Written by Victoria Guzzo • August 12, 2024 • 2 min read
Table of contents
Krista’s Online Lab Experience
Krista recently completed an online biology lab course at American National University. As a full-time, out-of-state student balancing her studies with taking care of her 8-year old and 4-year old, Krista had never taken online courses prior to enrolling in American National.
While slightly nervous because she was unsure of what to expect, Krista felt that she would have struggled in an on-campus setting. Being able to go at her own pace was helpful, as she finds herself to be more thorough and efficient if she can work on her own without a time restriction.
| ????Light Bulb Moment???? The hands-on aspect of this lab was key for Krista, who is a hands-on learner. “When I opened the hands-on kit, I was mind blown, especially when I took out the skeleton. I wasn’t expecting it to be so large — my kids absolutely loved it! I have always been more of a hands-on learner vs someone who can just read and learn. I absorb things better if I’m doing it as I am trying to learn it.” |
For Krista, it was important to be able to walk through each step on her own. “Being able to do it from first step to last step, plus clean up and everything in between, as opposed to watching my instructor do it in class helped me gain the knowledge and skills I needed to be able to apply what I was learning to real-world scenarios.”
Krista further appreciated the support of her instructor. With tutorials and walk-throughs for how to use the virtual microscope, along with video and image resources, Krista felt more confident performing the labs.
| My Most Memorable Lab: DNA, RNA & Protein Synthesis “I enjoyed the DNA lab the most. I’ve always been interested in things related to DNA so it was really fun to learn about this in a more hands-on way.” During this lab, students collect abiotic and biotic data on weather, soil, and species composition and then interpret the relationship between habitats and observed species. |
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…Don’t let it intimidate you! There is absolutely no reason to be intimidated. It may look scary or overwhelming, but once you dig into it, it’s a breeze and a lot of fun!
To instructors…It’s important to offer labs online for students who learn better at their own pace. But they still need to have that hands-on component.
