Columns

The Fit Student—Enzymes for when you Relapse

What if you freed yourself of disease, but, after being bedridden with a bug, the disease reawakened? If you’re like me, you’d fumble to find a way to defeat the foe forever. I got smacked with an icky cold.  After ten days, the cold waned: I scarcely blew my nose, rarely sneezed, and barely coughed. … Read more »

Fly on the Wall—The Truth is in the Tools

What’s the meaning of life? It’s a timeless question apt to induce eye rolls.  Ever since cave people digested a dinner of mastodon under moonlight, humans have pondered purpose and mulled meaning.  As denizens of the universal cave of AU, the question of life’s meaning is eminently answerable for us at some level simply because… Read more »

Women of Interest—Rae Chittick

In 1946, Rae Chittick was elected president of the Canadian Nurses Association.  Prior to this, for twenty-five years, she was a health educator at the Calgary Normal School.  Miss Chittick was the president of CARNA from 1940-1942.  CARNA is a professional organization for Alberta’s 37,000 registered nurses with the mandate of serving the public interest… Read more »

The Study Dude—Homeschool Your Child?

As an AU student, you’ve likely mastered independent learning.  So, how about turning your self-taught skills into homeschooling your tots?  But perhaps you lack, say, math, physics, or chemistry savvy?  No worries.  Author Christine Owens says you can still teach through “literature and life” (Owens, 2019, location 47 of 1527, 3%). If I had homeschooled,… Read more »

Course Exam—ADMN 201

ADMN 201 (Introduction to Business Studies) is a three-credit introductory business and administrative studies course that is targeted towards students who want an overview of formal business studies at the university level.  This course introduces students to the fundamental business topics (or functions) that comprise the typical majors found in Faculties of Business at universities… Read more »

Dear Barb—Weeding Them Off

Dear Barb: I am the parent of a university student and I’m wondering what happened to manners! It seems for the most part today’s younger generation live by their own rules and are very inconsiderate of other people’s feelings.  A lot of my son’s friends come over and barely look at me, even when they… Read more »

Porkpie Hat—Behind the Glass

Somewhere in the crystal looking glass world, beyond the other side of actual human life, there exist the rarest and most precious beings.  I picture them as a combination of mannequin and angel.  They are digital divas basking in the pixel limelight, virtual mermaids doing the breaststroke through an ocean of self-regard.  These creatures have… Read more »

The Study Dude—AU Teaches Instructional Design

How do your professors decide what to teach?  A tool called “instructional design” guides them.  AU offers post-baccalaureate certificates and post-baccalaureate diplomas in instructional design (Athabasca University, 2019, Post-Baccalaureate Certificate; Athabasca University, 2019, Post-Baccalaureate Diploma).  As an instructional designer, you may take on careers in large organizations, at e-learning vendors, or as a freelancer or… Read more »