05-06-2010, 11:00 AM
I havenât taken A & P, but I did take a microbiology class with a virtual lab through my local community college last year. We used a program from VUMicro. The program came with a lab manual (PDF), which I printed out and used during the labs. After an initial tutorial and a tour of the virtual lab, the software allowed me to start working on lab exercises.
The lab was stocked with everything- equipment, bacterial strains, media for cultures, and biohazard dispensers. There were four main components: retrieving an unknown agent, performing biochemical tests, identifying bacterium, and interpreting results. I had to go through all of the various steps as if I were really doing it, like selecting media, choosing tools (such as Durham tubes, pipettes, loops, etc.), and then perform aseptic transfer techniques for a wet lab. These were done using the mouse/cursor- point and click, drag object, and so on. For example, I had to ignite the burner, remove caps, flame the loop, dip the loop into inoculum & sterile broth, place in incubator, etc. If I missed a step or took too long during the process, the program would let me know that contamination had occurred, and I'd have to start over. Once the lab was complete, I could view the results, including gram stains, microbial growth patterns, media turbidity, and video of bacterial motility.
Overall, I thought it was a really fun program. The labs were challenging - it took me about 3 hours to finish each one. Once I had completed them, the program generated a report that was sent to my professor. I wasnât sure what to expect before I started the class, so I was pleasantly surprised with the results.
Pros: Done at home on my own schedule. All of the steps for culturing were performed. The incubation time was instant, so no waiting for days for a culture to grow. Very inexpensive method.
Cons: You don't get the hands-on experience (obviously!). This includes experience with various microscopes and slide preparation techniques. There is a lot of prep work that goes into staining that I didnât get to practice.
Hope this helps!
The lab was stocked with everything- equipment, bacterial strains, media for cultures, and biohazard dispensers. There were four main components: retrieving an unknown agent, performing biochemical tests, identifying bacterium, and interpreting results. I had to go through all of the various steps as if I were really doing it, like selecting media, choosing tools (such as Durham tubes, pipettes, loops, etc.), and then perform aseptic transfer techniques for a wet lab. These were done using the mouse/cursor- point and click, drag object, and so on. For example, I had to ignite the burner, remove caps, flame the loop, dip the loop into inoculum & sterile broth, place in incubator, etc. If I missed a step or took too long during the process, the program would let me know that contamination had occurred, and I'd have to start over. Once the lab was complete, I could view the results, including gram stains, microbial growth patterns, media turbidity, and video of bacterial motility.
Overall, I thought it was a really fun program. The labs were challenging - it took me about 3 hours to finish each one. Once I had completed them, the program generated a report that was sent to my professor. I wasnât sure what to expect before I started the class, so I was pleasantly surprised with the results.
Pros: Done at home on my own schedule. All of the steps for culturing were performed. The incubation time was instant, so no waiting for days for a culture to grow. Very inexpensive method.
Cons: You don't get the hands-on experience (obviously!). This includes experience with various microscopes and slide preparation techniques. There is a lot of prep work that goes into staining that I didnât get to practice.
Hope this helps!
[SIZE="2"][COLOR="DarkBlue"]B.S., Biology, Excelsior College
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