How You Study Online
Get supportive, rigorous degree-level teaching online
Studying online is the ideal option for those looking for flexibility while elevating their creative career prospects. Our online degrees have all been designed from the outset to be taught and learned online. This means that they're crafted specifically for you to study remotely.
Through a combination of lectures, webinars, tutorials and collaborative work, you'll be encouraged to push your limits, explore your creativity and develop professional skills and expertise that make you ready for industry.
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Creative collaboration
Here at Falmouth we encourage open innovation throughout your online studies. This might mean participating in stimulating discussions with your fellow students or working together on projects to develop your teamwork skills. It'll give you the chance to push each other's creative boundaries and connect with your global learning community.
It's so important to feel part of your learning community. Find out more about how we encourage this atmosphere.
Face-to-face events
We offer optional face-to-face events for our online students that usually happen twice a year. While they're not essential, they'll be an enhancement to your chosen course. They're great opportunities to meet your course-mates and Tutors and to explore course related topics through additional activities and discussions. You'll get the chance to hear from industry experts, offering a wider professional context for your learning and a deeper insight into your chosen industry.
Event dates and locations may vary. We'll cover the costs relating to the events themselves, so you'll just need to pay for your travel, accommodation, food and drink. More information about these events will be given to you when you start your course.
Please bear in mind that the Covid-19 pandemic may impact these events. You can view the latest information here.
What will I spend my time doing?
The general rule of thumb in Higher Education is that you should study for ten hours for each credit of study you earn. However, this doesn't mean that you'll be in the Virtual Learning Environment for all of these hours. The hours will be a combination of directed study and independent study and the study hours per week will vary based on your course, level and pace of study. You may find that, depending on your experience and aptitude, you need to spend more time on some modules and less on others to meet the learning outcomes.
Falmouth University's online courses are delivered over 3 'Study Blocks' per year, each Study Block consists of 12-13 weeks of taught content culminating in assignment submission, and 2-3 weeks during which your assignment is assessed by your tutors and feedback is given. During the 2-3 week marking period students will usually consolidate their learning and prepare for their upcoming module/s.
Directed study includes engaging with written content, video content, presentation content and podcasts; it might also include taking part in forum discussions, completing structured learning activities and attending webinars.
Independent study includes assessment, research, preparation, planning, reading, skill/subject practice and reflective practice; so, this is very flexible by nature and individual to your course and learning preferences. If you're working in a related or complementary field, that experience and your practice could form part of your independent study as you apply your learning from your real-world context.
With the exception of the optional webinars and optional face-to-face events, nothing has a scheduled time so you can complete the activity at times that suit you. Content is released weekly, and whilst the completion of learning activities isn't time bound it is recommended that you study regularly to keep pace with your cohort and ensure that your studies remain manageable.
In addition to the assessment periods, there are typically five weeks of University holiday each year, in addition to bank holidays. Full details of study blocks and term dates can be found here.
An indicative breakdown of study expectation as hours per week for each 12-week study period is provided below by pathway:
Pathway | Directed study | Independent study | Total study hours |
|---|---|---|---|
Full-time under- | 10-12.5 hours | 30-37.5 hours | Around 40-50 hours |
Part-time under-graduate | 7-8 hours | 20-25 hours | Around 27-33 hours |
Part-time post- | 3-4 hours | 17-21 hours | Around 20-25 hours |
How you're assessed
Our assessments all take place remotely, so you won't need to attend a campus to submit them. This allows our students total flexibility over their studies. Depending on the degree, your work will be assessed in a variety of ways.
These can include:
- Submission of portfolios
- Presentations
- Reviews and reports
- Pitches
- Reflective journals
- Competition analysis
- Final projects
Submissions usually take place at the end of each study block, and occasionally during a block to ensure you're on the right track.
You'll be offered verbal and/or written feedback after you complete your assessments; an invaluable opportunity to reflect on your work, or access additional support if you need it.
