The post was a few years old, and I think I've come a long way since then. It wasn't all that great of a class. We used the manual and test for "Master scuba diver" but I paid for and was issued the "advanced scuba diver" card. It was done deliberately, as the instructor thought the information in the advanced manual just wasn't that great compared to the Master book. The book did have good information in it that I've referenced over the years. I later progressed into some cave training with NASE.
I think a lot of it depends not only on the instructor, but on where you dive. In my local waters, divers have to contend with current, low visibility, and there are no such a thing as dive guides. At some sites, divers can get crazy deep in a hurry on what might start out appearing to be a very benign dive site. For this reason, I have always advocated that divers restrict themselves to shallow dives right after OW classes, seek mentors or join a dive club ASAP, and get some dives before taking the Advanced Scuba Diver (NAUI's version of AOW) class. The reason is because that's the class where you'll begin doing deeper dives and working on acquiring low-vis diving skills ... and before I take a student to 100 feet or start working on the type of task-loading that typically comes from diving in low vis conditions I want them to have adequate comfort with their basic skills to not be struggling or stressing out, so they can devote their mental bandwidth to learning the new things they need to know in order to do these dives safely.
I agree with your instructor that the NAUI Advanced Scuba Diver manual wasn't very comprehensive. But one thing I'll give NAUI credit for is their "freedom to teach " philosophy that allowed me to add material as I saw fit in order to produce competence in my divers at the intended level. I used elements of the Master Scuba Diver manual, supplemental materials from other sources, and wrote my own handbook that went into more detail on topics like dive planning, buddy skills, gas management, navigational techniques, and other topics that a diver should be able to use competently for planning and executing deep dives, low visibility, or other conditions that a diver in our area would commonly have to contend with. NAUI's material ... like that of other agencies I've familiarized myself with ... does tell you that you should have these skills, but is a bit short on giving you the specifics of how to achieve them. The one section in the NAUI ASD book that I thought was well done was Search & Recovery. Otherwise, it was essentially a review of what you should have learned in the basic Scuba Diver class, with a few extra tidbits tossed in. Hopefully they'll have addressed those (what I consider) deficiencies in their new manual ... but I've retired from teaching, so I really haven't seen the new book.
I support any diver who wants additional training in order to improve their skills and technique. But the rule of thumb I use when offering advice to newer divers is get in some dives between classes, and get comfortable with the things you will have learned in that class before signing up for the next class. That way you're more ready to push your limits without undue stress, and will get more out of the class (assuming a competent instructor). All too often we hear from people who go straight from OW to AOW that they "didn't learn anything". That has less to do with what was offered than it does your ability to integrate new skills on top of skills you're still struggling to get comfortable with.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)