Below are the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Online Business School Courses (OBS)
If you are a student hoping to further your education through e-learning, consider the following Questions and Answers.
1. Are there any English language requirements to pursue an Online Business School (OBS) course?
For students who are not native speakers of the English language or come from an English speaking country, OBS recommends taking an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) course to improve your language to level 5.5 or higher. This can easily be accomplished alongside other courses.
The minimum level of both written and spoken English may vary depending upon which university you decide to complete your “top up” or further your language enhancement with.
2. Do I need any previous experience and qualifications?
A student at OBS needs an IELTS score of level 5.5 or above. You can study an English course alongside any of the OBS courses. At level 4/5, it’s required to have completed secondary education to be eligible to enroll onto the course. The accredited universities require a minimum age before embarking on the university top-up programme.
At Level 7, it’s required to have a 5 years of managerial experience if you do not have a Bachelors of Art (BA) degree. This may vary from one university to the next. However, we look at every online application individually and some exceptions may be overlooked.
3. Are there interviews at OBS?
There is no interview process with OBS. You however have to fill out a short application form to make sure you meet the criteria.
4. How do I choose a course that’s best for me?
Learners should first visit the Online Business School Course page to view the wide range of courses on offer. To decide on what subjects best suits the learner, the applicant should:
- Review the modules within the online course. Do they speak to your interest? Are they relevant to your chosen career path?
- How the course is taught and assessed. Do you have the motivation to study via distance learning? Are you able to work independently?
It is important for learners to not stretch themselves too far and too fast. Ideally, they should choose a path which they are comfortable with and which hones their level of skills and experience.
5. How do I apply for an Online Business Course (OBS)?
You can simply choose your course and enroll online, via the Online Business School course page. Alternatively you can call the OBS enrollments team on 02476 223 940 and they will guide you through the enrolment process.
6. What’s the fee for my assignments with OBS?
All assignment submissions are free.
7. Is there help and guidance offered while writing assignments?
Yes, all students are encouraged to arrange an initial 30 minute ‘assignment preparation’ session with one of our tutors. The session will be conducted via Skype and covers all aspects of assignment writing particularly in areas which students are not conversant with.
In addition to this, students have access to tutors who work with Online Business School. The tutor details are available via the Dashboard and shows which areas they specialize in and when they are available for sessions.
If a student wishes to arrange a session they can do so directly from the OBS Dashboard, where they can specify which topic they need assistance with. Alternatively, they can contact our support team at studentsupport@onlinebusinessschool.com
Further information is available in the student’s handbook with the relevant course information packages.
8. How do I submit my assignments?
Submissions need to be uploaded via the dashboard, in the ‘assignment’ section.
Students must also provide a plagiarism report for all submitted assignments
9. How many words are required in my assignments?
We recommend students to write between 5000 – 8000 words for each assignment. However, students will not be penalized for going over this word count limit as long as the work is related to the assignment in question.
10. At what point do I receive the assignments?
Assignments are released upon enrollment.
11. How long does the marking process take?
After an assignment has been submitted, our markers return the results within 10 working days. Once all assignments have been completed and marked, an internal verification process checks the assignment. After the Internal Verification is finalized, and agreement is made on the initial marking, all of the assignments are sent to Award for Training & Higher Education (ATHE) for External Verification.
ATHE then proceeds to checks the assignment to ensure it’s correct and standard. This process can take up to 30 working days.
In total, once you have completed your assignments it takes an estimate of 40 working days to receive your final results.
12. Are the OBS payment on my Visa/MasterCard etc deducted immediately?
Yes. Once OBS has received the payment for the online course, your course outline is then released to you immediately.
13. Does OBS offer financial assistance?
OBS offers an interest free payment plan where you can pay for your online course over a set number of months. To get this process started, contact one of our student advisers for more information.
United Kingdom (UK) students are also eligible for student loans for the online university top-up programme.
Learners should make enquiries to the university of their choosing.
14.Are there any additional costs?
There are no additional costs levied by OBS. All additional learning resources include tutor support, e-books, games and short business courses which are included in the course tuition fees.
For more information relating to tutor support click here.
15. What payment options are available?
Online payments are made online on Sage Pay by credit/debit card, bank transfer or PayPal through any of our international banks.
16. How much are the assessments costs?
There are no extra costs. Assessments are included with the course purchases.
17. Who are Award for Training & Higher Education (ATHE)?
ATHE provides online colleges with qualifications in management, business, tourism and health & social care. ATHE have made a name for themselves with a recommendable customer service and rewarding qualifications to happy learners with a progression routes to university degrees.
Further, ATHE provides bespoke training support of great value for money, comprehensive university progressions and dedicated support from an ATHE officer. ATHE’s simple and easy to use documents, website, innovative qualifications, External Verifier support, flexible delivery solutions, a global focus and a close business development relationship makes it a force to reckon with in OBS.
Please visit athe.co.uk for more information.
18. How are online universities linked to the modules?
Online learners who achieve an OBS qualification are automatically mapped against a standard UK Higher Education qualification framework. This is a universally recognized framework of credits. Universities can therefore award credits against the OBS study to give exemptions from large parts of their formal programmes.
OBS and ATHE have pre agreed arrangements and terms with which certain universities provide credits against programmes either on campus or off campus. This is termed as a ‘university top-up’.
19. What is Online Business School (OBS)?
The Online Business School Ltd is a company registered in the UK under English law.7750588
20. What does obtaining a course at OBS entail?
The Online Business School is dedicated to providing a wide range of Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses at an affordable cost. All learning activities, materials and content are readily available online with modern delivery models to make learning more engaging and cost effective. On completion of an OBS course, it will give you the student recognized university credits to then “top up” at one of our UK university partners, saving you time and money.
