Microbiology online courses are offered at various educational levels and differ greatly in the amount of work required for completion of the course. These courses for the study and research of microscopic organisms are also made available in a range of price and quality. When selecting an online microbiology course, you will need to take various factors into account.
If you want to minimize problems in relation to transferring the course, you should consider enrolling at a regionally accredited institution. When selecting a course, it is important to determine whether its credits will be transferable to your college. Of paramount importance is to determine whether the course will be able to meet the needs of your overall educational goals. For most students, the overarching educational goal would be to take the course so as to transfer into a health sciences program such as licensed practical nursing, registered nursing or a lab technology course.
Most programs for health sciences require that core science courses such as microbiology include a lab component. While it is not impossible to find a course offering a lab component, this is nevertheless challenging. You should also note that online courses will not include certain activities typically conducted in a microbiology lab such as culturing bacteria which, for safety purposes, is not recommended to be carried out at home.
Certain schools work around this issue by only offering the class work portion of the microbiology online course over the internet. In such a case, the student would then be required to complete the lab component at a local school, which is rather inconveniencing. Other schools offer at-home lab through the issuance of rental microscopes, as well as sending students pre-fixed slides for viewing purposes. While this would be a better option for a student who is unable to travel to their local school, it is likely to increase the costs of the course.
When selecting the right online course for your needs, you will need to evaluate the assessment methods employed by the school. Certain schools employ an online testing system that is typically timed to prevent the extensive use of other resource material. Other schools require that their students find their own proctor who will watch over them as they take the online test. However, if you don’t enjoy a lot of flexibility in your schedule, this might not be a good idea as it would add a great deal of out-of-home time that is required for the course.
Microbiology online courses should also be chosen after taking into account the number of students in the online class. A course with a large class may prove challenging for a student who requires additional assistance for their online education needs. Before enrolling in the course, be sure to also inquire from your instructor on whether they will be available by phone in addition to email. Ideally, you should be able to call your instructor with questions during regular office hours, and request them to assist you with your microbiology online course.
