OCASA is the Open College of the Arts Student Association. We represent the vibrant and diverse body of creative people studying undergraduate and post-graduate courses in painting, drawing, photography, music, creative writing, textiles, visual communications, printmaking, and more with the Open College of the Arts. You can find out more about the college on the website: OCA, or follow the college community’s blog: WeAreOCA. If you’re already a student you can of course log into the OCA student site: oca-student.
OCASA’s stated aims and objectives are:
- To advance and support the education of its members and students of the Open College of the Arts (OCA) as a whole.
- To represent the interests of its members and act as a channel of communication for students in dealing with OCA and any other relevant bodies.
OCA is a distance learning college, so the 2000+ students that OCASA represents are spread all over the UK and across the world. We only set the association up in 2011, so one of our key aims is to begin to bring together this widespread body and develop a sense of ‘community’, providing support, encouragement, information, and even a bit of fun from time to time. Distance learning is a highly flexible and potentially very rewarding way to study the creative arts, but it can also have its challenges and frustrations. OCASA is here to help – so please get in touch with your subject representatives if you have anything that you want to discuss.
OCASA is the voice of the OCA students, consulting with the college and influencing developments to continually improve the student experience. We’re also here to encourage interaction between students, and we’d be delighted to hear from you if you want to get involved helping to make things better. You can contact the OCASA President via president@ocasa.org.uk.