Transcript ?

[Murphy101]

Do you give an additional half credit for science labs?

So say biology is 1 credit and biology w/lab is 1.5 credit?

Is this common practice or no?

 

When listing course description materials, how to you reference DVDs and the internet (for example MIT's open course ware)?

 

Thanks you! I'm hip deep in making these and I think they are coming along just fine. Way easier than I thought it would be. Time consuming, but otherwise not as hard as I thought they would be. Maybe that's because I'm always making spreadsheets for something or other.

[Cedarmom]

No, I didn't give more credit for labs I listed it as 1.00 credit. I did say Physics with labs, (or whatever the course is) because many colleges want to make sure thestudent has done labs. My friends have had colleges request samples oftheir lab work, so be sure and keep any labs your student does.

[Murphy101]

No, I didn't give more credit for labs I listed it as 1.00 credit. I did say Physics with labs, (or whatever the course is) because many colleges want to make sure thestudent has done labs. My friends have had colleges request samples oftheir lab work, so be sure and keep any labs your student does.

 

 

Thanks! I am going to keep photos and lab books as back up.

[Tardis Girl]

What kind of samples would you provide of lab work? Just curious. We actually ended up using Froguts for biology (virtual) dissections.

 

As for credits, we do stick with 1 credit but list the course title "with labs" as I have seen that on many examples.

 

Martha, are you doing anything to make the transcript look pretty at this point, or just plotting it all out?

[Murphy101]

I will not be listing virtual labs as its my limited understanding that it is not considered as qualifying for a lab designation?

 

We will be getting dirty using the dissection kits from home science tools. I plan to take pictures of the process and keep his lab notebooks.

 

I think it looks fairly nice, but I'm open to suggestions. I'm doing mine by subject instead of by semester or year blocks because we tend to school year around and I do block scheduling for some subjects. I think it's a good deal clearer and cleaner looking, IMHO. I plan to make a few fancy paper copies with seals and such when he graduates. It's my understanding that for general purposes, a plain copy paper version is not only sufficient but sometimes preferred. Other than adding more as we do more, I think I very nearly have it completely done.

 

I'm not at my computer, but if someone wants to looks at what I've got so far I could email it I guess. I have a course description and transcript. I have all of my oldest's 9th grade, some of 10th grade and projecting subjects. Neither are complete, but he is no where near complete for high school either!:)

[Ellie]

It is assumed that biology has a lab; without the lab it's just life science. I don't see a reason to give any extra credit.

[Murphy101]

Okay! No extra .5 credit for lab. I didn't think so, but then I say a sample online with it written that way and I started doubting myself.:)

[DebbS]

I will not be listing virtual labs as its my limited understanding that it is not considered as qualifying for a lab designation?

 

 

 

Last year my son took Biology from IUHS correspondence which is a state accredited high school. He was assigned virtual labs and they considered it a lab science course. Quite honestly, I do not. So this year he'll be doing real physics and chemistry labs.

 

I would go ahead and list virtual labs on a transcript in the materials used section, but I would also make sure (as you are) that your child has some real lab courses too.

[Tardis Girl]

I don't think virtual labs are ideal, in terms of the traditional experience, but there are some advantages to them and from what I've seen they are an approved form of lab. I do think the Froguts labs are much better than many other virtual labs I've seen, including some of those I know are in use in state high schools. (Not like you want a review of Froguts, but thought I'd mention it in case someone else is curious. lol)

 

But mine also did traditional chemistry labs, will be doing traditional physics labs, and will do traditional labs for AP bio as well, so I know we're covered for lab work! ;)

 

I am interested in seeing your transcript material -- will PM you!

[Murphy101]

I don't think virtual labs are ideal, in terms of the traditional experience, but there are some advantages to them and from what I've seen they are an approved form of lab. I do think the Froguts labs are much better than many other virtual labs I've seen, including some of those I know are in use in state high schools. (Not like you want a review of Froguts, but thought I'd mention it in case someone else is curious. lol)

 

But mine also did traditional chemistry labs, will be doing traditional physics labs, and will do traditional labs for AP bio as well, so I know we're covered for lab work! ;)

 

I am interested in seeing your transcript material -- will PM you!

 

Oh I don't mind reviews! I'd even like a link. :)

Other than my concern that virtual might not be considered a "real" lab, I have kids that are more hands on learning, I have all the equipment, and I have too many kids for all of them to be jockying for computer time. Other than typing in final reports and occassional research, they are almost never on the computer.

[K-FL]

I've only given dd#2 a .25 additional credit for her DE Biology I w/lab. 1st because NARS listed her 4 credit Spanish I w/Lab that way & 2nd because the 1 credit hour Lab for Biology has a separate grade from the class.

[Gwen in VA]

It is assumed that biology has a lab; without the lab it's just life science.

 

Disagree!

 

None of my kids have done or will do biology labs.

 

What we did -- My two older ones took the SAT2 in biology and received excellent scores. They also took one other science SAT2 and had great scores on one to two science AP's. No college has questioned our lack of biology labs, and I certainly do not consider my kids to have taken "life science"!

 

Many years ago I called some colleges and asked about labs. The responses varied wildly, but Case Western, Princeton, and the College of Wooster all said that they understand that homeschoolers don't have access to full labs and therefore they bear that in mind when considering hs'ers' science experiences. William & Mary insisted that the applicants should have three years of full lab at a local community college, but W&M accepted dd with only two years of home-brewed labs......

 

A friend's kids were accepted to Williams and Swarthmore and one was wait-listed at Princeton with no labs whatsoever. Her kids had SAT2 scores and AP scores in various sciences, but they did not do labs.

 

I am not advocating skipping labs, but I am saying that homeschoolers do not NEED a full three years of labs to be accepted into some pretty presitigous schools.

[distancia]

When my D was in an "A" rated FL public high school (grades 9-11 up until Dec 2009) she was enrolled in Physical Sciences and Biology. Both are indicated on her h/s transcripts as having a lab component (the school proudly claims that ALL of their science classes have lab components) and colleges are accepting them as thus.

 

In reality, neither class ever had a lab. D has never done a dissection or any experiments whatsoever.

 

So in my mind, ANY kind of lab, whether virtual or real-world, are better than what D experienced in p/s.