GeologyRocks

Have you been to any local colleges. I looked into doing A level/AS Geology as an evening class? IT wasn't an extortional amount of money (free through lots of ways).
Maybe thats the place to start.. other than that I can only think of the Open Unversity.

Birkbeck do some good evening courses, some leading to a degree

Have a look at my Geology Rocks article on degree courses in the UK
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There are links to both Birkbeck and the OU

Thanks very much

sorry for a rather late reply on this one but it may still help. i am studying with the OU and have been for a while, i am curently on S260 geology. The course comes with a very good home kit including maps, rock and fossil specimens, a microscope with thin sections, Its great i highly recomend the OU

Again late, but I can second the recommendation for the geology S260 through the OU.  Fascinating, beautifully laid out, and yes, if a complete novice like me, one heck of a challenge.  Another little course (that I took simply because I had NO interest in the subject) is the level 1 10 pointed on Fossils and the history of Life.  It started a bit of a love affair, and now all our holidays get based round where we can go fossil hunting.

Hi Ben,

I've been off this site for a long time and only returned today.  But I read you post, and some of the answers.

Firstly basic geology course in most colleges are almost non existant now.  The only one I know of is in Southampton.

Until recently I taught basic geology with the WEA (Workers Educational Authority) but some time ago I changed the name from An Introduction to Basic Geology to Natural Disasters because here in Wiltshire I think people are scared of 'ologies' .   Certainly we were not gettin 'bums on seats'.  It was better after the name change, certainly immediately after the Boxing Day Tsunami, but then it dropped off again. The WEA took 3 months to pay me after the last course, which I was not pleased about, and I was booked to do a one day workshop - 'Global Warming - fact or fiction?' and they suddenly decided that I was to have one of these quango inspector in the class room.  My audience were going to be retired people there for interest, not to be tested on what they had absorbed, and did I meet SMART targets? So I resigned. Another teacher lost to the system because of the system.. I had one of these inspectors in once before.  Her comments on my teaching I was 100% in agreement with, and found very useful, but her comments on the content - she was not a geologist - were absolute rubbish, and I told them I would not tolerate another inspector in my class ever again.

 - however I would be happy to send you the ppt's and notes I have if you wish.

Yes, Birkbeck to do distance learning leading to degrees.  I'm glad you like a challenge because that what you'll get!

John

“Civilisation exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.” Will Durant