Athabasca University (AU), dubbed “Canada’s fastest growing university”, is Canada’s premier university when it comes to providing long-distance learning. The origin story began in 1970, in Athabasca, Alberta, and some of its milestones include signing an agreement with Correctional Services Canada to provide learning opportunities to federal inmates and provide them with the skills to experience success in the outside world and signing agreements with professional sports league player associations to provide learning opportunities to professional athletes so that they can thrive in life after sports. Perhaps AU’s best kept secret, one it needs to share with the world, is that it holds the distinction of being one of the first universities in the world to incorporate AI-powered co-op experiences, with Administration (ADMN) 405: – Capstone 2: Application and Integration of Contemporary Business Topics.
What further distinguishes AU from other universities is that it provides aspiring learners the opportunity to pursue their studies at their own pace, from start to finish, but AU also recognizes time spent at other post-secondary institutions. The specific language around the recognition of time spent at other post-secondary institutions is “degree pathways” or “articulation agreements”. How many credits are awarded for previous schooling depends on the length of the previous program, and not exclusively on past academic results. So, there is no reason for anyone to be hesitant about applying, even if a person has been inconsistent with their academic scores.
Another reason to choose AU is that it allows learners the opportunity to participate in unique learning experiences including provincial, national, and international competitions. Although some universities will reserve these opportunities for specific students, AU applies a holistic approach to selecting students that combines multiple aspects of being a student beyond just academics, and boy is AU being rewarded for it. In 2023, an AU student was one of six finalists at an international competition hosted at Oxford University. In 2020, AU students placed 3rd at the Alberta business case competition. And in years prior, AU has made its presence felt and AU students have taken home top prizes in different competitions. So, in the match up between “Athabasca University vs The World”, AU is KO’ing traditional learning.
AU student Karen Fletcher impresses at Oxford University.
Karen Fletcher represented AU at an international competition called Map the System, which focuses on getting students to apply a systems-based approach to solving pressing social or environmental challenges. Fletcher was one of six finalists that showed up to present at Oxford University, with her presentation focusing on students having access to the necessary academic and personal supports to experience success with school. What makes Fletcher’s presentation so unique is that she served as President of AU’s Student Union and was privy to the kind of struggles that AU learners are dealing with.
Fletcher’s presentation had quite the start, “I’ve had students tell me that they don’t know how they’re going to make the exam because they don’t have childcare. And I’ve had students tell me that they had to put food back at the grocery store because they can’t afford that anymore. And I’ve had students tell me they have to drop out.” Some of the barriers that Fletcher identified as requiring support had to do with accessibility, prejudice, and hidden curriculum, financial, pedagogy, and caregiving challenges. The 10-minute presentation offers a unique window into the lives of students, told by someone who these disadvantaged students entrusted with their stories, and it could not have been better. Fletcher’s map illustrates the interconnectedness of such issues, highlighting how to transition from a problem by pulling the right lever in order to intervene with a solution.
What made Fletcher’s presentation stand out was not that we had a common bond through AU, but it was hearing mention how she has done everything as a mom of three little kids who could not afford tuition and daycare at the same time. Then Fletcher’s presentation was the only one with a single presenter, while the rest of the presentations were done by groups – from the preparing to presenting she did it all alone. If that was not enough, this presentation was being delivered by a Mathematics Major with a passion outside of what she was studying. Overall, the presentation is a must-watch and one of the best insights into the lives that some disadvantaged students live, not always easy ones, and it creates a real understanding around the basic privileges that some people take for granted like consistent housing and food security.
AU’s “Team Quant Optics” placed third at Alberta’s CPA Business Challenge in 2020.
Two competitions that I have participated in and represented AU at have been the CME Trading Competition and the CPA Business Challenge. The CME Trading Competition was a financial competition that involved trading securities and commodities, the world stock market, and having to compete against 100s of universities from around the world. Our team had three members, we were backed by AU’s Professor Zengxiang (Eric) Wang, one was on the East Coast, the other on the West Coast, and me in the middle. A little bit of confusion around executing trades and how we rotated trading responsibilities kept us from finishing atop the leader board, and the positions we had taken would have broken CME’s all-time record for 30-day performance. However, being able to experience working with people from across different time zones and realizing how important clear and effective communication was was more important than winning.
