Thoughts on Athabasca U

[Julio]

Anybody currently/formerly been a student @ AU? I'm looking at getting a 2nd degree, not for work advancement or such, just because I love learning and want to challenge myself in a different way.

For me AU would work best because I have such a variable work schedule I can't block out, say, every Tuesday evening for 13 weeks and go to class @ the U of C. Also, I am looking @ liberal art classes, so a lack of physical labs and such isn't an issue.

Any thoughts or advice from the great 'CP cloud'?

[Hack&Lube]

My friend is taking a correspondence anatomy course from there and it is horrible. There is no guidance and the tutor is pretty bad.

The issue is the dislocation between study materials and what you are tested on in exams. There is no professor or guide telling you what topics to focus on etc. For her, it turned out to be literally read the whole entire textbook because the exam literally was made by some guy flipping randomly to pages and just picking out concepts and points so if there's some random list on some obscure page you didn't remember perfectly and vertbatim, you are screwed.

She was a 3.9 GPA honors student at the U of C. Pretty devastated scoring 60% on Athabasca exams. She is only taking it there because she could not take the course this semester at the U of C because of scheduling.

This may be a nuance restricted to this course however, as anatomy is a pretty complicated "list of things" oriented subject.

[Mango]

I added a minor to my original degree through Athabasca. My sentiments echo the one above. I took five classes. Two of the instructors were decent and would say what to brush up on when exam time rolled around, the three others couldn't be bothered to help when I had questions. I also found the center in downtown Calgary pretty difficult to deal with when it came to taking out a book or DVD. The courses I was taking were all humanities based, so I don't know if that's where the issue was.

The course extension was a positive aspect though. Athabasca is decent for folks who have a busy career and/or lifestyle and can't devote all of their time to their studies. Life throws curveballs at you and allowing a course extension is very helpful.

[Orv]

I got my degree through AU. I was in a bit of different situation though. I transfered my college diploma towards the degree and got 2 years of credit towards it. Then I took a lot of classes at Lethbridge College that transfered over (some were college business courses, some were night classes).

When it came to the distance learning it was ok. A lot of mine were just based on essays and not exams. Which for me was alright. I was able to bs my way though some of the ones. I didn't really ask for help from many of the profs but when I did they were very helpful. I also took part in a few of the class chats.

Overall it worked for me. However I can certainly see how it wouldn't work for a lot of people.

[Kerplunk]

I'm currently finishing up the last few courses for a degree, after transferring credits from a diploma. For the most part the course material is the same as a regular University, but if you are one to usually rely on a professor or prof interaction, then you could find yourself in a bit of trouble. Many of the ones I have had couldn't answer a set of straight forward yes or no questions if their lives depended on it. Of course there were exceptions, and those profs were fairly helpful.

I guess the question is: how well do you learn and work independently, and do you know some of the material you want to take a shot at with a second degree? I work well without prof interference, and most of the material in the courses I have touched on through work, so much of the course material was easy to run through.

[ricoFlame]

I know several people who have completed their Masters Degrees through Athabasca. For mature students who are capable of a good deal of self directed learning at the University level, then it's great, if not, then the complaints you've heard will likely apply.

From what I've understood from those I know who have used Athabasca, typically experienced learners flourish with the style and direction of the course work/load. Those with less experience or with a more "lax" learning style in University with respect to self motivation will have a higher chance of struggling and/or wasting their money.

[robocop]

I find the UofC to be very bad and unprofessional, can't even imagine what a correspondence class would be like.

[HotHotHeat]

Originally Posted by robocop

I find the UofC to be very bad and unprofessional, can't even imagine what a correspondence class would be like.

Can you expand on this?

[WilsonFourTwo]

I'm currently working on my degree via Athabasca. I love it, although the learning is not without it's problems. Just like any other school, I assume.

Comments in no particular order......

1. If you have poor time management (procrastinator), than you REALLY need to reconsider. Nobody (and I mean nobody) is going to push you along.....it's all on you.

2. The Prof/Tutor support is generally average-to-good, although the extremes are also represented. If you get a real dud (and it happens), there is nothing wrong with reporting (politely, with evidence) a crummy tutor to the school and asking for an alternative. Fellow students will appreciate it.

3. The courses and materials are generally very good. You will be provided everything you need to score a 4.0, with the possible exception of a good dictionary/thesaurus!

4. As mentioned, the topics covered in assignments and the topics covered on an exam don't always sync up really well. It's not very common but it does happen. It sucks (I've had it occur ONCE), but the school was very understanding and made a reasonable arrangement. No harm, no foul.

5. Courses are all-inclusive and reasonably priced. An Alberta resident will pay ~$650 per 3-credit course. This puts a bachelors degree (90cr) in the $19,500 range, and an honors degree (120cr) ~$26,000. As a reference, the 2010-2011 UofC Calendar shows a per/course cost of $667.97.....plus books/materials of course.

6. The school is widely accredited (all Commonwealth nations, much of Europe, the USA) and acceptance won't be an issue. This was a HUGE factor for me and I spent a couple of weeks sourcing accreditation info prior to enrolling.

7. Transferability of credits is strong, but not perfect. As with any school, not all of the coursework/credits may be transferable to other institutions, and it will vary school to school. A called a few schools in order to get a feel for this (again, prior to enrolling) and found that UofC seems least likely to accept, whereas Carleton and Waterloo both seemed more permissive.

8. Stigma......You get the occasional (academic) nitwit who looks down at your "Correspondence University". It tends to get lumped in with University of Phoenix, which is a for-profit and generally unaccredited/unrecognized school. I fully agree that McGill is a better school, but I'm very comfortable comparing my education against most other schools in Canada.

9. The Students Association kind of sucks. I've met some terrific people through AUSU, but there is a really low participation level online. Since it is a highly individualized education, I understand why there isn't a thriving online community. Then again, perhaps I just haven't found it!

10. Taking classes elsewhere is almost always possible. Since so many schools are affiliated with Athabasca, there's a very good chance that you can attend a brick and mortar institution for classes. This can be particularly useful if there's a course you'd feel better about taking within a group (discussion oriented or language classes, for example). A short discussion with an Athabasca Adviser is usually all it takes.

Overall - I would make the same decision to attend. I am highly organized, generally good with my time, and capable of motivating myself........I fit the profile. If your friend is the same, I would strongly suggest Athabasca - even as a starting point from which to transfer later on.

You are welcome to PM me with specific questions, although public posting is fine as well!