Welcome to Athabasca University
Welcome to Athabasca University — Canada's fastest growing established university.
If you plan to enrol at Athabasca for the first time in the 2000-2001 academic
year, you will be one of a record number of new students — more than 15,000 in
all — discovering how well university-level distance education at Athabasca can
meet their goals.
In spite of the fact that student numbers at Athabasca have doubled over the
last six years, we continue to be able to offer a fully individualized
educational experience. Most of Athabasca's students study at their own pace, at
the time and place of their choice, but with extensive support from the
University: this includes one-on-one contacts with professors, tutors, and
student services through a telephone line that is toll-free in Canada and the US, and the
opportunity for e-mail contacts with all staff.
Students come to Athabasca for many different reasons. Some are trying out
university study for the first time. Some bring in credits from other
universities or colleges to complete their program at AU. Many are "visiting"
students, taking specific AU courses to supplement their studies at other
institutions. Others take one or two courses for personal development. All are
equally welcome. As Canada's Open University we seek to serve as wide a public
as possible, and to offer equally high standards of service to all.
We were proud to receive the results of the Alberta Government's 1999 survey of
student satisfaction that showed that Athabasca University outperformed the
Alberta average in virtually every category applicable to a distance education
university. Of AU students, 95% said that they would choose the same university
again (compared to an Alberta average of 83%). Another 95% (compared with 81%)
said that their course objectives were met, and yet another 95% (compared to
67%) said that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the relevance of their
studies.
Such a credible showing is, of course, due as much to the nature of Athabasca's
students as to its 30 years of experience in providing distance education. One
of the University's greatest strengths is the high level of motivation of its
learners. I know that you share such commitment, and I look forward greatly to
welcoming you to the Athabasca community, where we will do all we can to ensure
that you succeed.
** This page is an official publication of Athabasca University **
Public Affairs
