Online Microbiology at UNE?

umbot, BSN · Feb 18, 2015

Well, I might be the only one here who took this course... but now that I just finished the my final exam, I'd like to share a bit about my experience.

First off, the major advantage to UNE courses is that they're self-paced. There is a suggested schedule in the syllabus, and it's laid out as a 16 week class, but you're not penalized if you don't follow it. Similarly, about ten days before the end of the class if you haven't completed the work, you get an email from the registrar inquiring as to whether you need an extension for the class. The extension runs another 10 weeks, and I do not believe there's an extra charge. I did not use this option, but there are lots of people online who have taken other UNE courses who have mentioned taking advantage of this option.

Compared to other online schools, it's pretty expensive, though they are upfront about the costs. If your schedule permits, taking an online microbiology course through a state school or community college, especially if you're in-state, is going to make more sense financially.

I took this course with the lab component. Some online micro courses require you to buy a microscope and a labpaq. This is not one of those courses. The lab component is done entirely through software called VUMIE, and the lab writeups come more or less directly from the VUMIE manual. The VUMIE manual does not align perfectly with the textbook for the course, and I ended up consulting outside sources pretty frequently while doing the labs. The main upside is that the software is far cheaper than a labpaq + microscope.

In terms of the coursework, there is very little homework (in terms of what you have to hand in). If you're taking the lab components, there is a total of 25 or 26 labs to complete, some of which are much quicker than others. There is one written case study at the end of the course. I am still waiting on my grade on this but the assignment appeared to be clear in the syllabus, with lots of questions to help you write.

However, just because there isn't a lot of written work doesn't mean there isn't work to be done. There is a quiz for each chapter, a vocabulary quiz for each module (usually 2-3 chapters), and then a unit exam for each module (2-5 modules). While all the tests are open book and open notes, they are timed and often ask very specific questions. Even if you've read thoroughly and taken excellent notes, you'll want to consult the textbook. Some questions are not taken verbatim from the text, and may require a bit of thinking to answer. In general, the chapter quizzes are easier than the unit exams, and the final exam was about as hard as a unit exam.

There are lectures and slides included for each chapter. I did not really take advantage of them, since I like learning from books more than I like listening to lectures, so I can't speak to their usefulness. They're certainly not necessary, but they're probably a helpful resource for a lot of students.

Overall, this course is very doable, especially if you have experience with online coursework and being self-motivated. Unlike some other online courses I've taken, I did not feel like I was set up to fail on disproportionately hard exams. My interaction with the instructor was minimal, but when I did have questions she was prompt to reply, helpful, and thorough.

I am not sure that the simulated lab component was a great substitute for actual bench time. On the other hand, I'm not sure just how instructive the labs in a brick and mortar setting are either.

Also, you do not need to buy the McGraw-Hill Connect thing, unless you really want it. It's not required for the course, and I regret shelling out the cash for it. The final exam is proctored by ProctorU, and there is no additional fee for this.

Many schools will accept this for a Microbiology credit, including the lab credit, but of course you should check with the school(s) you're applying to before signing up for it. I feel like I learned as much in this course as I would have at a B&M school with an average professor. There is, of course, no classroom camaraderie, but in terms of learning I feel like I'm well-prepared for courses which build on this material.

Hopefully this helps someone out there :) Please let me know if you have any questions, and I'll be glad to help.

7237dallas · Feb 19, 2015

How much did you have to pay for the course and materials? I'm looking into an online micro class bc apparently the instructor at my school is not good at all. Did you check into any others before selecting UNE? Thanks!

umbot, BSN · Feb 20, 2015

The course itself is a little over $1200 ($315/credit; 4 credit class incl. lab). The lab software is pretty reasonable (about $25) and I think I got the textbook for about $100 like new (no access code).

I did look into a few other schools, and the reason I went with UNE was just timing. There are a lot of state schools and community colleges that also offer this course online, and many of them are less expensive. However, these schools run on a regular semester schedule. I wanted to complete a course by the end of February, but wasn't able to start until November, so the traditional semester scheduling wasn't going to work for me.

Some of the other programs I looked at included Ocean County College in NJ, the Colorado Community College system, and EduKan. If price is a driving factor, staying in-state can make a significant difference. EduKan uses software to simulate a lab, OCC and CCC I think both have labpaqs. It looks like Rio Salado also has micro online, though I don't know much about them.

My general feeling about online courses is that they're a lot like having a bad prof who gives tests based strictly on the the textbook -- either way, you end up having to teach yourself a lot of the material from the book. So depending on why your micro instructor is not so good, doing an online class may not be a significantly better experience.

catinhat95 · Feb 26, 2015

Hello Umbot,

I am in this class right now. How did you study for the final? I feel like there is sooo much information to retain, I am nervous. Were the questions taken from the unit exams? I am also enjoying the flexibility of this class and feel it is a solid decision. It is a lot of work, especially with the lab component but I think that it is definitely doable in the 16 weeks alotted.

umbot, BSN · Mar 2, 2015

Hey, sorry for the delay in response! The final was a LOT easier than I expected. There were one or two questions I recognized as being pretty much word-for-word from either a quiz or unit exam, but most of them looked new to me. When I took it, there were 35 or so questions, with a fair amount of matching questions.

I was also really overwhelmed when studying. I got a bunch of those plastic tab stickers and tabbed out my textbook -- generally, one tab at the end of each chapter for the "Summary" section. I also put in tabs on the major tables. (Of course, I read over them slowly while I was marking them!) I think this helped me study and go over material pretty effectively.

I thought the final was actually easier than some of the unit exams, and while it is a lot of information to retain, it is still an open book exam and you have plenty of time to look things up. Good luck, I'm sure you'll do well :)

catinhat95 · Mar 4, 2015

Hi there, just one more question, how did you think the grading worked in the end. I see the chart of how the grading works but was there any curve in the end? Thanks again!

umbot, BSN · Mar 6, 2015

I know that some reviews on ratemyprof (if we have the same instructor) mentioned a curve at the end of the class, but I'm not sure if that was for the in-person or the online version. However, my grade was not curved and was calculated exactly from the guide in the syllabus. I still managed to do pretty well, and hopefully you will too :)

Krami · Oct 5, 2015

I have a question please for both of you. I want to take this course but I need to get an A, do you think that's possible if it will be the only course I'm taking while on maternity leave?

Krami · Oct 5, 2015

Did you think it's possible to get an A? I am really interested in taking this course but I need an A.

cmv38 · Oct 16, 2015

I just took this course. You can definitely get an A, everything is open book and you can take the chapter exams and vocab test up to three times each.

cka2310 · Jan 21, 2016

Hi! Do you happen to have any tips on how you studied? There's a lot of material and I finding the unit test questions are often very different than the material the reading/slides focus on.