How is Athabasca for Computer Science?

[Leela]

Hi everyone!
Sorry I have bombarded this forum with questions lately, but this is real important for me to now your opinions.
Have any of you ever considered distance education, like Athabasca, for instance? I have noticed an advertisement of it on this very website and went to check it out. Is it any good? Is it taken seriously by employers?
Thanks!

[btiffin]

Off topic;

I once considered distance education. But solely for trivial personal reasons. Tiffin Ohio has a University (Tiffin) that offers online diploma programs.

I thought it might be cool to have a Tiffin went to Tiffin diploma hanging on the wall, then I blinked and the notion passed.

Excuse the interruption.

On topic;

It seems to be a valid institution. Accredited both in Alberta and the middle states, so they can't be doing too too many things wrong. Other than that, at a quick glance they seem to be proudest of their MBA program, but being a premier online University I'd hazard a guess they have some savvy regarding computer programming and system building.

(Whether that is passed on to students, I could not tell from glancing).

And I'd opine that most employers would NOT snub a degree from Athabasca (as long as you don't get caught cheating and then make the papers like Ralph Klein did)

Cheers
Edit; typos

[Leela]

Thanks!
I am considering all options and distance education is not out of question. In fact, it seems more and more attractive as I do some research on the topic. I can get 50% credits on my previous studies, so I'd only have to study for two years, and with motivation I currently have I'd probably be done in one year, counting summer term! I can start any time I want and do as many courses as I want. AND I wouldn't waste money and time on commuting.
Any other opinions? Between York and Athabasca which one would you choose?

[jernst]

Personally I would choose York, but that's just because I think there is alot of value in actually attending the place you are getting your education from. You make connections with people at the school that can't be made through a distance education school. For example you might meet students you will end up getting into business with down the road or find a potential employer or supervisor for further research through a professor at the school. There's also the whole socializing and undergrad "experience" type of thing where you get involved in the fun events and meet people from other disciplines. This can be fairly interesting since you get exposed to points of view you don't often see in comp sci and other like minded students. Also you should be able to get some credit for previous education you have at York as well. I know friends who attended colleges first and then went to York, Waterloo etc and they got about a semester or two worth of Uni credits for it.

I think alot of this type of decision depends on your your personality and learning style as well. If you learn well on your own without much help distance ed will probably very good for you, and like you mentioned you will probably finish quickly. In comparison with York, there is always the issue of the insane strike going on there right now as well...but that's a whole other can of worms

[Leela]

jernst @ Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:48 am wrote:

Personally I would choose York, but that's just because I think there is alot of value in actually attending the place you are getting your education from. You make connections with people at the school that can't be made through a distance education school. For example you might meet students you will end up getting into business with down the road or find a potential employer or supervisor for further research through a professor at the school. There's also the whole socializing and undergrad "experience" type of thing where you get involved in the fun events and meet people from other disciplines. This can be fairly interesting since you get exposed to points of view you don't often see in comp sci and other like minded students. Also you should be able to get some credit for previous education you have at York as well. I know friends who attended colleges first and then went to York, Waterloo etc and they got about a semester or two worth of Uni credits for it.

I think alot of this type of decision depends on your your personality and learning style as well. If you learn well on your own without much help distance ed will probably very good for you, and like you mentioned you will probably finish quickly. In comparison with York, there is always the issue of the insane strike going on there right now as well...but that's a whole other can of worms

thanks for your response! yes, there are pros and cons in every decision we make and I'm trying to examine them as much as possible.

[yoursecretninja]

Hi Leela,

I am a student at Athabasca University. I was a college graduate that went back to school to get my degree. I'm not in the computer science program, but the school is of high caliber. I am doing well in my program, but self-study is very challenging. The workload is pretty intense when you don't have support of profs, TAs and your peers. You do get a tutor (like a TA) for each course; however, communicating with them via distance can be a challenge.

While in general, I can recommend the school, I do advise you to take a close look at how their computer science program differs from other schools. I have been a hobbyist programmer for quite some time and have decided to switch to studying computer science. I took one CS course at Athabasca and enjoyed it. However, when I look at their curriculum, it is rather limited - it doesn't offer the breadth of courses that a lot of other computer science departments offer. Plus there appears to be more of a focus on the practical, information systems side of things than the theoretical computer science and mathematics. Personally, I am looking into transferring to another university as I just don't feel Athabasca's computer science program is a good fit for me. It may be a good fit for you though and it is a good school. I just advise you take a look at their curriculum and ensure it covers the topics that interest you.

Cheers!