PADI Advanced Open Water: Did you learn anything new?

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I am very unhappy with the "new PADI". When I did my OW in 2012. I received a student pack which included the OW manual and RDP.
Now my GF did the OW she received nothing and I did the AOW and received nothing.
I had to fight with the dive centre afterwards and they eventually sent a code for AOW but it is not even printable or in .pdf format so I can't read it at home. My GF still has no material for refreshing or further study .
I feel there is too much cost cutting now and it's producing unsafe divers. Divers are completing courses having only completed half of the total possible sections and have no way of refreshing their knowledge or completing the other sections.
I was rushed through 5 review sections in 3 days including 2 dives a day and only learnt 2 sections fully. This is why I feel we should still get student packs including manuals with each course.
What are your thoughts ?
At the risk of duplicating other responses...

As described in the original post, it sounds like at the least PADI standards were not met, and quite possibly the quality/completion of the training was compromised, depending on how (if?) the academic requirements were met.

There are so many PADI options making the class options flexible that no doubt many shops pick just one or two options and don't ever mention/offer the others. Notes on that:
  1. ANY class offered via eLearning is also available in traditional book form.
  2. Owning your own course material is a standard, but does not include the video. It is not uncommon for shops to have students watch the videos as a group while owning their own books. That meets standards, as does "owning" the eLearning course.
  3. eLearning is ALWAYS available to the student to review after completing the course. I believe what is available is a digital version of the most recent book, but not the original slides, and perhaps not the original videos. Someone correct me on that if I am mistaken about the availability of the video content.
  4. There are crewpacks for both eLearning and for book versions of courses, priced accordingly as one would expect. The book crewpacks even have different stock numbers depending on whether or not the DVD is included. For OW courses, each of those variations are also available in 3 more different versions, including either a standard RDP slate, a digital eRDPml, or a Dive Computer simulator.
So no, you did not experience a case or PADI cutting costs. It was your dive center trimming costs, probably to a greater extent than allowed. The type of academic content you buy/own for retention after the class is complete is your choice, although you may not realize that depending on the information provided by the shop/instructor. (In general, do NOT expect to shop around for the lowest bare bones course price, and have both a book and a video included in that cost. Shop course price comparison is usually not an apples to apples proposition.)
 
In 2007, when I took my OW, it was 4 days long, with 2 days scheduled for confined

On each of those 2 days, each morning was spent in the classroom on theory, with only the afternoons in the pool

Today the student carry’s out home study and their time is spent purely on practical. Which is better?

Yes there can be much variance in instructors, not just PADI. I’m ex BSAC. I have a friend, some 300 dives and qualified to ADp (AN/DP) yet can’t hold a safety stop in rec gear. The more gear she attaches the more flummoxed she gets.

Yet she was allowed to pass and because she hold the card, is certain she can go to Truk and make the big divers there.

People fall for the hype, some people are allowed to become instructors despite not having the ability to be NB/T in their own diving, let alone being able to teach it - they don’t even know how bad they are them self’s - or perhaps they do, they’re just interested in the card and the status they believe (in their mind) it carries
 
At the risk of duplicating other responses...

As described in the original post, it sounds like at the least PADI standards were not met, and quite possibly the quality/completion of the training was compromised, depending on how (if?) the academic requirements were met.

There are so many PADI options making the class options flexible that no doubt many shops pick just one or two options and don't ever mention/offer the others. Notes on that:
  1. ANY class offered via eLearning is also available in traditional book form.
  2. Owning your own course material is a standard, but does not include the video. It is not uncommon for shops to have students watch the videos as a group while owning their own books. That meets standards, as does "owning" the eLearning course.
  3. eLearning is ALWAYS available to the student to review after completing the course. I believe what is available is a digital version of the most recent book, but not the original slides, and perhaps not the original videos. Someone correct me on that if I am mistaken about the availability of the video content.
  4. There are crewpacks for both eLearning and for book versions of courses, priced accordingly as one would expect. The book crewpacks even have different stock numbers depending on whether or not the DVD is included. For OW courses, each of those variations are also available in 3 more different versions, including either a standard RDP slate, a digital eRDPml, or a Dive Computer simulator.
So no, you did not experience a case or PADI cutting costs. It was your dive center trimming costs, probably to a greater extent than allowed. The type of academic content you buy/own for retention after the class is complete is your choice, although you may not realize that depending on the information provided by the shop/instructor. (In general, do NOT expect to shop around for the lowest bare bones course price, and have both a book and a video included in that cost. Shop course price comparison is usually not an apples to apples proposition.)

That sums it up nicely, the Dive Center / Instructor was not following Padi standards.
I teach in a resort area, most of my students are on island for 7 days max so have limited time.
We offer eLearning for these tourist students, students usually do not want to be studying on vacation, nor do they want to be sat in a classroom.
Both these factors lead to the studying being rushed, students not understanding the material, courses being rescheduled etc (Yes, In pre eLearning days.)
Don't get me on the subject of cheap courses, short dives, loan manuals, no logbook, rushed tuition, we see divers with new c cards who have poor trim, poor buoyancy, no understanding of NDL's, no understanding of weighting etc etc.
Not the divers fault, we do our best to assist them.
Quality tution does NOT come cheap and you don't really save that much money by taking the cheapest course.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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