As a second year Bachelor of Science student, Jenny Jung needs a strong scientific foundation to excel in her General Science Major. By taking BIOL 200: Cell Biology she has gained a firm understanding of how cells work and interact while applying this information in a practical and relevant way.
When considering the complex and intricate nature of Biology, you may be thinking, ‘How can one effectively learn such concepts via an online format?’ The online version of this course is multi-faceted and interactive, providing Jenny and her peers with diverse avenues for learning and applying their coursework. “We had fun team assignments where you are a part of a team investigating cellular basis of deafness in a village of Ghorka. All these team assignments had intricate scenarios where you really have fun finding causes of illness while studying cell biology.” BIOL 200 also employs online lecture notes, thought provoking discussion questions, resource pages with useful websites (including fun cell biology games) and of course, written assignments. By utilizing these multiple avenues, Jenny enjoyed learning about genetics, cell cycles and the cellular level of biological processes in BIOL 200. For her, BIOL 200, “was not at all about just memorizing. I learned to go beyond simply reading the text and [began to think] critically.”
BIOL 200 was Jenny’s first time taking a distance course and initially she was “sceptical and even nervous about an online course.” She opted for the online format because she has “had some difficulties going to lectures as a student with [a] disability and thought it would be beneficial to try an online course.” Jenny admits her scepticism faded quickly as she discovered what BIOL 200 offered. Numerous resources, diverse activities, and a high level of interaction between her and her peers, and her instructor, have won over Jenny to the advantages of distance courses. “The responses from the instructor…and peers were almost immediate and really helpful. Everybody helped each other out and no question was a bad question. I was amazed by the level of interaction in this online course and I never felt so comfortable asking questions.”
Jenny highlights one of the benefits she noticed while participating in this online course. In her on-campuses courses, Jenny often finds it difficult to cut “through the crowd and ask a question to the instructor. [Even though] they have TAs and resource centres…[taking] the time to go to ask a single question is not easy.” In BIOL 200 Jenny found it very easy ask questions in her course. She “simply [clicked] and typed a question” on the discussion board and was met rapidly with responses from her peers and her instructor. Notes Jenny, “the immediate feedback and help [led] me to dig deeper into the discussion questions. A lot of the questions were based on famous classical studies and sometimes just really difficult to understand. I would normally panic, but with the interactive system, I could advance further.”
This collaborative value of online courses provides different perspectives, posting of additional resources, and quick discussions. In Jenny’s course, her instructor sought to ensure individual critical understanding; so, instead of posting answers, he would “chip in with a hint to let [students think for themselves] and find the right direction” to the answer. Jenny found that online courses allowed her to ask questions, discover alternative understandings of difficult concepts, develop critical thinking skills, and of course, get rid of that pesky commute to campus.
Distance learning has confirmed Jenny’s academic ambitions and provided her with the necessary foundation she needs to meet these demands. The “Biology 200 online [course] was an eye opening experience… It gave me confidence that I could understand something that I never thought I was capable of. I want to get into the Bachelor of Science Psychology program and this course gave me a solid foundation to start my journey.”