05-03-2010, 12:17 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-03-2010, 12:22 PM by cookderosa.)
Chebasaz Wrote:How do these labs work Jennifer? They look like a really neat way of knocking out the requirements.>>
For fun, anyone can do it- just order the lab. It comes with a lab manual and a companion site that has multi media to support the labs. A typical class has about 12 labs and contains all of the histology slides too. It contains everything you need except a microscope and some simple home supplies (table salt, a tooth pick, etc). This would work well for a homeschool group where a microscope and lab could be shared. A lab paq costs a lot, $150-$200, so sharing would be optimal.
For credit, the college uses the labs to support the classroom instruction and do not allow sharing under any circumstances. So, you do the school stuff and then you do your labs at home. In my class, the school stuff consists of quizzes, tests, reading, discussion forum posts, written assignments, doing an online dissection, watching a power point, and then using the multimedia animation. Then, I do the labs taking photos at each step, compile a "lab report" according to the teacher's instructions (usually about 15-20 pages) and send it through the class drop box. The classes are crazy amounts of work- seriously. Doing 2 of these this semester was too much, I won't make that mistake again. Of all the online courses I have taken, I'm finding the sciences (done this way) to be very hard. I wouldn't hesitate to take 2 lab sciences ON CAMPUS somewhere - but there is just sooo much to do on your own that I would consider busy-work.
BUT, that said, people here who CLEP are generally good self-teachers, so for you guys- I recommend it. Especially if you need only 1 or 2 science classes.
I'm happy to suggest schools that use Lab Paqs if you want online sciences w/lab for credit.