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Athabasca University is a leader in distance education in Canada. Have a look at http://www.athabascau.ca/

They have tutors on-line, by email. I once met one of their tutors, answering students' question part-time while he was working full-time as a programmer in Montreal, which is the other end of the country from Athabasca. Yes, the tutors are actual practitioners, and may be anywhere on the net.

You might find it to your liking. Check out the cours listing and see if it's what you're looking for.

-- hendrik

http://www.athabascau.ca/

Athabasca University is Canada's leader in distance learning. Have a look.

Canada has at least two fully accredited distance learning universities and a bunch of the regular ones offer distance learning courses. Athabasca was founded sometime in the 70s or early 80s, I think, as an initiative by the provincial government to better provide education to remote areas. They used to use the mail extensively but switched to the Internet in the late 90s. The article seems to think this is somehow a new and revolutionary idea.

Correspondence is okay for part of an undergrad degree, and you can get away with it for all of one, but it's not so great for research-based advanced degrees.

We also have the "University" of Phoenix and DeVry. These are NOT the same thing.

I spent much of my childhood as a "bad kid" in school. I hated going and the teachers hated me. I was not welcome by anyone in the class. I hated learning by the pace dictated by who ever designed the curriculum. But I loved learning and loved reading up on different subjects. I barely managed to get a high school diploma and get into community college where I just gave up and stopped going.

Years later I am one of the more handsomely paid programmer analysts in major corporations. I am well versed in political science, literature, economics, and of course technology. Even in a recession I don't have job security issues because I can deliver results for my employers.

I've always wanted to get a university degree just to prove those teachers who hated me they were wrong. I've ended up pursuing a degree at Athabasca and after two years I love it. There are no classes and it's all up to the student to get course work done on time and exams passed. It required strict discipline compared to traditional universities that clearly don't want anything to do with me. I find people who need "class time" lack the discipline to actually read a textbook and figure out things on their own.

To all those people who blather on about the importance for class time and teacher face time, please, shove it up your arrogant ass. Not everyone learns the same way. Some people are self-motivated and don't need hours of group discussions to figure out what the textbook has all ready clearly spelled out.

As we move further into the future, learning will be a life long process that does not stop with graduation. If you want to stay competitive in the work force you will constantly need to take courses. Online course work is perfect for disciplined working adults who can't stop for four years to have classroom "face time".

It would be good if something similar to the UK's OU were available in the USA, entry wise and price wise.

Well there is always Canada's Open University http://www.athabascau.ca/ and it is not restricted to just tax paying residents of Canada.

• Why do people in the developing world need bicycles? Because they can be used not only for transportation put to pump water.
• Why do people in the developing world need radios? Because they are important educational tools.
• Why could they possibly want video cameras? Because they are tools for encouraging self-representation in broadcast media.
• Why could those poor starving people in Africa need cell phones? Because they are tools for monitoring water safety, obtaining credit and making payments, determining where fishing happens, or simply communicating across distances without drums and smoke signals let alone to demand accountability from those unstable democracies you seem to assume exist everywhere

Glial cells apparently aren't really just placeholders and heaters. Scientific American ran a really good article a while back called "Did Scientists Miss Half the Brain?". (There is what appears to be a summary at this location.) It details a modern understanding of brain structure, which has overturned the former conception of glial cells as "just" structural elements supporting neurons. It would seem that glial cells can both sense and emit neurotransmitters, and those neurotransmitters can affect the operation of neurons. So linked to the electrochemical network we usually think of as the brain is another purely chemical one as well.

Also, even in humans, there is a "superabundance" of glial cells, in that there are approximately 10 glial cells for every neuron.

I'll just assume that somebody cares about what I have to say:

I dropped out of community college a few years back because of lack of motivation (laziness?). I then worked a shit job for a year and went back to college. Dropped out again, shit! Well now I'm going to try the online college route at Athabasca and work at the same time. I guess my point (if there is one), is that you shouldn't give up. Eventually you'll find something you like, and you'll probably thank yourself in 30 years.

If you are looking for a Distance Education school, look no further than Athabasca University.

This used to be a farmer's university, which gave rural Albertans in Canada a way to plough the fields during the day and study for school at night. From the get go, it was set up to be for Distance Education.

This core principle of the university has not changed, although it now takes students from all over the world, and it has many different degrees.