21. Can I edit my personal contact details once I have submitted them to OBS?
All personal details can be edited through the student’s dashboard. Once a student has completed the enrollment secure process, they can login and view their course progress, edit their profile and chat to a fellow student in the forum.
22. Can I access my student’s dashboard if I haven’t finished my course?
Your access to the OBS Dashboard is for a maximum of 4 years from the date of enrollment. This can be extended if a request is made in writing to OBS student administration.
23. I have forgotten my username/password and I cannot login to my dashboard?
If learners have lost or forgotten their login details, they can request a new password on their email address.
Further, you can email admin (at) onlinebusinessschool.com for more assistance.
24. How effective is a higher education through OBS?
The OBS programmes are mapped against UK higher education qualifications which are fully transferable to a range of other higher education routes and professional qualifications.
On completion of the OBS level 4/5 programme, students are awarded 240 credits ( The first 2 years of a Undergraduate degree). From then onwards, they top up to their final year at one of our university partners who are recognized by ATHE standards.
Similarly at level 7, students gain 120 credits from a total of 180 credits for an MBA. Again, they can top up at an OBS university partner.
25. What potential job opportunities are there after I complete an online course?
Once you successfully complete your final year at university, you will have an accredited BA degree or postgraduate qualifications which will open doors to many career options.
26. What can I do I am struggling with getting the bearings of Online Business School?
If you are struggling with the registration process, loss of password, login details, course outline, OBS Modules, you can seek assistance by requesting a tutor’s help through the student’s dashboard. Further, through our dedicated forum, students can interact and help each other through the course content and share interesting and relevant links with each other.
27. Can I talk and interact with other students?
All students who have enrolled onto a course can communicate with each other via the social learning forum.
28. How much social support is available for students?
Learners can use the social learning forums without limitation and talk to fellow learners around the world. Learners may also choose to purchase additional tutor support. Tutors will also present webinars on demand which are available free of charge to all students.
29. How many modules do I need to achieve a certification?
You need to complete all the modules detailed in your course outline in addition to all the associated assessments to complete the OBS course and receive the ATHE diploma. This will give you the recognized University credits. You can study the modules at your own pace and can purchase more modules at any time.
30. Do I need a specific computer to study with OBS?
As long as you have internet access to any computer or tablet using your login details, you can certainly study and complete online modules and courses. You can also study on your phone with our mobile user-friendly content.
31. Can I access my dashboard and study on my mobile and/or tablet?
Yes, but this will only be accessible with an internet connection. All digital interactivity has been coded for compatibility on touch screens. Alternatively, you can also learn by printing out the modules.
32. What study materials do I need?
The modules themselves are sufficient for passing the associated assessments. The modules contain additional accessible resources which learners may wish to follow through to enhance their learning. These are provided within the text. Additionally, OBS has extra learning resources such as e-books and webinars to aid your study, completely free.
33. What is a Certificate of Completion?
Each module and assessment passed generates a certificate of completion which details module content, level of study and learning with outcomes achieved. The certificate of completion is mapped against formal UK educational quality guidelines defined by QAA. On completion of all modules, you can then write assignments set by ATHE to complete your ATHE diploma with OBS.
34. How long does it take to gain a Certificate of Completion?
Learners can learn at a pace that suits them. There is no time limits or deadlines with OBS. Learners can study the modules in any order and format at any time.
35. Does my previous study and experience count towards an OBS course?
There are no exemptions or credits within the OBS system of study. Students have to study all the OBS modules to take advantage of our access route. However, if you have queries on the “top up” procedure or are qualified to be exempted from a certain level, contact us for guidelines.
36. Can I personalize my study?
Students can study the modules in any order and at any pace. To qualify for the University “top-up”, all of the modules and assignments have to be completed.
37. What’s the next process after completing all the modules and assessments?
Learners who complete the full programme of modules as entailed by the programme are awarded an ATHE certificate and official credits. The qualification is recognized by UK higher education authorities and by the university sector.
The student can then apply to one of our university partners to complete their degree.
38. Do all the modules have an exam upon completion?
All modules have an online assessment. Completion of the requisite number of assessments and written assignments give the participant a qualification recognized by award winning online universities.
39. How do module assessments work at OBS?
Assessments are made up of 30 multiple choice questions and last for one hour. There is an assessment at the end of each module. Questions are answered in sets of five to allow for review and editing if required. If a session times out or an issue occurs, the assessment will time out at the point of the previous five questions. That way, the student does not lose their previous answers.
Results of completion are issued to the student immediately. You can find out more about the exam process on the assessment page.
On completion of all end of module assessments, learners then write assignments set by ATHE to complete the course.
40. What is an interactive learning module?
An interactive learning module at OBS include tests, exercises and assessments which provide a guide to a learner’s progress in e-learning.
41. How can I pay for my OBS fees as an overseas student?
OBS has a network of overseas banks that will take payment direct or alternatively by credit /debit card. Alternatively, we have representatives in many overseas countries and students can contact them to make payment and for tutor support and help.
You may have a look on the site apps-for-money-transfer.com as well.
42. Can OBS act as a sponsor for a student visa?
OBS cannot act as a visa sponsor but your chosen university partner can.
43. Do I need a travel visa to complete modules/course through OBS?
No travel visa is required for online study. If a student chooses to take the university top-up programme on campus in the UK, a student travel visa is then required. Online learners should request this through their chosen university.
44. Can I study anywhere in the world?
Yes. There are no geographical limitations with OBS accredited by ATHE.