Below is a list of frequently asked questions that students tend to find helpful when deciding if the
hybrid course is a good fit for their learning style.

Who should be taking this course?

This course is intended for those students that are enrolled or intending to enroll in Massasoit’s Allied Health program, an exercise physiology program, or a program affiliated with another health-related field. Students who plan on transferring to a four-year institution should be aware that this class may not fulfill requirements for a biology major at another school and should check with the school at which they are interested in applying.

This class is NOT intended for students wishing to complete their Massasoit requirement for either a lab science or a science elective. Such students are welcome to take this class (provided they meet the prerequisites), but will find that the material and out-of-class work is significantly more advanced than their previous science courses.

How does a hybrid course work?

A hybrid course is a type of online course that includes face-to-face meetings with the instructor. We’ll have ten onsite meetings that we’ll use for exams and lab activities. You’ll be responsible for learning all of the lecture material on your own at home, using the textbook and the resources I give you.

Will the onsite meetings really last three hours?

Not always. This semester, I’ve opted to have more onsite meetings with fewer activities scheduled for each one. For example, your first Lecture Exam is on March 4. The exam will only take an hour or so. I’ll leave the rest of the time open for you to work with the lab materials, but I won’t have anything formal scheduled for that time.

Are the onsite meetings mandatory?

Yes, as is your timely arrival.

What if I have prior engagements on some of those dates?

Then this isn’t going to work for you this semester.

Will you ever give traditional lectures during the onsite meetings?

Typically, no. I give a mini-lecture on the eye and ear structures prior to the cow eye dissection at the end of the semester, and that’s only so you have some idea how the eye and ear are organized.

What will I be doing on my end?

At the beginning of each week, you’ll visit the course website and work through the Reading Guide for that week. These Reading Guides will walk you through the material that you’re responsible for in the textbook. They include lists of vocabulary words that you should know, important figures from the textbook and online activities that you can complete. You’ll also take a short quiz on that week’s material. The quizzes are taken online and they must be completed by Monday of the following week. (Example: Let’s say that you log on to the website on a Sunday, Jan. 1 and work through that week’s Reading Guide on the skeletal system. You’ll have until 9:00 a.m. Monday morning of the next week (Jan. 9) to take quiz on the skeletal system.)

Does the content of the hybrid course differ from the regular day course?

With the exception of the Weekly Quizzes that you will take, no – all course work, including exams and labs, are identical.

Will all of our assignments be completed online?

No, only the Weekly Quizzes will be online. All other assignments will be regular paper assignments that will be turned in for a grade. Lots of students use these assignments to study for exams, and it’s easier to study from a hard copy. (Plus: they’re easier for me to grade and for you to see what your mistakes were.)

When will these paper assignments be due?

All assignments are due at onsite meetings. See the Course Calendar or syllabus for exact dates.

In general, are students who come out of a hybrid A&P1 ready for A&P2? How do they compare to typical day students?

The students who do well in my hybrid courses (A’s and high B+’s) are typically stronger than my day students, due to the fact that they usually have at least some college experience at a four-year school. In addition, they have the study skills and discipline needed to overcome the difficulty that comes with not hearing lectures on a regular basis. Every semester, I have 4-8 of these students and they routinely outperform the majority of my day students on both homework assignments and exams. These students are well prepared for A&P2 and typically do very well in that course.

What makes a good online student?

In my experience, my strongest students have the following characteristics:
  • They’ve had some four-year college experience
  • They’re usually a little bit older (30s-40s) than the average college student
  • They’re settled in a career (but are contemplating changing to a new one)
  • They understand the realities of the job market, and they know what they need to do to make themselves competitive
  • They’re comfortable reading a college level textbook
  • They have relatively large blocks of time that they can devote solely to this course (stay-at-home moms and dads, or people who work night-shifts, for example)
  • They aren’t overloaded with courses
  • They frequently e-mail me with questions about the material
  • They take their quizzes well before they are due and they pass in assignments early
  • They’re always in the lab on their own time, studying lab materials
  • They can write very well.
You might think that those are pretty high standards to meet, but there is always a handful of these students each semester, and they do very well (and impress me to no end!).

If there are 4-8 good students in each class, what happens to the others?