The one that would be best for your fianceé would be the Bachelor of Science in Computing and Information Systems Degree. This is a four-year degree with serious courses.

Essentially, once you register for a course, Athabasca University will mail you your textbooks, your lesson plan, and the contact information for your tutor who will provide advice and grade assignments. You work at your own pace over the six months you are given to complete the course. At the end, you go to a recognized university or college near you and write your final exam there, under the supervision of someone trusted by Athabasca U.

I personally have taken two courses there (one on object oriented programming, the other on relational databases) and they have both helped me immensely at work. I imagine a student more motivated than I could do a whole degree this way.

If you are looking for a Distance Education school, look no further than Athabasca University.

This used to be a farmer's university, which gave rural Albertans in Canada a way to plough the fields during the day and study for school at night. From the get go, it was set up to be for Distance Education.

This core principle of the university has not changed, although it now takes students from all over the world, and it has many different degrees.

The one that would be best for your fianceé would be the Bachelor of Science in Computing and Information Systems Degree. This is a four-year degree with serious courses.

Essentially, once you register for a course, Athabasca University will mail you your textbooks, your lesson plan, and the contact information for your tutor who will provide advice and grade assignments. You work at your own pace over the six months you are given to complete the course. At the end, you go to a recognized university or college near you and write your final exam there, under the supervision of someone trusted by Athabasca U.

I personally have taken two courses there (one on object oriented programming, the other on relational databases) and they have both helped me immensely at work. I imagine a student more motivated than I could do a whole degree this way.

A quick search on "computer science distance education" and you can find a plethora of links, such as this one:

• Queen Mary, University of London

You can also check out Canada's Athabaska University.

Although it isn't a MSc in Computer Science, Athabasca University does offer a MSc in Computing and Information Systems... I am presently enrolled for my undergrad BSc in this program - good well rounded course. The school is located in Alberta (Canada). All you need is someone local to proctor your tests - generally a library or a community college will work. It's a great school, interesting philosophy compared to conventional brick and mortar schools.

Although it isn't a MSc in Computer Science, Athabasca University does offer a MSc in Computing and Information Systems... I am presently enrolled for my undergrad BSc in this program - good well rounded course. The school is located in Alberta (Canada). All you need is someone local to proctor your tests - generally a library or a community college will work. It's a great school, interesting philosophy compared to conventional brick and mortar schools.

I am surprized that I haven't seen others mention this, but make sure you are getting the right education for you. People learn different, and you may of had a problem with the learning / study methods used at university.

There is a difference between difference schools, state vs. private universities, two and four colleges, polytechs, and distance education vs. correspondence. Research the options, and pick the right one for you.

In this day and age you do not need to attend classes in person to earn a meaniful degree, in UK, the Open University leads the way, and in Canada there is Athabasca University, I am not as familiar with US schools, but there is the University of Phoenix as well as many others.

Define your goal(s) of attending a post-secondary school. Also an idea for your career goals might be useful, but you need specific education goals. Write them down. I said, write them down. This is how you will evaluate schools, programme and course choices.

Is it just to have a degree? Do you want more a fundamential understanding (i.e. theoric) of computing? Do you want business skills? To become a better rounded software engineer? Understand business, so you can grow your own business? Get a MBA? Meet women? For technical training? To earn more money? Continue doing what you already do, or so you can do something new? Certification?

An university degree is suppose to be based upon a theorical understanding, which while being less specific (i.e. more abstract), is more lasting and will not be outdated every 3 years. That is the #1 source of frustration and confusion I see from young computer science students. An university degree is not a career training programme. You get to do the career training in your own time.

Make use of your electives, do not choose courses because you think they will be easy like "Rocks for Jocks" and "Clap for Credit", find introductary courses you will be interested in, and will benefit you either personally or professionally.

Most schools have some means of providing tours of their facilities, especially in the summer. Since this is an investment that will cost approx. $40,000, you should research this investment as being right for you. If possible, arrange a talk with someone from the department that you are looking at majoring in.

Bone up on time management and planning skills, and study skills if you find studying difficult. University is about learning, but unfortunately very little is taught about how best to learn (for you). Read Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People it will help in setting your priorities, and planning. To help learn about learning, John L. Adams book Conceptual Blockbusting: Care and Feeding of Ideas, and George Polya's How to Solve It.

