Taking Anatomy and Physiology Online (Condensed)

leenak · May 28, 2012

Ifit is your last pre-req, why are you taking 2 other classes?Condensed classes generally require a bit of work. You also don't necessarily need to read 40 pages, just skim and pick out the important parts.

♑ Capricorn ♑ · May 28, 2012

Does this class have a laboratory portion to it? I often wonder how people take A&P online without any lab or even if it is required for online courses. I wouldn't know, because I've never taken an online A&P course before. If it was up to me, I wouldn't be taking it online and would have found another way to do it. A&P is such an important class. I don't find it is something one can just get by on or fly through it like any other class. It is essential.

I wouldn't sweat the 40 pages. It could be alot worse. Most definitely take notes and ask for help when you need it.

skarletstarlet · May 28, 2012

Well for simplicity, when I became pregnant with my daughter my fiance and I moved back to our hometown to be closer to our parents. I now go to a college that acts as a satellite campus for my university, which is 4 hours away. I get my psych credits there and I do really well, in fact I got a 95 in biology (in class). Being my last pre req for ANOTHER university (where I will go for nursing), I had to bite the bullet and do it online through my school (or move to my school's home base for a year which seemed silly). I thought it would be a good idea because I wouldn't have a "full course load" of 5 courses like I will come September. I am taking personality and psychometrics in person at my school this semester.

Anyways, I have found some student-made flashcards on studyblue as well as some student made notes and they help greatly. My prof does not provide us with the powerpoints he shows in class. All we received was a giant stack of paper (course manual which seems useless besides the pages to read section). The course manual seems very vague and lists the main concepts, but a lot of my text seems to focus on smaller details so I dont know what to get caught up in and what not to, KWIM?

Thanks for the replies!!

ETA: no labs but I do watch videos and draw pictures a lot :\ nothing like my biology labs though

MindyydniM · May 28, 2012

Omg I know your pain! I took an algebra class online and Medical Terminology in school and I took that class online all at the same time.. We had to complete all three classes in 5 weeks and I believe I was a zombie at the end of those 5 weeks! . It was a short quarter and I am telling you I studied my butt off. I took Ginkgo biloba (doctor said it would help me focus) and pulled all night studying! I have 4 children from ages 3-17. Im not going to sugar coat it....it was one of the hardest things i did. I wrote stacks and stacks of notes and it really paid off. I ended up with a 97 and im telling you.....to this day I dont know how I did it....except think positive and pray pray pray! YOU CAN DO IT!

sixela21 · May 29, 2012

Hey everyone
My name is Kaylee and I am taking A+P online in one semester. Yeah I know, I'm crazy but the thing is I don't have any other choice. My school doesn't offer it in person and so it is the only choice I have.
Next week, I have to read 20 pages per day and make notes (7 days)
The next week, I have to read 40 pages per day and make notes (7 days)
How did you guys do it?
My cousin laughed and said she never made notes... my instructor is very adamant that we will fail if we don't. I am so stuck. I have 2 other classes and two small babies I need to care for. How can I do this? How did you do it? I am literally in tears, crying as it is my last pre-req I have and it is absolutely horrible. I don't have an issue with the material, its the amount of work due per week. Plus my course has been translated from French into English and doesn't really make sense sometimes.
Thanks
Kaylee :redbeathe

Kudos to you! Sounds like you have a full plate because you have a personal life that could be quite stressful at times with your family being a big responsibility. That being said, you're going to need lots of help from your family, friends, and especially fiance =) to help out with day to day things to give you more time to study. Because you're taking it online (which you've probably already heard a million times is not recommended =) ) you definitely need to take more time out to simply sort through all the work and find an effective way to study it.

My school made A&P very easy by tailoring a packet just for the course designed by the program's head director, an M.D. It includes a lecture work book with pre-outlined notes for the lecture and lab, a video DVD with lectures recorded by her as well explaining all notes in detail and demonstrating dissections, etc. and a few other resources such as muscle and bone work books and coloring books to make those sections easier to comprehend. This class was also "web-enhanced," meaning, although it was not an online course, we took many quizzes online, and there were additional resources online as well. I was given all the help I needed and got As in A&P lectures and lab with a current 4.0. My school did a great job in organizing the material, making it so easy to comprehend.

What I would recommend to you is to find an efficient way to organize this material in a similar manner on your own if your school has not done it for you. I would search for extra resources online to help if you are a visual learner. There are many books out there that are extremely helpful--coloring books, A&P for dummies,etc. Many of my lab partners owned these books in additional to our regular reading. I agree with someone else who previously stated to highlight only the info needed. You have to determine what's going to be essential for you to know, otherwise you will be too overwhelmed with coursework.

Outline chapters and highlight with simplicity to keep from going insane! =) MAKE NOTECARDS! Some things in A&P (the physiology part) are processes that can be worked through and not necessarily crammed. Others (muscle and bone names, etc.) you will just have to bite the bullet and cram them (or make sure you learn terminology first so that names make sense to you and you can reason through those too). Your main responsibility in your situation will just be making sense of everything by organization. My A&P prof. always said to us, "You can do it, JUST GET DOING IT!" Good luck! =)

robyn_a · May 29, 2012

I just finished taking A&P online...I was very worried going into it but was still able to manage an A.

I think what I found the most helpful was talking through the information with a couple of classmates (I would also explain the information to my boyfriend). I think talking the concepts out in general terms helped me. I agree with sixela21--definitely make notecards!! As far as reading everything, I honestly skimmed the pages and highlighted sections that I would go back to for clarification.

Good luck in your class and I'm sure you can do it!!