Doane Univeristy Biol 125 vs Portage Learning Biod 101

[Nicole4477]

Hi everybody! I'm retaking biology 1 to go increase my GPA and I'm thinking about doing it on either Doane or portage learning. All of the schools I'm applying to accept either course but I'm hoping to take the less challenging of the two haha since I am trying to get an A. Does anybody have any recent experience with of these biology courses? Are the tests proctored/are we allowed notes? 

[RazziB]

I haven't taken that specific class at either of those schools, but I have taken courses at both Portage Learning and Doane. Personally, I preferred Portage Learning and found the courses I took there to be very clear and easy to understand. The tests are done through Lockdown Browser, so you can't use notes, except for the lab exams. 

[Jennstav]

I have taken classes at both Portage and Doane. I took Bio 101 at Portage and was pretty irritated by the lockdown browser use for exams. Using the lockdown is fine, but the level of minute detail on the exams was frustrating, especially because there were few other ways to get points in the class. The final was closed book and cumulative. I studied hard and ended up with an A-. 

I switched to Doane for Bio102, hoping for a better experience. Doane uses lockdown browsers too. However, not for every test. You also have the chance to get more points through assignments, papers and discussion. That part was very helpful for me. The tests were still pretty tough and I ended up with an A. The classes are longer and not self directed.

Hope this helps you decide!

[Smtanner9]

I am taking genetics through portage. I am down to the final exam. I have an A at the moment but feel like I have a lot of anxiety for the final. The class has been very straightforward, but I do think I have had to study a lot to keep an because of the small details and a lot of short answer essay style questions. I was wondering about the format for the finals. Are there questions from previous tests or is it just like the module tests, but cumulative. Thanks so much!