Micro and A&P online?

twoanddone · Jul 21, 2005

I'm taking AP 1 online now and will be taking AP2 online in the fall.

It is hard and tedious. I have a lab every week plus a quiz and test. You have got to be disciplined to do this. I would prefer to take it at school but with dh's work schedule and the kids I can't. I'll hopefully be taking microbiology in the spring on campus

Pvt. Parts · Jul 21, 2005

I haven't taken any classes online, so I'm not going to comment on that.

If you really want/need to get into the classes but they're full, don't give up! There's ways around it.

At my university, profs. could sign a waiver to let you in -- most of them don't mind taking extra students. 90% of the time this isn't even necessary.

Why? Because it is very common for students to enroll/register in more classes than they actually plan on taking, then dropping the ones they don't like (for whatever reason). This usually happens in the first two weeks.

This is actually a very smart & practical way to manage your courseload and get the most bang for your buck!

fotografe · Jul 21, 2005

I took them both entirely online and they were very doable for me -- working fulltime, two kids and nursing a major injury to boot. It is hard work and it is a lot of self-teaching. One advantage you have is that your labs are on campus, so if you have questions, you can ask then. Ours were all done via email.If you understand the majority of what you are reading in the text, and dont' need a lot of further explanation, you will do fine.

Good luck!

Nikki422 · Jul 21, 2005

Me personally, I wouldn't be comfortable taking A&P1 online, but that's just me. I feel that's one of the most important classes I've taken, and has provided a building block for everything else that I have learned since. Most of our tests came from lecture notes and not from the book so attendance was a necessity. Clearly if all you have is the book, then the tests would come from it. I don't think that I'm disciplined enough to take a science course online. English and other humanities are one thing, but me personally, I just need to ask questions, and reask questions to grasp the things I don't understand.

If you're devoted to the cause, you can accomplish anything! I say go for it if you feel up to it! Good luck!

Nikki

twoanddone · Jul 22, 2005

Actually Nikki, our professor has lectures for all chapters and subchapters to read and our test questions are mainly taken from those. Every other Saturday we have to go in for a proctored test and our labs are done at home but are intense:)

I think you can learn the same amount but you need to make time to do it. If you can't sit down and read about fifteen pages of notes and learn you should go to on-campus classes. I have to make time and stay up late to work on it. Right now I'm buildinga model of a chemical synapse.

GirlCalledJack · Jul 22, 2005

Thank you everyone for your thoughts!!

My labs will be at the school, so I'm not very worried about that, and I think that I'll be able to ask questions come lab time! Tests will be in the school testing lab (a ginormic computer lab on campus) As for dedication, I definately have it!

BoonersmomRN · Jul 22, 2005

I took A+P I in the classroom and currently taking A+P II online ( do have on-campus lab).

IMHO it all depends on how you learn. If you are a more audio-type learner online classes could be difficult. I, however, found online to be better for me than the classroom. I learn a lot more from reading then I do from listening...so to me it was easier to read at my own pace then to listen to 3 hour lectures. There were times in A+P I where I could barely stay awake in class b/c we were moving so slllloooowwwww.

Good Luck!

meesa214 · Jul 22, 2005

I took Micro online and loved it. I went on campus twice a week (or was it once?) for lab, and I had to go in for the exams also. Quizzes were completed at the end of lab for us online students. My teacher had everything planned out very well, was very organized, and the same info he gave in class was right there on the website. It worked for me.

Momto3andNurse2B · Jul 22, 2005

I took A&P I&II online, Micro in class. I got A's in all of them, so it is definitely doable if you're dedicated. I personally enjoy being in a classroom more, but the labs will help with questions.

Some advice:

1) Don't get behind. You don't want to be trying to study several chapters right before a test. I used to figure out how much I had to do between each exam, and then divide up the work so I knew how much I had to accomplish each day.

2) Even though the class is online, you have an instructor who most likely has office hours. Take advantage of that opportunity for help also. That is what you are paying them for.

3) Really try to learn from your labs. In A&P I, I had a fabulous lab instructor who helped me a great deal. A&P II Lab instructor was terrible. I got an A in the class, but a B in the lab (my only B). Ask around or try ratemyprofessors.com to find a really good instructor.

OK, that's it. Sorry, I'm and insufferable know-it-all.

skislalom · Jul 22, 2005

I took them both online (A/P 1 and Micro) (hybrid classes like yours, 3 hr lab and exams on campus)

I don't think I'd do them both together online. I took A/P 3 and Micro together and it was tough...but I took the A/P 3 on campus.

I've found that, alot of times (if the instructor has it together), they can be even better than lecture classes...if the professor has real good lecture notes and study guides put together for you.

As someone else said earlier...there are ways around those full classes. Show up in each class on the first day with an add/drop slip and see if there is a space - you'd be amazed how many people I saw get into full classes that way.

Good luck, with alot of determination...it is doable :)

~T