custodial institutions;
the needs of students with disabilities are factored into the design and delivery of all our courses;
the college has an adaptation budget to facilitate study for those who would have difficulty accessing a standard course;
the college has a bursary budget to facilitate entry for those on low income with a commitment to learn;
the college offers accreditation of prior learning to enable students access courses at levels which are appropriate to their skills and knowledge.

3. By 'Undergraduate and Graduate level' we mean:

all of our courses fit into pathways which map to qualifications at these levels;
all of our tutors work on the basis that all of our students wish to study at this level unless it has been agreed otherwise.

4. By 'Open and Flexible Learning' we mean:

all of our courses can be studied at a distance;
all of our courses (except the MA) have flexible start dates and pace of study is negotiated between the student and the tutor (within defined limits).

Key Players

Who are the Trustees?

Those ultimately accountable for the stewardship of the OCA are the Trustees (currently 9). They give their time freely to the OCA and provide a broad spectrum of insights and skills. As at Oct 2011, the Trustees were:

Chris Jelley (Chairman)
Chris is the former Head of Education and Children's Broadcasting at Yorkshire Television and is a non-executive director of Bradford Hospitals Trust.

Cathy Baxandall
Cathy is Company Secretary of Marshalls PLC and a board member of Yorkshire Youth and Music

Peggotty Graham
Peggotty is former Dean of Social Sciences at the Open University

(Very Reverend) Peter Bradley
Dean of Sheffield and chair of the Cathedral's Archer Project Charitable Trust, the largest charity in the South Yorkshire region working with the homeless.

(Professor) Jackie Marsh
Head of the School of Education, University of Sheffield, who has taught on distance learning postgraduate courses at diploma, master's and doctoral level.

(Professor) Patsy Cullen
Former Director of Teaching and Learning at York St John and a Board member of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Board until its recent abolition. Patsy is also a member of the Learning Panel of the National Trust.

Doreen Killick
A director of the Orion Pax Institute and former regional co-ordinator for the Institute of Careers Guidance.

Dave Willshaw

Helen Dingle

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Who are the senior managers?

Strategic, academic and operational planning is led by the Chief Executive (Gareth Dent), supported by an Executive Team of 6. Gareth was previously the Director of the learndirect careers advice service and, prior to that, a government economist and policy civil servant in the Department for Education and Employment. He is a practising photographer.

The Executive Team comprises:

Jane Horton, Curriculum Director. Jane's former experience includes 25 years in distance learning, with a specialism in online learning. She has worked as a Senior Manager at Learndirect, with a remit to widen participation in learning, as an Education Consultant for IBM and previously as Director of a small educational software company. Jane is also a practising artist.
Andrew Watson, Director of Operations. Andrew is a former senior manager at PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Assistant Director of Education for Cambridgeshire LEA, director of SWA Consulting and acting Chief Executive of the Careers Wales Association. Andrew is also a practising musician (harpsichord and jazz piano).
Alison Churchill, Director of Teaching and Learning Quality. Alison designed and directed distance-learning masters programmes in Japanese and Chinese at the School of East Asian Studies, University of Sheffield after a number of years living and working in Japan. Alison is also a keen student of fine art with the OCA.
Malcolm Thompson, Finance Director. Malcolm is a Chartered Accountant, who before joining the OCA, held a number of roles as finance director within the distribution industry.
Dee Whitmore, Head of Operations. Dee has a BSc in Archaeology and has been with the OCA since 2007, including experience on the finance team and also as Head of Marketing and Fulfilment, prior to promotion to Head of Operations.
Stephanie Gillott, Academic Registrar. Stephanie has a Social Sciences Degree from the University of Leeds and been with the OCA since 2001, including experience as an Academic Officer, Head of Academic Services and now Registrar.

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Who do I contact for operational queries (e.g. about enrolments and payments)?

