Articles

Over 9000! The Case of Lola Akinlade and International Students at Risk

One year ago, hundreds of international students from India were facing deportation because they had been identified as having the same immigration consultant who submitted bogus admissions letters to obtain study permits for those students.  As it turns out, this bogus admissions loophole has been getting exploited by supposed immigration consultants from all around the… Read more »

Editorial—Letting Them In

We have a significant number of new Canadians and international students attending Athabasca University.  The difference between AU and the standard brick and mortar university is that our international students are more likely to really be international. The other difference is that our international students are less likely to have been the victims of fraud… Read more »

When Times Go Bad, Go Larger Than Life

We aren’t meant to go small when hit with bad news.  We are meant to go larger than life, do more, and experiment wildly.  We must try everything under the sun, calculating each step, until we come out victorious, even if we sometimes slide back 1000 feet into the mud, only to rise to even… Read more »

The Dead Internet Theory

Society has largely come around to accept the fact that internet activity and search results are being heavily influenced by bots and algorithm curation, reducing organic activity and replacing it with non-organic content focused on the “consumer experience”.  Although there is no consensus on the start date of the manipulation, there was a time when… Read more »

An AU Lens on AI Improvements through ADMN 405

Athabasca University is one of the first universities in the world to incorporate AI-powered co-op learning experiences, with Administration (ADMN) 405: – Capstone 2: Application and Integration of Contemporary Business Topics.  Having been a learner in the first cohort of ADMN405, then getting invited to contribute to the development of the course, it has allowed… Read more »

What Going Golfing for the First Time Taught Me

I recently had the opportunity to go golfing for the first time in Calgary, Alberta.  I grew up with very little knowledge and understanding of this sport.  Recently some of my friends (who are avid golfers) took me to the driving range and later to a city golf course and helped me gain a better… Read more »

Editorial—Wanting Less of More

I didn’t even know the Olympics had started. This is unusual for me, as it wasn’t that long ago that we’d stay up late to catch the odd events (like fencing, or wrestling) that never seemed to be able to break into the constant swimming coverage that took up most of the day’s reporting. Over… Read more »

Council Connection!

On June 20, 2024, Vice President External Jan Lehmann initiated the AUSU council meeting on Zoom at 6:02 PM Mountain Time, as President Chantel Groening was representing AUSU at the 2024 AU Convocation Ceremony and only joined the meeting shortly before the discussion on the Awards Program Reserve Allocations. As always, AUSU Executive Director Jodi… Read more »

Education and An Act of Generosity

When it comes to creativity and inspiration, generosity benefits everyone.  That’s because it can lead us to discoveries that advance our creative dreams and those of others.  To illustrate, I contemplated buying a loved one a writing software like OneNote that AU students posted about on Reddit.  So, I asked ChatGPT (who named itself HarmoniaGPT)… Read more »