The others either:
  1. drop the course after the first week;
  2. withdraw;
  3. stop coming; or
  4. struggle with the material and end up with a D or an F.

Those students won’t meet the prerequisite for A&P2 and don’t continue on.

So there will be noticeably fewer students at the end of the semester?

Absolutely.

How will you know if we’re keeping up with the material?

As long as you’re taking the Weekly Quizzes and passing in assignments, I won’t. But, to be honest, it’s not my problem if you fall behind – it’s yours. Remember: blowing off a week in a hybrid course is like skipping a week of class. In my experience, once someone misses a week of class, it’s usually the beginning of his/her slide towards a bad grade. You’ll be responsible for policing yourself.

What’s your policy on accepting late assignments?

I don’t accept late quizzes. You have over a week to take them, and you don’t have to finish the quiz in one sitting, so there’s no excuse for not completing them. If you are late passing in a paper assignment, you have until Friday of the week that it’s due to get it to me. I accept paper assignments by regular mail and fax, if that’s easier than coming in yourself. You can also scan in the pages and e-mail them to me. I'll print them on my end.

What’s your policy on make-up exams?

The faculty in the Biology Department have a policy of no make-ups on lecture exams. If you miss a lecture exam, I will use points from your Final Exam score in place of one zero.

When is our Final Exam?

In the past, I've just followed the Final Exam schedule posted by the Registrar. Recently, though, hybrid students have preferred to come at our normal onsite meeting time during the week of finals. Therefore, this semester, I've taken it upon myself to schedule our Final Exam for 3:30 p.m. on May 13.

I don’t have regular access to a computer. Not a problem, right?

Of course that’s a problem. This is an online course. If you don’t have a computer that you can use regularly or you’re not comfortable with computers, you’re in for a rough semester.

What should I do if I seriously fall behind or become overwhelmed?

This happens every semester. There’s always someone who either experiences a family crisis or gets in over his/her head. My advice is always the same: drop the course. The last day to withdraw from courses is April 4. Please keep this date in mind; I can’t do anything for you after that date.

If I have trouble in the hybrid course, can I switch to a day class?

You’re welcome to change into a day class up through January 26, 2009 (the last day of add/drop). After that, you’re locked into the hybrid class. Between January 27 and April 4, your only option is to withdraw. After April 4, you’re stuck.

I can’t withdraw. I need to be enrolled full-time for financial aid/insurance reasons.

Then taking a class like this is going to be a significant risk.

I’m automatically withdrawn from the course if I stop coming, right?

Wrong! As long as you’re on my class list, you’ll get a grade. If you stop coming, please withdraw. Otherwise, you’ll get an F.

I really want to get into the nursing/rad tech program at Massasoit. Should I try to take this class as a hybrid?

If you’re an excellent, motivated student, you should do fine. In my experience, students get either A’s or F’s when they take this class as a hybrid. The students who get A’s are only taking one or two classes per semester, they usually have Bachelor’s degrees from a four-year school, and they are very comfortable reading and learning from a college-level textbook. They also have large blocks of time to dedicate to the course material. The students who get F’s are usually the students who struggled through Biological Principles, are taking too many classes, and get bogged down in the material, either due to an insufficient background in biology or because they procrastinate.

The Allied Health programs at Massasoit only accept exceptional students. Part of being a successful college student is making strategic decisions about what’s best for you and for your transcript. Only you know if you’ve got what it takes to succeed in a class like this. Be honest with yourself.

Is taking A&P1 as a hybrid course a good idea?

I’m undecided on this. I think colleges will be offering more courses in this format in the future, so it’s probably a good idea that we as educators become comfortable with them. Traditional face-to-face courses can accommodate a variety of learning styles; hybrid courses only work for students who can learn for themselves out of a textbook.

Would you take a class like this as a hybrid?

No, because I learn best in a social environment and I need to hear someone describe a concept out loud to wrap my brain around it. I also procrastinate and I have the attention span of a toddler. I would be a terrible online student. I’m always amazed by and have tremendous respect for the students who do well in this class.



If you're still undecided, the Office of E-Learning has a short quiz you can take to see
if your learning style is compatible with an online/hybrid course.