Before you begin: popular questions asked by our applicants

At UCLan, we firmly believe there’s no such thing as a bad question. We always encourage prospective students to get any doubts out of the way – no matter how small – before starting their studies.

We recently held a live, virtual Q&A with prospective students to discuss their questions about learning online. Led by Course Advisers Libby, Daniel, and Hannah, the event received questions from people around the world who are thinking about starting their postgraduate education.

If you missed the event, don’t worry - we’ve transcribed the most popular questions that were sent to our team below.

What’s the difference between studying on campus and studying online as an MA student?

Hannah: There isn’t any difference between the coursework or the level of academic experience you receive. The difference is simply the way it’s delivered – but you’ll still graduate with the same master’s degree either way.

Are the webinars, assessments, etc. held live? Also, are there any opportunities to have conversations with the rest of your class?

Libby: Yes, there’s be plenty of chances to engage with your peers! Let me talk you through how an average week looks to explain it clearly.

Each week you’ll have all your course materials go onto our online learning platform, which is called Canvas. You can work through those at your own pace, and that portion of the course is very much independent, so that you can work it into your own schedule.

There’s also our online forum, which is constantly running on Canvas. Students can use that to discuss coursework or message each other about the activities they’ve been doing that week.

On Friday, we do have a live webinar with the entire class and our academics, where you can really dive into the topics you’ve been covering. However, these webinars are recorded, so you can always watch them later if you can’t join us live – or if you just want a refresher on what happened.

Daniel: Just following on from that point – another element that usually causes people to breathe a sigh of relief is that there are no examinations!

Instead, there’ll be assessment criteria at the end of each modules, as well as feedback from your tutor on your essays, presentations, and so on.

Libby: Yeah, timed exams don’t really align with what our students want out of our courses , which is the freedom to study on your own schedule.

We do have optional face-to-face events during the course if you like to take part in them – but these aren’t a part of your coursework, so you don’t need to worry about them impacting your degree. And obviously, at the end, you’re more than welcome to come to campus for your graduation. We’d love to have you here!

My last time studying was when I completed a BA in 2012, and I’m a little nervous about returning to education – so I was wondering what sort of support is available?

Daniel: I completely get your concern; it can be really daunting to think about going back to education after a while away from it.

We actually recently launched a resource called Get Set for Study. It was built for students with the same concerns as you – it’s a great website to refine your academic skills; learn how to write, read, and research at a master’s level; and just generally perform to the best of your ability.

Libby: Yeah, it’s quite easy to forget how to do things like referencing once you’re out of education! Going through Get Set for Study is a good way to brush up on those skills.

Have more questions about studying online with UCLan? We’re more than happy to answer them. Contact our helpful Course Adviser team, who’ll get back to you by the next working day.