Oxford University Department for Continuing Education (OUDCE) is a department within the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

that provides continuing education mainly for part-time and

mature student An adult learner or, more commonly, a mature student, is a person who is older and is involved in forms of learning. Adult learners fall in a specific criterion of being experienced, and do not always have a high school diploma. Many of the adult ...

s. It is located at

Rewley House Rewley House, located on the corner of Wellington Square and St John Street in the city of Oxford, England, is the primary base of Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education (previously the Department of External Studies). Histor ...

, Wellington Square, and at Ewert House, both in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, England. Some 15,000 students comprise the department, of which roughly 5,000 study for an

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

award or credit-bearing course. Other types of courses offered by the department include online courses, virtual classes, weekly classes, day and weekend courses, professional development and summer schools.

History

The 19th century saw an awakening social awareness to the needs of working-class people generally, and Oxford University signalled an educational responsibility to the general community by sending lecturers into towns and cities across

Victorian England In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

, bringing university education to a diverse adult audience. The University of Oxford was one of the founders, in the late 19th century, of the so-called 'extension' movement, wherein universities began to offer educational opportunities to adult learners outside their traditional student base. The University of Oxford Standing Committee of the Delegacy of Local Examinations was established in 1878. The first of the early "Oxford Extension Lectures" was delivered at the King Edward VI School in Birmingham, in September 1878 by the Reverend Arthur Johnson. By 1893, Oxford University Extension Centres were bringing adult education to much of England and a few cities in Wales. In 1927 the university purchased

on Wellington Square in Oxford as the permanent base of what was then known as the "University of Oxford Delegacy for Extra-Mural Studies", and which later was renamed as the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. During the 1990s Kellogg College was co-located here.

References

Organizations established in 1927 Continuing Education Distance education institutions based in the United Kingdom Education in Oxford Kellogg College, Oxford Continuing education {{UOxford-stub

History

See also

References