The CPA Business Challenge is best described as an executive consulting presentation where an organization’s operational struggles and goals are explained, and financial information is shared with the university teams. The groups are required to provide an action plan and speak on the organization, and the work is done under the watch of monitors and under a strict set of rules. The second day requires teams to present to judges, and the top 4 groups present in front of everyone. What was cool about this experience is that AU covered all our flight and hotel costs and organized a multi-day meet in Edmonton a month prior to the competition where we were even provided with public presenting training.
In 2020, AU had sent 2 teams to represent it at the provincial competition in Calgary, “Team Baker Street” and “Team Quant Optic”, backed by Professor Aris Solomon and Professor Alex Kondra. The organization that our team would analyze was CompuVision, and one of their executives had showed up to speak on the company. Our group got to work, and the next day we presented in the morning and were told that we had made it to the final round. After we had presented in front of a packed hall, everyone was certain our group would win the $10,000 prize, but the judges did not appreciate our table’s excitement, there was still a group that had to present. What I remember most about the lunch before the winners were announced was how the executive came and decided to have lunch with AU’s table. All of us talked a bit about our goals, and then the executive talked a bit about quantum computing, cyber security, and the industry as a whole. Maybe best of all is reflecting on this experiencing and seeing how each individual from “Team Baker” and “Team Quant Optic” went on to achieve their educational goals after earning their bachelor’s degree.
The two most inspiring learners I have met.
Respectfully, there are two learners that I have had the privilege to meet through school that I would say that stand above the rest us. One of them was an AU student that I met while I was helping ADMN405’ Professor Richard Dixon grade Capstone executive presentations. The other was a classmate from Algonquin College who I met on the first day of classes. Both of them had a flame of sheer will that burned so strongly inside them, hearing them speak would fill the room with a warmth of understanding as to the capabilities that every person has inside them.
KS, a 2023 graduate, spent almost a decade between 3 different schools trying to complete her studies, but dependency on alcohol and drugs had complicated that process. KS made the decision to quit, leveraged AU, and achieved a life-long dream to complete her studies. KS was open about her struggles with substances, starting in her early teens, how she came from a family with generations of mental health and substance struggles, and how her father died when she was 9 years old. After being able to overcome her dependency on substances and while pursuing her studies, KS was paying it forward by working in harm reduction, substance recovery, advocacy, and human rights. The club that KS was working at assisted women, trans, and non-binary individuals who were vulnerable to substances and came from unstable environments. What was fueling KS’ flame might be best understood by what she told AU in an interview, “I was searching for support and knew that if I was feeling this way, someone else was too.”
HG, a 2012 classmate from Algonquin College, stood up behind me on the first day of our college classes and began to introduce herself. In a class of 30 or so students, introductions had been goofy up until that point, HG began by saying her name and how she had reached rock bottom when she was homeless living on the streets and engaging in substance use and deteriorating her life away, before getting support at a local shelter and overcoming homelessness, the struggle with substances, and even finding employment. HG and I were classmates in a few other classes, and I remember hearing her share her introduction in each of those classes too. Hearing HG introduce herself is the single-strongest feeling I think of when I get asked about Algonquin College, and single-greatest memory from my time as a student.
Thinking of KS’ quote and HG’s turning point, further solidifies the point Karen Fletcher made when she spoke on the importance of getting the conditions around people right in order to help them go from surviving to thriving and become all that they can be. All of it is a synonym for a famous quote by John Maxell, which serves as reason as to why aspiring learners should understand AU matters, “Encouragement is the oxygen of the soul. Believe in somebody. Encourage somebody. Lift somebody. And watch how much better they do.” This is also a synonym for how AU should see the role it has to play in transforming lives and communities.