Day to day operations and administration are carried out by the head office team, based in Barnsley. The following are some of the key contacts and the areas they can help you with:

learner support - Dee Whitmore
OCA website – Paul Vincent
assessment queries – Jade Lees or Lee Openshaw
accreditation, credit transfer and APL (Accreditation of Prior Learning) – Stephanie Gillott
bursary applications – Dee Whitmore
course materials, courier queries and to change your contact details – Kathy Petts
financial aspects – Debbie Hodson or Adele Fitzpatrick
all other queries (e.g. enrolments, deferrals, reinstatements) – any member of the Operations Team

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Is there a Student Association?

Yes. OCASA's (Open College of the Arts' Student Association's) representatives can be contacted using the details below:

fineart@ocasa.org.uk for Mary Adam, Representative for Fine Art & Art History
textiles@ocasa.org.uk for Sarah Dodds, Representative for Textiles
photography@ocasa.org.uk for Stuart McQuade, Representative for Photography
viscomms@ocasa.org.uk for Pam Wright, Representative for Visual Communications
music@ocasa.org.uk for Chris Lawry, Representative for Music
writing@ocasa.org.uk for Brenda Knee, Representative for Creative Writing
president@ocasa.org.uk for Stan Dickinson, OCASA President

For more information on OCASA and your representatives, please refer to the following We Are OCA blog post: Your OCASA representatives

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Contact Details

How do I contact the OCA (address, telephone number, email websites etc)?

We are increasingly trying to ensure that all the main questions that potential students might have are covered on our website at http://www.oca-uk.com/contact. It would be well worth looking through the information and FAQs there before contacting head office.

However we are always happy to discuss concerns and queries in real time.

Our contact details are as follows:

The switchboard number is 01226 730495
We have a freephone number for use by potential and current students: this is 0800 731 2116
For those ringing from abroad, the number is 0044 1226 730 495

The postal address is:
Open College of the Arts, Michael Young Arts Centre, Redbrook Business Park,
Wilthorpe Road, Barnsley S75 1JN

The usual office hours are: Monday to Thursdays: 9:00 - 17:00 Friday: 9:00 - 16:00
The email address is: enquiries@oca-uk.com

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Complaints

What if I have an issue with my course?

We are keen to resolve any issues which arise, quickly and informally.

For any concerns relating to your studies, please speak to your tutor first. If you are not happy with the response – or if the concern is actually about your tutor – please email Alison Churchill (alisonchurchill@oca-uk.com) who is our Director of Quality; Alison will either respond directly or refer the issue to the appropriate manager at Head Office.

For any concerns relating to finance and administration, please speak to a member of the Operations Team (0800 731 2116). If you are still not satisfied – or if the concern is actually about this team – please email Dee Whitmore (deewhitmore@oca-uk.com) who is our Head of Operations; Dee will either respond directly or refer the issue to the appropriate manager at Head Office.

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How do I make a formal complaint?

If you feel that your complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you should make a formal complaint in writing to the Head of Learner Support, Dee Whitmore. You can submit a formal complaint by post or by email to deewhitmore@oca-uk.com making 'Formal Complaint' the subject of the email. If the issue is straight forward, you will get a reply within ten working days. More complex issues may take longer to investigate, in which case you will get an acknowledgement with an indication of when you will get a substantive reply. We will always endeavour to resolve any genuine grievance.

If the issue is still not resolved to your satisfaction, you may make a formal appeal through our accrediting university. For details, click here: Academic Appeals - Taught Courses download. Please note that appeals cannot be made which question the academic judgement of assessors or external examiners.

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Profile in the World of HE

Why have I never heard of the OCA?

We recognise that not everyone has chanced across the OCA. There are several possible reasons for this:

as an arts education charity we don't have the funds to invest in major marketing campaigns – we do advertise, of course, but it tends to be low key compared with the bigger institutions
we are not featured in several of the HE directories as we do not validate our own degrees. See also FAQs - Validating University.
we are a relatively small arts college and hence do not have as many ex-students to help spread the word as the larger institutions.

However, we are a strong believer in small being beautiful! This enables us to keep our focus and achieve high standards. We only offer courses in the creative arts arena and hence are able to specialise; and it's important to stress that our tutors have experience both as teachers and professional artists See also: FAQs - Tutors.