Micro @ Clackamas CC

has anyone taken the online microbiology at clackamas community college? was it fully online, or were there on campus meetings?

i have taken micro in the past, but it expired this past spring, so i have to retake it. any thoughts?

i completed bi 234 (microbiology) online this past spring 2008 and earned an "a". it is very intensive with reading, assignments and labs due every few days. the common complaint is that mirco is black hole for time. i would agree with this assessment. so if you can take just that class fall term--do so. earning an a is important for admissions.

with that said, the intensity of the course prepared me well for nursing school. the program i am in is even faster paced than the micro work. it will teach you good study habits and organization skills. labs are done at home with a kit they mail to you. there are group questions that are completed online via clackamas blackboard. assignments are submitted digitally and tests are taken on campus or with an approved proctor.

i also took micro before, so the material will be familiar to you. don't slack off on the assignments you send in, as it is a big part of your grade.

good luck!

What a great response. Thank you!

It has been five years since I took micro, but I also just took clinical lab science for my MA program this past winter which included a micro lab. I am a little iffy on taking the course online, but I may not be given a choice with my schedule. Unfortunately, I do not think I will have the luxury of taking just micro, as I have to take Math 95 as well before winter term. I wish I had taken one or the other during summer rather than taking the time off. But, that is life! Thanks again for the feedback!

Amber:heartbeat

What a great response. Thank you!

It has been five years since I took micro, but I also just took clinical lab science for my MA program this past winter which included a micro lab. I am a little iffy on taking the course online, but I may not be given a choice with my schedule. Unfortunately, I do not think I will have the luxury of taking just micro, as I have to take Math 95 as well before winter term. I wish I had taken one or the other during summer rather than taking the time off. But, that is life! Thanks again for the feedback!

Amber:heartbeat

I took Math 95 the summer of 2007. Just do the home work and you'll be fine. Online isn't bad, it just requires you manage yourself diligently. Which programs are you applying to?

I'm not entirely sure yet. My GPA is kind of poop. I wish that when I had first started on my prerequisites that I had sat down with an adviser who told me how competitive these programs were, or I had actually researched it on my own. My advisor (in rural norcal) basically told me the classes I needed and that was about it. I just knew I wanted to be a nurse, but I wasn't committed enough at the time to take my coursework seriously. Now, five years and a baby later, I'm stuck with a 3.2 prerequisite GPA and the prospect of retaking my entire A&P sequence for A's rather than B's.

I know for certain I am going to try for PCC again this year considering the lottery. Other than that, I'm not even sure it is worth trying at the others until my GPA is looking better.

I took online Micro at CCC last Fall. It was definitely NOT an easy course, but if you have good time management skills, are a self starter, and have lots of time to devote to studying and labs, it can be done without too much difficulty. I managed to get an "A", but I also lived and breathed microbiology for the entire term.

Overall, it was a lot of fun and very interesting. The teacher was pretty good and the lab activities help simplify the concepts that are presented in class.

There are no on-campus meetings, but you will need to set up time at a local college to take the midterm and the final proctored. I took my tests at PCC since CCC wasn't very convenient for me.

I'm not entirely sure yet. My GPA is kind of poop. I wish that when I had first started on my prerequisites that I had sat down with an adviser who told me how competitive these programs were, or I had actually researched it on my own. My advisor (in rural norcal) basically told me the classes I needed and that was about it. I just knew I wanted to be a nurse, but I wasn't committed enough at the time to take my coursework seriously. Now, five years and a baby later, I'm stuck with a 3.2 prerequisite GPA and the prospect of retaking my entire A&P sequence for A's rather than B's.

I know for certain I am going to try for PCC again this year considering the lottery. Other than that, I'm not even sure it is worth trying at the others until my GPA is looking better.

PCC won't be doing the lottery this year, they're joining OCNE and moving to a merit based system like the rest of the Portland area schools.

PCC won't be doing the lottery this year, they're joining OCNE and moving to a merit based system like the rest of the Portland area schools.

This is not true, PCC will still be doing the lottery until 2010, which is when they will switch to OCNE.

This is not true, PCC will still be doing the lottery until 2010, which is when they will switch to OCNE.

Oopsies! Sorry, you're right! I heard wrong

i completed bi 234 (microbiology) online this past spring 2008 and earned an "a". it is very intensive with reading, assignments and labs due every few days. the common complaint is that mirco is black hole for time. i would agree with this assessment. so if you can take just that class fall term--do so. earning an a is important for admissions.

with that said, the intensity of the course prepared me well for nursing school. the program i am in is even faster paced than the micro work. it will teach you good study habits and organization skills. labs are done at home with a kit they mail to you. there are group questions that are completed online via clackamas blackboard. assignments are submitted digitally and tests are taken on campus or with an approved proctor.

i also took micro before, so the material will be familiar to you. don't slack off on the assignments you send in, as it is a big part of your grade.

good luck!

would you suggest it for someone new to microbiology? i am very disciplined...especially if i focus in on something. how did you like the course? was the instructor responsive to questions and concerns? if there were problems with blackboard, were the administrators there to help you over the weekend or in the evenings or only during the business week?

any feedback would be great. thanks

socal

Would you suggest it for someone new to microbiology? I am very disciplined...especially if i focus in on something. How did you like the course? Was the instructor responsive to questions and concerns? If there were problems with blackboard, were the administrators there to help you over the weekend or in the evenings or only during the business week?

Any feedback would be great. Thanks

Socal

If you have been doing well other classes you shouldn't have a problem with this Micro. It is a basic micro course so not that challenging.... just time consuming.

If you have been doing well other classes you shouldn't have a problem with this Micro. It is a basic micro course so not that challenging.... just time consuming.

Thanks for your response... Was the instructor responsive to questions and concerns? If there were problems with blackboard, were the administrators there to help you over the weekend or in the evenings or only during the business week?

I had a few course this term where the instructor was not so responsive or when the software for the course crashed. The over the weekend help comes in handy. Did you have any problems when you took this course? Is it basically a self study course and you take exams? Did you pay an additional fee for the lab items or just what we paid at registration?

Socal

Hi, very interesting reading of Micro at Clackamas. I too am interested in taking this course online there. I'm wondering if anyone who has taken this course has an opinion on whether it's smarter to take this class online vs in class at my local community college. It's the first class with a lab that I'm considering online and I'm nervous. I've taken classes with lab at my local CC and gotten A's but not sure about online (though I am disciplined).

Also, what is the proctoring process like for this class at Clackamas? Can I just provide professor Kapila with an email address of my professor at my local community college, or do I have to go to an approved test site? I'd really like to provide my professor's email address because she lets me take the test in her office during office hours (much more convenient for me).

Thanks for any responses!