List of Pre Reqs Available Online

combinate · Aug 3, 2012

Does anyone have updated/current material like the spreadsheet Erik provided above? Is it correct that the price ranges $20 to $495 per credit hour for these specific options (in 2008)?

I am moving (driving almost 2k miles) in a few weeks and would like to start some online pre-requisites in September (many classes starting 8/20 or 8/27).

The classes I should take online are "Life Span Development" and "Ethics". I would check with the nursing schools I am applying to for pre-approval of transfer, but otherwise, does it make any difference where one takes these online courses? These days, do people login to course discussions and video feeds at a specific time, or do they watch a video and interact through a bulletin board on their own personal schedule? Can I get these starting in September?

I studied and earned other degrees, where I took A&P and Chemistry, but they might still expire my credits (5 or 7-year rule) and sell me those again. Maybe this time, they will allow me to take the science prereqs online. Their own materials indicate required labs for:

Anatomy/Physiology I and II

Microbiology

Chemistry (content of general, organic, and biochemistry)

But this not documented consistently. I obviously must confirm appropriate matches before starting the courses, but what are others' experiences with science pre-requisites with/without labs? Has anyone done these online, and do they do lecture online and go to campus for lab work?

The chemistry series I referenced looks exactly like three 4-hour chemistry classes, but the advisor mentioned a single 4-hour class covering all three areas. Really? I found a couple examples of such a course; has anyone done this? I also see that some schools do A&P I then II, and others do Anatomy, then Physiology for four hours each. Are there any real differences to consider (for the student or the nursing school)? As this all seems to be sliced and diced 50 ways till Sunday, I have a course design idea: Combine A&P, Microbio, Chem, prereqs. Meet four or five days per week from 9-4 (lecture and lab, with an hour for lunch) for a semester. Optional happy hour from 4-5, every other Friday. ?? But again, what are others' experiences, and do people take science prereqs online?

For reference, I will study for a BSN (accelerated 15-month program)

Saysfaa · Aug 3, 2012

Most schools have equivalency guides for at least the schools in the area. You can find them by searching the school's website for "transfer credit" or "transfer equivalent credit" or "transfer credit [and fill in the name of a nearby university]".

The price ranges depend on where you live and which schools you are looking at. It is no longer $20 per credit in California - it is $46 per credit for any community college in California - instate tuition. The big universities are usually about $300 - $400 per credit for instate tuition (in the several states I've looked at), sometimes they make it look less by calling part of it fees.

Usually, it doesn't matter where you take online courses as long as they are taken at an accredited school. However, you need to check the equivalency guides rather than go by the name of the course.

The online classes I've taken varied... some had video links (never at a given time like they did tele-courses decades ago, although I obviously haven't looked at every online class so don't know that they never, ever do it that way anymore). The online classes I've taken had bulletin boards but not following videos. Some had a video component but not a discussion that corresponded directly, some had no video component.

I had a physiology class that did the lecture face to face and the lab online. I took general biology as a hybrid class (1 hour of lecture and the lab face to face and the other two hours of lecture online).

There may be a single 4 hour class that covers all three chemistry areas but it won't take the place of the three 4 hour classes - it might work if you only need one of the three for your program.... I'd get it in writing and signed by the advisor for the nursing department at your school before taking it.

Most of the time A&P 1 then A&P II cover the same things as Anatomy as one class and Physiology as another class but only sometimes are they really interchangable. You really have to ask the school you are looking about which is acceptable (and if one format is preferred over the other). Sometimes there are real differences.... for example, at one of my schools the combined option looks at human cadavers that are being dissected and the seperated anatomy class actually does them... the school prefer requires the seperated option for nursing students but the combined is fine for most of the allied health majors they offer. At the other school, the separated option is more credits... either is fine for that school but the combined option doesn't give enough A/P credits for some of the other nursing programs in the area.

Your course design is very ambitious. Some people could do it but most people would find it very difficult. The rule of thumb is to invest two hours out of class for every hour spent in class. Another rule of thumb is not more than two sciences with labs per semester because science usually requires more work than other classes and labs takes more time than other classes. Your milage may differ, especially if you remember most of what you learned the last time you took them.

Oh, I see you are looking at an accelerated program - I don't know much about them but would guess they expect you to be considerably more efficient (effective?) at studying and/or more willing to do very little but study while you are in the program.

