I just finished up a course through Athabasca University called Advanced Operating Systems (Linux).  I thought some people on the list would appreciate a review on this course. 

AthabascaU is located in Alberta and provides a number of programs and courses for on-campus students and off-campus students (i.e. distance learning).  The course cost roughly $630 and includes:

• “Unix: The Textbook”
• A Tutor with whom you correspond via email
• And 6 months before the course needs to be completed (you may purchase up to 3 two-month extensions for ~$150 each).

The textbook is mailed to you along with details for connecting to AthabascaU’s companion student website.  One thing about AthabascaU’s student/course “web portals” is that everything can be done and viewed online and it is easy to use and navigate.  I have nothing but praise for their online portals.

The Linux course prerequisite is Comp314.  I didn’t have this prereq, nor did I have the prereq’s prereq   Since I was already familiar with Linux and I wanted to take the course right away, I just enrolled.  But I did ask the course coordinator first.  Also note that this course is not a part of the curriculum for my program.  I just wanted to take the course. 

For those who find self-motivation difficult, having a deadline and paying the course fee may give you motivation.  For those who find self-learning difficult, distance learning is probably something to avoid.  That said, the course gives you a structured learning plan with specific objectives.  While there are free resources on the internet to learn about Linux, the course forces you to learn specific things and to apply what you learned through assignments.  It can be the difference between thrashing around in the ocean versus kayaking from island to island.  Dumb analogy, but you get the point.

Another benefit to taking the course is that there were topics covered that one may not normally spend time learning.  In the end, it makes one appreciate the Linux system much more.

I am still on the fence about whether the course is worth it.  It’s a hefty price tag, but not as expensive as other courses.  One thing is certain, it would have been more valuable to utilize the Tutor’s knowledge by asking questions.  I ended up getting full marks on my 19 assignements.  Most of the Tutor’s comments were “Good job.  Clearly written answers.”.  That’s not very helpful .  There were 3 questions which the Tutor clarified and that did help my learning. If you take the course, ask your Tutor questions.

The Textbook was very good, though some minor editorial mistakes are made.  The books is very well organized and contains good summaries and practice questions. The Shell scripting and the Unix history were my favourite sections.
One issue some people may have with the textbook is that some shell scripts won’t work on your system.  The author uses *nix flavour A and I’m using *nix flavour B.  In such cases, you simply browse the internet for a script that does work – you end up learning a lot more!  In other cases, the command used in the textbook is not normally used anymore but has been “replaced” with a newer command.  One example was an “admin” command to checkout files from a repository.  My machine uses CVS instead.

As for the final exam, tests are taken at a number of facilities. I took mine at the main Edmonton testing facility located downtown.  The final exam (50% of the course mark), was a written test.  I tell you, writing a shell script on paper will sure test a newbie’s scripting skills