It all started sometime in August 2016 when I
was browsing through my face book page and saw an advertisement from a friend about
earning a university degree at the Atlantic International University (AIU) online.
I was curious to know the details about the program which led me to visit the
AIU website. I decided to give it a try, so I filled the application form and
forwarded it to the admission department. I was surprised to receive a call
from one of the Admission Counselors Juan Mejia who patiently took me through
the entire admission process a few days after submitting my application. He
made it fast and easy for me to finish the process without any delay. It was my
first online experience and I was not too sure of everything, but Juan was able
to convince me to move on with my dream without any fear. I was admitted into
the university and I started my course which I thought was going to be the
usual student and teacher procedure where the teacher will teach the students and
the students will do everything under the strict direction of the teacher. I
saw the direct opposite of the traditional classroom method of learning I went
throughout my senior and other professional courses I have done over the period.

I came
across many opportunities than ever before in my educational pursuit when I
started my journey at AIU. I became comfortable with opportunities like working
on assignments at my convenient, study at home or office, accessing learning
resources online at any time I need them, having the liberty to determine the
courses that are most relevant to me and earning credits for work experience
gained through lifelong learning. Notwithstanding all these opportunities, I
still found it difficult to cope with all these new ways of learning,
especially the fixing a curriculum for myself which I have never done before.
The AIU Online Student Section allows me to access instructions and formats for
orientation courses, Keep a calendar of assignments with planned completion
dates, Upload/Post assignments, Review Grades/Transcripts, Post Questions or
Messages with Student Services, my Tutor, Advisor and so many more facilities
that makes it easy for me to do my study at ease.

The
second phase of my course gave me wealth of experiences as it forced me to do
research on things I was not even expecting. It seemed challenging at first
because accessing the books was difficult for me due to the country I found
myself. I was able to get the books after extensive research which also expanded
my knowledge in diverse areas. I was like expecting the online course to be
easier than the classroom course, but I found it to be more challenging and
educative than my previous perception. The process taught me lots of new things
that I never thought I could have learnt in a very short period.

I
appreciate my tutor Monica Serrano so much for being there for me throughout my
studies. She has answers for all my questions and concerns and her guidance
gave me strength to keep on moving to achieving my goal. It could have been
difficult for me to have completed a degree course under classroom method due
to the nature of my job. My job makes it almost impossible for people like us
to attend everyday classes for over 3 years before earning a university degree.
Thanks to AIU for the ADRAGOGY method that makes it possible for me to reach my
goal. I hope to continue to having more experience at AIU in the future.

Sincerely yours,

JOHN THOMAS BANGURA

Bachelor
of Science Student

School
of Social and Human Studies