Pharmacology On-line vs In-Class

happilymarried · Dec 29, 2008

I am signed up for an online pharm class in the spring too. I talked to the instructor teaching the course before I signed up. I, too, thought it would be a difficult class online. She told me it wont be that bad and since I am in nursing II we will be doing much of the pharm in my beginning med-surg class anyway. So I signed up and I hope I won't regret it half way through the semester! Good luck to you too!!!!!

benegesserit · Dec 29, 2008

I took Pharmacology online last semester. It's hard to really say much about it, because it depends on the quality of the instructor (of both the online and in-person course), how the course is structured, and the personality of the student.

In general, I don't think the content of online classes is harder to learn, though it does require a higher level of self-motivation.

Personally, I feel that I learn better in an in-person class. I usually feel that it is harder to develop a good relationship with the teacher or other students in online classes, and especially in classes with unproctored exams, it's easy to take shortcuts (NOT talking about cheating!) and not learn things as well as I should.

I think that online a good option for people with inflexible schedules that won't allow them to take an in-person class, but they require that you set aside a certain amount of time to devote to the class, which can be more difficult when you don't have an officially scheduled classtime.

I agree with the professor that having the clinical experience will make things much easier. I took pharmacology before being admitted to a nursing program (it's a prerequisite for one of the programs around here, so I took it while waiting to get in). Partway through the semester I went on a job shadow at a hospital which coincidentally coincided with the endocrine unit in pharmacology. Seeing the care of diabetic patients gave what I was learning in Pharmacology a lot more context, and it helped a lot!

Tams · Dec 29, 2008

I agree with you regarding the in-class instruction. It would be good to establish a relationship with the instructor and other students that can assist along the way.

Would you share you study tips for the course?

**The class seems a bit intimidating**