Open University study instructions

Participation in Open University studies are subject to a fee. Study fees are determined by the extent of the course or study module. Study fees will be charged during registration. In general, the fees are:

• Basic studies 25 ETCS/ 375 euros
• Intermediate studies 35 ETCS/ 525 euros
• Single course 15 euros / ECTS

Introductory studies and Open University Route studies can be free of charge.

The right to study is granted for open university studies which the student has registered. Study rights last for three terms in study modules and two terms in individual courses. Study right begins in the term you register for the course/module. Terms start on 1.8., 1.1. or 1.5. (Spring term 1.1.-31.7., autumn term 1.8.-31.12. and summer term 1.5.-31.3.). As a new student you will receive an e-mail once your student account has been created.

A basic degree student who has enrolled in the University of Oulu and has registered for attendance must participate primarily in instruction organized by student´s own faculty. It is also possible for student to complete open university studies organized by student´s own faculty or or other faculties free of charge within study place quotas set beforehand. Open university studies must be included in student´s personal study plan (PSP) and degree which requires discussion with a tutor teacher or education designer of the Academic Affairs Service Team. In addition, there might be other prerequisites for enrolling to open university studies such as granted study right for minor studies in question. Possible prerequisites or requirements are stated on Open University web page of a course or a module. If there are no specific prerequisites or if the requirements are met a student can enroll to open university studies with a registration link for degree students.

Studies organized by The Summer University of Northern Ostrobothnia or other institutions

Most of the studies organized by The Summer University of Northern Ostrobothnia are free of charge for basic degree students. Please note that major subject studies must be completed in instruction organized by the faculty. It is not possible for degree programme student to complete major subject studies at the Summer University of Northern Ostrobothnia for free. Only for very enforced or essential reasons (serious illness, delay of graduation) it is possible to complete studies with a decision made by the Education Dean of the faculty. In this case, please contact Faculty study services.

Studies must be included in student´s personal study plan (PSP) to complete studies. A student must contact tutor teacher or education designer of the Academic Affairs Service Team for updating the Personal study plan (PSP) and to get permission to complete studies before enrolling to studies organized by the Summer University of Northern Ostrobothnia. NB. Studies can also be offered by other universities.

If studies are free of charge it is mentioned on web page of the study module or course in question. A student must enroll to studies on the web page of the Summer University of Northern Ostrobothnia or other institution. A student may only complete studies that are not already completed free of charge. It is not allowed to complete studies for raising a grade of a study attainment. Study places are filled in order by enrollments. In some studies there is a limited amount of study places.

Single courses

• Registration for single courses is binding. Course fees will not be refunded after registration. Cancellation is possible only due to illness (medical certificate required). In these cases, please contact our study affairs office (avoin.yliopisto(a)oulu.fi).

Courses over 10 ECTS

• Registration for study modules can be cancelled 14 days before the course starts. If the cancellation is made after that but before the beginning of the studies, we will refund the part of the course fee that exceeds 50 euros.

Study modules

• Registration for study modules can be cancelled 14 days before the beginning of studies. If the cancellation is made after that, but before the beginning of the studies, we will refund the part of the course fee that exceeds 50 euros. If the cancellation is made during the studies, we will refund part of the fee that exceeds 50 euros for courses that have not yet started. A full refund is only possible due to illness (medical certificate required). The full course fee will be reserved in cases where study modules have a minimum participant quota.
• If you need to cancel your registration, contact avoin.yliopisto(a)oulu.fi
• If a cancellation is made by the Open University, 100% of the course fee will be refunded.

At the Open University you can study basic and intermediate studies and language and communication studies. Studies are organized in cooperation with the university faculties and partner institutions.

In many subjects the Open University organizes basic study modules of 25 credits and intermediate study modules of 35 credits. You may also complete individual courses.

Completing an entire degree at the Open University is not possible. You may only complete parts of a degree that may later be included in your university degree if you are accepted into a university program as a basic degree student.