Practice reading, seriously if you do not do a lot of non-fiction book reading, start doing some more. A list of books any /.er should enjoy is Steven C. McConnell's Top 10 Reading List.

Sounds similar to my situation .. I'm working full time while working on my CIS degree from Athabasca University. Athabasca is a fully acredited Canadian university specializing in home study, and so far I've been impressed with their courses and tutors. It sure takes a large chunk out of your spare time, but it's great if you can't stop working (mortgage, car payments, wife, etc).

Anyways, I have begun to try and continue with finishing my degree, though i find it tough to actually find time to do the course material, I'm attending Athabasca University which I seem to enjoy cause it's pretty much self teaching from an textbook (yes i interact better with a book). I haven't had to write a test but the only thing i had to do was get a transcript from my old university, everything else I have done online. You can even pay for course via credit card online (sweet, get airmiles on those courses along with a tax deduction!). This university is the only one to offer distance education which is credited at the same level as all other University Institutions in Canada. Course are around $400 each (about 300usd) with a $100 enrollement fee. The online site is pretty good.

I have been satisfied with it so far. I have looked into the online student chat areas and have found that there are others in the area who might not really be quailified to take courses (i'm doing java right now). I was expecting the java course to be a breeze but it's more a lesson in OOP then 'java' as they are teaching the fundimentals of OOP with java. There are students taking this who expected it to be a bird course, sort of like 'chips for dips' or 'dos for dummies'. If the level of education for the rest of the course are comparable then it would actually give a person a good foundation in CS, which is after all what they are suppose to be doing right?

good luck.

FYI, I just checked the www.athabascau.ca web site, and it seems for US citizens it will be $604CDN ($483US at current exchange rate of $.80CDN=$1US... the exchange rate was more like $.65CDN=$1US earlier this year). Still might be worth it to do the learning through a distance-oriented establishment.

I found this information at http://www.athabascau.ca/html/calendar/fees/feesum 2.htm#foreign

Based in Athabasca, Alberta, Canada, Athabasca University is an accredited, correspondence based University and offers (among other things) a Bachelor of Science in Computing and Information Systems degree.

Courses have a six month (maximum) length and no minimum. If required, you can purchase extensions to the courses as well.

Transfer credits are examined on a course by course basis. You'll need to send in a transcript of your previous college experience. I believe most of the courses can be challenged.

There are a few rumors floating around that Athabasca U may be starting a Master's Degree program in Comp Sci as well, but nothing official has come out to confirm that yet.

Main site is located at http://www.athabascau.ca, and here's a direct link to the Bachelor of Comp Sci page.

You may also want to browse this page at a 0 threshold, as an AC pointed out another possibility. (I'd moderate him up, but then I wouldn't be able to post this.)

Kwil

Based in Athabasca, Alberta, Canada, Athabasca University is an accredited, correspondence based University and offers (among other things) a Bachelor of Science in Computing and Information Systems degree.

Courses have a six month (maximum) length and no minimum. If required, you can purchase extensions to the courses as well.

Transfer credits are examined on a course by course basis. You'll need to send in a transcript of your previous college experience. I believe most of the courses can be challenged.

There are a few rumors floating around that Athabasca U may be starting a Master's Degree program in Comp Sci as well, but nothing official has come out to confirm that yet.

Main site is located at http://www.athabascau.ca, and here's a direct link to the Bachelor of Comp Sci page.

You may also want to browse this page at a 0 threshold, as an AC pointed out another possibility. (I'd moderate him up, but then I wouldn't be able to post this.)

Kwil

Im in a similar situation, I use Athabasca University from Alberta (Canada eh!) They let you start courses anytime in the year, and they you can rip through them at your own speed.
their website is very extensive, and they respond to email in less than a day. course prices range a bit, but mine have averaged around $400CDn but that includes all materials, like text books and studyguides... at the current exchange rate, that isnt to shabby. =)

They have been reviewed as being one of the more credible distance education universities (i dont have the name of the last set of reviews that i read, sorry)

Many Universities and colleges offer their own distance education courses. Still more computer Science faculties are offering courses that are directed via the web.

Most Universities/colleges have a pre-approved transfer credit lists... ask the records services people or a course advisor. That might give you a good place to start from, especially if you want to attend a specific institute full-time at some point. (All the courses I take have been pre-approved for transfer credit with my od university, it really simplifies things)