Good luck.

combinate · Aug 3, 2012

Thank you for all the info Saysfaa. Online course offerings from a wide region could be key for practical considerations (like needing to start a couple classes in September). Searching “Cal State Online Classes” led to a couple sites that looked helpful, but they were degree programs and “extended edu”. On the phone, they shuffled me through a few offices, and I finally talked to someone at CSU Long Beach. Their online courses seem to be geared towards someone doing a degree there. They claimed no separate listing of online courses (just look for the “O”). I think if you wanted one online course (A&P II for example) in the Cal State system, you search a web page (at CSULB for example) for a match. If your course is not offered, or it is filled or otherwise mismatched, off you go to start a search elsewhere (Cal State LA web pages maybe). There are 21 schools in the Cal State System! Next class! No match? Try the junior colleges. Try Podunk State Online in somewhere, USA! There’s an important large public database/index project for a group of computer scientists in this area. Ok, I just found California Virtual Campus (cvc.edu), searched “lifespan development” and got a smattering of offerings with links to the schools. It is a pretty good tool; not perfect, but I’ll drop the rant and ask others for any additional tips and pointers to tools that help to match online courses to prereq specs and practical considerations. To start “Lifespan Growth and Development” and “Ethics” online in September, might be all I need, and science courses at a JC work better from January. I will still look ahead at online options for Chem and A&P, since I took them before.

I did not think about getting the advisor's signature; thanks for the idea. Does anyone know of an advisor pre-approving an outside prerequisite course(s) by email and later renigging and requiring their own signature? I know they are busy, but what a shame that would be. Granted, three chemistry areas in a 4-hour course is not nearly equivalent to the separate courses, and should be pre-approved and confirmed.

Physiology lecture in class and lab online is counterintuitive, but it is expensive and time consuming to set up and maintain labs (and sometimes hard to stock biological materials, like cadavers). I wonder how risky it would be to go the next step and also do the “lecture” online. It might work for those who are repeating the course after their credits expired.

The imaginary course design was a little silly. I was thinking of some people crisscrossing long distances between schools for different classes and all the associated admin. It probably is too ambitious, but it might be refreshing to go to one local campus and buckle down for a long day with the instructor(s) and fellow classmates in exchange for accomplishing the big science chunk in a semester. Maybe it would be similar to some semesters “in-program”.

combinate · Aug 3, 2012

Here is an example: Mesa CC in San Diego lists "HUMAN GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT for 3.0 Units running 10/15-12-17. It states "Closed", and I don't know if it is an accepted equivalent. I am simply referencing that it should be possible to navigate some practical needs with online prerequisites. Not sure if it would be a good idea to cram science courses into 8 weeks; though, that is what happens in summer sessions.

Saysfaa · Aug 3, 2012

"Does anyone know of an advisor pre-approving an outside prerequisite course(s) by email and later renigging and requiring their own signature?"

Yes, only they didn't say should have gotten the signature... they (as in different advisors from the department) just checked the plan over at least three times per semester and acknowledged/approved the oddity for three years and then sent a letter two weeks before the planned graduation date saying the requirements for graduation were not met. It was my daughter and she had asked for a signature in the first place but didn't push for it when they assured her that was silly, of course there would be no problem because she had no idea how much trouble she would have with advisors and with requirements.

The signature isn't fool proof (she had them renig on things she had department head signature for also) but it carries a lot more weight than not having one.

Not to scare people too much - she was in kind of a perfect storm situation with a complicated history, a complicated and unusual major and a school in the middle of drastically changing their program, and a program already known for being the worst with advising/requirement problems at a school known for such problems.

Saysfaa · Aug 3, 2012

"Extended Ed" just means they are targeting/accommodating nontraditional students.

Why does it matter if they are geared toward people completing their degree there? Most universities are geared toward people completing their degrees there but the classes are fairly standard - they have to be to meet the accredidation requirements.

I don't know of other databases.

Yes, lecture in person and lab online for physiology is somewhat counter intuitive - so is speech which is another class I did online (we met four times during the semester to give the speeches, the rest was all online). I think I learned far more in the online lab than I would have in a face to face lab. Less about manipulating the pipettes, test tubes and microscopes and more about how the body works.

I'm not sure what you mean by how risky online classes are. They aren't any riskier than tradtional classes as far as how good the credit from them is. I find them much riskier as far as how compatible/comfortable the class/prof is. But some people don't care nearly as much as I do about how compatible/comfortable the class/prof is.

Tightly packing your classes so you can make fewer trips to campus or have larger blocks of time available is a great idea. You can still do that while taking the more doable class load. As for travel time between classes - usually I design my schedule to minimize travel times and sometimes I deliberately pick a schedule with extra travel time to encourage the exercise. For this year, you will probably be happy to find something that is possible and worry about preferred in later semesters when you have more time to work with.

combinate · Aug 3, 2012

"Why does it matter if they are geared toward people completing their degree there?"

Selection of courses offered, who is allowed in, and so on.

combinate · Aug 5, 2012

"Ok, I just found California Virtual Campus (cvc.edu)..." I also found an analog index of online classes in IL. These are pretty good tools.