AIU Experience Letter
Charles Jeffrey Dale

Since I already hold a PhD, the pursuit of a Doctor of Science degree at AIU was done more in the spirit of continuing education than in undertaking a program to earn my fifth college degree. I wanted to refresh my forgotten skills and knowledge, and simultaneously learn the newest problem solving and publication techniques. This included learning how to use the computer software system Mathematica and the scientific text formatting language Latex. My advisor for part of my program was a corporate trainer, so he undoubtedly had a good understanding of exactly what I wanted to accomplish. In addition, AIU has a surprisingly rich online library which was extremely useful throughout the program.
AIU’s approach to education may not only be the wave of the future, for anyone over age 30 it is already ideal. The word “andragogy” is dreadful to try either to pronounce or spell, but it does describe a self-directed study program that is ideally suited for adults. We know our objectives and, equally importantly, we are more likely to know what we don’t know, so we don’t need to take most typical college elective courses. At the same time, AIU had just enough thought provoking courses in Phase II to enable students to develop a more international perspective on their approaches to problems and to try to understand, and therefore appreciate, the significance of their work on all levels from local to international.
Finally, the degree Doctor of Science is an honorary degree in much of the world. It is really something like a lifetime achievement award, and I don’t need it for employment, so AIU’s accreditation status to me is irrelevant.