I'm also taking distance education courses at the moment. I'm doing mine through the University of Waterloo (near where Vicam lives in Ontario). Unlike Athabasca it's primarily a fulltime University and they've got distance ed courses as well. These courses have a set time limit and a set exam date (mine's this weekend). I chose Waterloo instead of Athabasca cause I'm actualy hoping to go to school full time for a year or two and I figured it'd be easier to transfer my credits this way.
Having courses with set time limits are good because it gives some outside help to not put off studying and get the assignment done. However in your case, to just finish up your degree, Athabasca may be a good choice.