Student Experience
Enter into a new learning universe: what to expect when you join Qwasar programs and the Qwasar learning community.
85% Coding, 15% Lectures
Welcome to a new, modern learning universe with no coding on paper!
Qwasar’s model is based on active learning, meaning you will spend WAY more time coding than sitting in lectures or presentations. Our program is designed to spend 85% of your time coding, and about 15% of your time in ‘knowledge-transmission’ sessions where one individual is imparting knowledge, often in the form of a lecture or presentation. We do this for 2 reasons: first, our focus is on gaining skills for being on the job as an engineer, and second, active learning has been scientifically proven to be more effective than passive, lecture-based learning.
Virtual Campus
Participation is Expected
Joining our programs is committing to participating in all program events. Since there is no physical campus, you develop ways to virtually meet and interact with others in your cohort. You will be expected to participate and engage with the community. You are not just showing up to class, you are joining a lifestyle of developers committed to lifelong learning. There are many support mechanisms in place at Qwasar including one-on-one sessions, group sessions, daily standups, etc.
Get to Know Others
It may seem difficult at first to connect and collaborate with others in a virtual classroom. We have implemented many opportunities that are simple and easy to chat with other students. We utilize Discord to provide a user-friendly platform to message and call your peers. If you decide to work through problems together or partner up on a project, you can connect through this platform. Throughout weekly meetings, you will hear from students about progress updates and be able to start conversations based on their responses. Also, you will be grouped up with different people each week for coding collaboration sessions.
Engineering Labs
After the first few courses, students will stop Live Coding Sessions and instead join an Engineer Lab. These are virtual, subject-based labs focused on hands-on projects built in groups. Projects offer an opportunity to explore the subject area while learning to collaborate with other students. Both projects and the labs themselves are great items to put on the resume!
Qwasar’s Engineering Labs are virtual, subject-focused labs where students work in pairs or groups to build a software project. Projects will last anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks depending on the size and difficulty of the project. These are great opportunities to put projects and the Labs on your resume, and to explore some of today’s emerging technologies and subjects.
Labs are also opportunities for students to pursue areas they’re passionate about, or areas in which they lack experience and want to gain more exposure.
Blockchain Lab:
Our blockchain lab will focus on applications of blockchain to solve problems, or rebuild similar but different solutions to what already exists in this space.
Computer Vision Lab:
Our computer vision lab focuses on different applications of computer vision. This could include autopilot, supply chain, facial recognition, and much more. Students will explore existing cloud-based tools that enable quick deployment of computer vision, then move on to more advanced applications and concepts.
Distributed Computing Lab:
A hot topic among enterprise software engineering, our Distributed Computer Lab offers an opportunity to learn about and build software on that’s distributed. Students must be in the Software Engineering or AI/ML Engineering specialization to join this lab.
IoT Lab:
Our IoT lab will focus on combining hardware and software, touching on embedded engineering and more low-level programming. Learners will likely have to buy some small hardware supplies (Arduino) to work with.
Program Meetings
Solo Presentations
Building communication and public speaking skills is important for the workplace as an engineer. By public speaking, we don’t mean in front of thousands of people, but rather to 10 or 20 people. This could be you as an engineer presenting to your team, or management. Weekly Presentations will rotate subject areas and will rotate presenters, so students will attend presentations then present themselves every 6-8 weeks. Topics cover new tools or technologies, common technical interview subjects, or themed startups.
Daily Standup
Standups are held every morning to kick off the day with the cohort. This gives students an opportunity to share any progress and blockers on their projects. Everyone participates and shares status updates with one another and has an opportunity to get support from peers. These meetings hold students accountable and resemble what happens on the job.
Coding Collaboration
Students of all levels are divided into small groups to work on a timed challenge for a unique task. By working together, each group can leverage the collective skills of one another and make a network within the cohort.
Virtual Library Time
Virtual Library Time is like going to the library on a physical campus to work alongside your peers, only in this case it’s virtual. Consider it a quiet space to get work done next to your peers, which helps with motivation, accountability, and building a good working cadence.
Choose Your Experience:
At Qwasar, we offer both a full-time intensive or a part-time program to complete the masters degree. Based on your weekly availability and commitment level, you should choose the program that best suits you. The remote nature of our programs allows for flexibility in completing your masters degree from anywhere.
Full-Time Intensive
Our full-time intensive program is a 13-month program for full-time students. Courses and program meetings run Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, similar to a full-time job.
Students should expect to work 40-50 hours per week at minimum.
Part-time for the Working Professional
Our part-time program is great for working professionals, and is a 24-month program. Our part-time program is a great option for the working professional as meeting times are Tuesday evenings and Saturdays.
Students should expect to work 15-20 hours per week, including program meetings.
Occasional On-Site
While our program remains remote-first, it’s also great to gather in person and meet your fellow students in real life. Qwasar plans occasional on-site meetings that students are expected but not required to attend, such as graduation, or mid-program “retreats,” or other similar events.
Locations will vary and will aim to be in student-friendly locations while maintaining high-value opportunities such as hosting guests from industry or conducting on-site company visits.
