Barbara Lehtiniemi is a writer and photographer from Ontario. She’s a graduate of Athabasca University, having completed her Bachelor of General Studies degree in 2018.
A regular contributor to The Voice Magazine for over ten years, Barbara has also contributed to other publications including Chicken Soup for the Soul and Maclean’s. Barbara writes in several genres, including non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. She’s eternally grateful to The Voice Magazine for providing the opportunity to explore an array of topics and writing styles.
Barbara has a fondness for travel, used bookstores, everyday absurdities, and oversized wine glasses. Originally from urban Southwestern Ontario, she now lives on a windswept rural road in Eastern Ontario.
How seriously can students take anonymous online ratings of their AU tutors? One AU student recently commented on the unofficial AthaU Facebook page that shed checked her tutors ratings on http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/. After reading multiple negative reviews, she was considering dropping that AU course. Some responders to that post questioned what weight should be given to… Read more »
There’s magic in the air on the first of the month. The first marks the beginning of my next AU course. The box of course materials has been sitting here for weeks, filling me with itchy anticipation. I’ve opened the box alreadyI’ve even peeked inside. But todaythe glorious firstI ceremoniously peel the cellophane off the… Read more »
You’ve enrolled in your first AU course and youre looking forward to getting started. The start date is coming up soon and youre not sure what to expect. Even if you’ve taken university courses before, AU is different from anything else out there. Like many students, youll figure out what you need to know as… Read more »
It was one of those breezy, fresh-washed days that follow intense thunderstorms. Through my open window wafted a tantalizing scent. Delicately floral, slightly spicy, and unfamiliar. The scent drew me outside. I bent my head to this patch of flowers and that, but the scent’s source proved elusive. It was a gift of the breeze,… Read more »
This month, almost five years after beginning my first course at AU, I enrolled in my final three courses. Now, three boxes of AU course materials are on their way to me. Theres no backing out now. I’m on target to graduate in 2018. Selecting and enrolling in my final few courses was exciting to… Read more »
Have you ever received a mark that you thought was low? Not just disappointingly low, but undeservedly low? I received a mark like that recently, a dismal 70% on an essay, which was worth 25% of the final course mark. I’ve written many essays for many AU courses. Usually I have a good sense of… Read more »
I’m not a fan of working vacations. To me, vacations are a necessary respite from the ever-present pressures of everyday life. School is one of those pressures. Accordingly, whenever I go on vacation, I usually leave the textbooks at home. This summer was different. Although I had built vacation time into my study plan, I… Read more »
Driving home from my most recent AU exam, I reflected on how lucky I am in my choice of invigilator. Because I’ve used the same invigilator for around a dozen AU exams, the process is familiar and stress-free. And stress-free is what I need on exam day! My current invigilator wasn’t my first choice. For… Read more »
AUSU recently rolled out its new AUSU Forums. The forums are an online social platform which enable AU students and others to discuss courses, ask questions, and interact with AUSU staff and council. Quietly launched in May, 2017, already some students have found the new AUSU Forums. Several course discussions are underway and more are… Read more »
Summer has arrived, and many students?even online ones?will be on the move. You might be travelling to an exotic destination, visiting family, or exploring Canada coast-to-coast. If you’re heading east or west, you might cross one or more time zones. Time zone-hopping can prompt that other traveller’s scourge: jet lag. Jet lag is a disruption… Read more »