It was with interest that I read Albert Leonardo’s article in the August 10 issue of Computer World Canada Magazine (“Institute guarantees educational satisfaction,” page 1). As a proud graduate of The Institute for Computer Studies, I found the article to be offensive, given my previous level of education and was also concerned about the false notions made towards the quality of The Institute and its programs.
In the beginning, the article compares the Institute to a school that offers “condensed courses designed to get workers out into the field quickly” and ends with a quote from some Brian Westbrook from rural Manitoba saying, “…you only need a grade 12 education to get in.” These comments are misleading as well as disrespectful to those few students who may indeed only have a Grade 12 education, but have numerous years of valuable experience in the field. Finally, the subtitle of the continuation of the article on page 3, “Expert: doubt’s institute’s quality,” suggests that a) the person commenting is an expert; and b) that the Institute’s standard of quality is not very high.
As a graduate of Seneca College with honours in Mechanical Engineering, I know the value of a high-quality education and can assure you that my experience at the Institute was nothing less. I am uncertain as to the level of expertise Mr. Westbrook possesses on the subject, but found his comments on the Institute’s “cookie cutter” approach to learning, the cost of their program, and the quality of their instructors to be offensive and uninformed.
Sincerely,
Bem A. Case
Toronto