Open University studies can be arranged as

• Contact studies
  • Contact studies requires participating in lectures, seminars and practices arranged at the University of Oulu or partner institutions.
• Web-based studies
  • Courses are held exclusively online. Students need a computer and an internet connection to be able to participate in these courses. Some tasks may be independent while some tasks may include for example group work. Tasks are completed in online learning environments.

The Open University teaching quality and standards correspond to university teaching. During the studies students will learn about concepts, theories, and research results of the study field. The main goal is to develop a student’s scientific mindset and provide them with the skills needed to find appropriate information and to process this information. Students should be active and accustomed to conducting independent work to manage their studies.

Online courses are independent of place and time.

Grades are given in the form of ECTS credits. One ETCS credit corresponds to approximately 27 hours of work/studying. ETCS credits are calculated based on various study methods not only from lectures held by teachers. In addition to lectures studying may include group work, practical work, and independent work. Due to students’ different studying methods and learning qualifications the time invested in completing the studies may still vary.

Moodle

• Instructions for Moodle can be found here https://moodle.oulu.fi/mod/book/view.php?id=98361&chapterid=2773
• Log in to Moodle here https://moodle.oulu.fi/

Zoom

• With Zoom you can attend online lectures or keep in contact with your study group.
• Log in to Zoom here: https://oulu.zoom.us/

Library Service

Library and information searching

Finding information from the library and databases is an important part of studies. Libraries offer several services and literature sources for students: books, magazines, databases, study spaces and guidance. Library services are specifically developed for studies and research conducted at the University of Oulu. Open university students have the same rights to use literature as degree students.

Using OULA-Finna, you can freely use the online databases, digital magazines and books of the Oulu University Library. You can access e-resources on campus by logging in with your student account to the university’s workstations or using remote login with your own computer.

More information: https://www.oulu.fi/library/

Open University students will receive a user account from the University of Oulu ICT services. The system automatically creates the new student's user account after you have registered to the course. Please note that the student’s user account starts to work only after the study right has been validated.

You can set a password online if you have a personal Finnish online banking account, a mobile ID or Finland’s Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s certificate. Self-service can be found here: https://account.oulu.fi/passwd

If you don’t have access to any of these identification methods, contact avoin.yliopisto(at)oulu.fi

If you have previously studied at the University of Oulu’s Open University you can use your former user account. The user account will be activated after registration if the study right has begun. If you are not sure what your username is or have forgotten your password, activate your user account in self-service or contact avoin.yliopisto(at)oulu.fi.

If your account is older and you have not specifically enabled the O365 service, do it now! The activation creates a Microsoft account which you need to sign in to the university systems.

Activate O365 via the activation form.

Note that you must change your password every year. You can change your password in self-service. If you remember the old password, you don’t need to identify through Suomi.fi. More information about the password: https://ict.oulu.fi/16686/?page&lang=en

If you have problems with signing up, you can check your account via https://account.oulu.fi/accountinfo using Suomi.fi identification. Service will show you the information about your account. If you are not able to solve the problem with these information you can send a request for ICT services through the system.

With the student account you can use:

• Office 365 Education cloud service. Outlook email, calendar, Office programs, OneDrive and Teams collaboration tool. You may also install Office tools to your own computer. More info here: https://www.oulu.fi/ict/office365
• G Suite cloud service. More info here: https://www.oulu.fi/ict/gsuite
• Web-based learning environment Moodle
• Oulu University Library databases by remote
• ICT service’s laptop vendors and other workstations
• ICT service’s software distribution

More information about ICT services can be found here: https://www.oulu.fi/ict/

After your study right has expired your student account will be closed within four weeks. You will receive an email before this happens. If you wish to keep any files that are located on the university’s cloud services or network drives, they must be moved before your account is closed. Students’ basic information and credits will remain in the system.

IT Service Rules of use are binding and applicable to Open University members. You can read the rules here: https://www.oulu.fi/ict/rules