Taking organic/biochem online

Herrington · Nov 4, 2014

It's 4 credits, which tell me that it's 3 hours lecture + 1 hour lab. So the lecture portion might be online, but you may have to go to campus to fulfill the lab portion of the course. It says that "...skills will be developed in a laboratory program...", further convincing me that, yes, there is a lab needed for the course.

I suppose you could always just go out to the school and ask them if there's a lab. Some colleges may be different in their hours of coursework.

umbot, BSN · Nov 5, 2014

Some schools offer science courses online with and without lab. I think UNE, for example, offers both lecture and lecture+lab versions of many science courses. I did my Gen Chem credits through TESC (an online school in NJ) which included lab credits. That meant I purchased a lab kit and performed experiments at home. There are definite disadvantages to doing labs in the home (nobody to ask for help, not having enough supplies to re-do an experiment if you make a mistake/replace faulty equipment) but it is certainly comparable to a brick & mortar lab component.

Googling the description you posted is taking me to Brookdale CC, so I'm assuming that's where you're going to take the course. I pulled up the course description in the Brookdale CC WebReg and found this:

[TABLE=class: layout]

[TR]

[TD=class: component text label readonly]Title[/TD]

[TD=class: control left]Inorganic, Organic, Biochem[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=class: component text label readonly]Course Section Number[/TD]

[TD=class: control left]CHEM-136-DE01D[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=class: component text label readonly]Description[/TD]

[TD=class: control left]The student will consider selected concepts from inorganic, organic and biological chemistry which will be applied to allied health and biological fields. Skills will be developed in a laboratory program which enhances topics under consideration. The program is designed for students who have had no previous chemistry course. (Prerequisite(s): MATH-012 or MATH-015 or satisfactory completion of the College's basic skills requirement in computation)

IMPORTANT SECTION INFORMATION:

On-Line Lab included in this course. Course content will be accessed over the Internet. Students will be contacted by postal mail with log-in and orientation information. Some courses require (in person) proctored testing. For more information, call the Distance Education Office at 732-224-2089 or visit our website at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, New JerseyBrookdale Community College.

[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

It's unclear what "on-line lab" means -- is it one you do at home and submit results through blackboard/moodle/etc? Is it a "virtual lab" where you use software that replicates a lab environment? (The virtual lab is something UNE does, which I'll be trying out in a couple weeks...) The number listed there is probably your best bet for figuring out exactly what the lab component is going to be like.

Good luck!

micheleC · Nov 13, 2014

Thank you so much for your thorough answer! I scoured that website and I swear I didn't come across that. I'm just getting used to things on there so I'm sure I blindly missed it.

missporter732 · Nov 16, 2015

Unless you are strong in this subject- do not take online! Labs are for a reason, and I imagine that the in class labs are much easier than online.

I took this class (BrookdaleCC) online- in the summer- and I missed the drop date. Also had the head of Chem. Department. Hard hard hard. Be advised!