- Joined
- May 27, 2023
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 5
Hello, wanted to post a review for a course I took at Doane as part of a DIY postbacc. I used a few such threads to actually decide to try Doane out so I wanted to pay it forward.
tl;dr: 7/10. The A was easily attainable given time, the exams and quizzes were very doable and allowed open notes (no outside resources though), and the instructor was friendly and available for answering questions.
I took PHYS 201 through Doane's Open Learning Academy which is online, 8-weeks, non-self-paced. This is the Calc-based general physics 1 (kinematics, rotational motion, thermo, fluids). The class is here.
As a non-trad who has not taken any math since Calc 3 in 2014, it took a bit to un-rust. Honestly this one despite being calc-based was not too crazy; the most calculus we did was some fairly simple derivatives and integrals, and we used the chain rule once or twice. I know that calc-based isn't a requirement for most med schools but I've been going on this journey with the intention on truly learning and understanding the courses I take and trying not to see any class as "just" a pre-req. I will say, Physics was the hardest for me out of all of the other sciences I have done, purely because the problems can be really hard to grok - especially the larger rotational motion problems with beams leaning against walls which then lean against a crane, etc.
The course was 8 weeks long with each week being fairly independent material. Deadlines were flexible but you did have to complete the entire 8 week course by the end. There was one quiz weekly (open note and book, but no outside resources) which was untimed, as well as homework via the ExpertTA platform which you can get 100% on as you get unlimited attempts per problem. I will be honest, this homework took a good bit of time and was very nit picky in terms of accepting answers at times.
The labs were once a week as well, all in the format of doing a lab report, graphing some data gathered using household items, and took around 2 hours each +/-. There was a weekly discussion requirement in which you either answer other folks' questions, or ask your own including showing your work.
The instructor, Shawn Langan, was very nice and approachable the few times we chatted. He also recorded some videos that helped supplement the course, although there were no "lectures" in the traditional sense.
I would overall recommend this course to anyone that has lots of time to keep up with it, you can absolutely get the A and come out of it with more physics knowledge. If you do not know ANY physics and perhaps are weak in algebra and basic calculus, I would recommend something with a bit more hands on instruction and direct help, as there were certain weeks (especially rotational motion / torque) that felt extremely hard to understand on my own.
Hope this helps someone who is considering taking the class! Feel free to reply or reach out with any questions.
tl;dr: 7/10. The A was easily attainable given time, the exams and quizzes were very doable and allowed open notes (no outside resources though), and the instructor was friendly and available for answering questions.
I took PHYS 201 through Doane's Open Learning Academy which is online, 8-weeks, non-self-paced. This is the Calc-based general physics 1 (kinematics, rotational motion, thermo, fluids). The class is here.
As a non-trad who has not taken any math since Calc 3 in 2014, it took a bit to un-rust. Honestly this one despite being calc-based was not too crazy; the most calculus we did was some fairly simple derivatives and integrals, and we used the chain rule once or twice. I know that calc-based isn't a requirement for most med schools but I've been going on this journey with the intention on truly learning and understanding the courses I take and trying not to see any class as "just" a pre-req. I will say, Physics was the hardest for me out of all of the other sciences I have done, purely because the problems can be really hard to grok - especially the larger rotational motion problems with beams leaning against walls which then lean against a crane, etc.
The course was 8 weeks long with each week being fairly independent material. Deadlines were flexible but you did have to complete the entire 8 week course by the end. There was one quiz weekly (open note and book, but no outside resources) which was untimed, as well as homework via the ExpertTA platform which you can get 100% on as you get unlimited attempts per problem. I will be honest, this homework took a good bit of time and was very nit picky in terms of accepting answers at times.
The labs were once a week as well, all in the format of doing a lab report, graphing some data gathered using household items, and took around 2 hours each +/-. There was a weekly discussion requirement in which you either answer other folks' questions, or ask your own including showing your work.
The instructor, Shawn Langan, was very nice and approachable the few times we chatted. He also recorded some videos that helped supplement the course, although there were no "lectures" in the traditional sense.
I would overall recommend this course to anyone that has lots of time to keep up with it, you can absolutely get the A and come out of it with more physics knowledge. If you do not know ANY physics and perhaps are weak in algebra and basic calculus, I would recommend something with a bit more hands on instruction and direct help, as there were certain weeks (especially rotational motion / torque) that felt extremely hard to understand on my own.
Hope this helps someone who is considering taking the class! Feel free to reply or reach out with any questions.