TRU Open Learning as an International Student (CS Major)
Hey everyone,
I recently enrolled in the BS Computing Science program at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) through their Open Learning (OL) division. I’m an international student (based in Pakistan), and after getting into the Moodle LMS, I’m feeling a bit of "buyer’s remorse" or at least a major culture shock.
1. I came in expecting a university-level LMS with video recordings of actual TRU faculty, lectures, and interactive content. Instead, it feels like I’ve paid international tuition for a curated reading list. There are no university-style lectures; it’s basically: "Read the textbook, look at these 10-year-old PowerPoints, and take a high-stakes final exam."
2. For courses like COMP 1101, they require specific textbooks. As someone in South Asia, physical shipping is a joke (the shipping + customs taxes cost more than the book itself). But even digital access codes are getting ridiculously expensive.
3. I’m already a professional dev/security engineer, so I’m used to "vibecoding" and teaching myself. But there’s a difference between teaching yourself a new framework for free on YouTube and paying thousands of dollars to teach yourself from a 600-page textbook just to pass a proctored exam.
Questions for the community:
- For those who finished the BSCS at TRU OL, how did you handle the lack of lectures? Did you just supplement with YouTube/MIT OCW?
- Is the final exam truly as textbook-heavy as people say? Can I get away with using Open Educational Resources (OER) or older editions of books?
- Are there any "hidden" resources for international students to get these digital materials cheaper?
It feels like I’m paying for the credential, not the education. Is this just the reality of TRU OL, or am I missing something?