Written by Victoria Guzzo • July 22, 2024 • 2 min read
Table of contents
Janette’s Online Lab Experience
Janette recently completed an online Anatomy & Physiology lab course at American National University. Janette works full time and has a child to take care of but is able to attend classes online part time. Because of these responsibilities, she takes all of her classes online, which in addition to A&P include biology and medical billing & coding.
Janette had always wanted to work in the medical field and had previously served as a caregiver. However, because of physical limitations, she was unable to continue as a caregiver, but still remained passionate about being in the medical field.
The last lab course Janette took was in high school, so she felt nervous about taking an online lab and was unsure of what to expect. Still, she was excited to dig in.
“When you enjoy doing it and look forward to it, you make sure you get it done. I also like reaching out to my fellow classmates. We share tips as we’re going through the labs.”
“It was challenging to get used to things like the v-scope. But once you got it, it was a breeze afterwards, and I’m a quick learner.”
| ????Light Bulb Moment???? Janette was amazed by the quality of the hands-on kit she received. “I was excited to open my kit. I couldn’t wait to get it. When they said I was getting a skeleton…it was so cool to open it up. I couldn’t wait to dig in and see everything that was in there. The sheep heart – that was awesome! I’ve never seen something like that in person before, and I couldn’t wait to dissect that!’ |
The virtual labs were also beneficial. “The v-scope (virtual microscope) was interesting to use and allowed me to see specimens up close without needing an expensive microscope. I loved being able to identify the positions of body structures and see the nerves and muscles in detail. The v-scope was just as good as a real one!”
In the end, one of Janette’s biggest takeaways is the need for more online science courses. “Schools need to offer more classes online. I learned so much in the online lab, and some people learn better online than they do in a classroom setting because they don’t have all that distraction around them from other students.”
| My Most Memorable Lab: Blood Vessels & the Heart “Dissecting the sheep heart was my favorite hands-on lab. I loved working with the skeleton and having to label the bones. I could point out in the picture where the bones were located and was able to name them.” During this lab, students dissect a sheep heart to identify the major features of the circulatory systems and describe the flow of blood and anatomy of the heart. |
Drawing Conclusions
Like any good experiment, you work your way through the scientific method to analyze the results, reflect on your findings, and draw your conclusions so you can move forward with new knowledge and ideas.
So now that you’re at the end of your online lab course, tell us: what did you learn and what advice might you give after your experience?
To students…if you get stuck or have questions, don’t be afraid to do some research and use the internet as a resource. There’s so much information out there! Just be sure you read instructions carefully before you start experiments, and always create a space where you’re not going to be interrupted and can focus.
To instructors, I would say providing as many resources and clarity in instructions would help students, as well as realistic expectations for how long an experiment should take for students who have never taken online labs before. Encourage students to work together as needed via video. That along with instructor resources and anything that can help explain something in more relatable terms would be great, especially for students, like me, who haven’t taken a lab course in over 40 years!
