CBC’s Immersive Organic Chemistry Labs - Recognized by Forbes 

The University of Arizona was ranked #1 for “best experiential learning opportunities” by Forbes Advisor Best Online Biology Program 2025.

According to Forbes Advisor, the reason for the selection is: "The online B.S. in biology from the University of Arizona is the most hands-on and immersive program among the top 10 schools. While students complete the majority of their coursework online, there are two organic chemistry lab courses that feature three-and-a-half days on campus per lab. During these immersions, learners get firsthand experience handling sensitive materials and conducting chemical experiments.” 

The Organic Immersion Lab, or OIL, was developed in 2021 to offer organic laboratory experiences for students in the AZOnline biology degree program. Organic chemistry experiments must be performed in a lab environment due to the nature of some of the chemicals involved. The challenge, of course, is that online students are not available to spend 15 or even five weeks on campus to complete these classes.  

In 2021, Dr. Colleen Kelley and Dr. Dee Belle-Oudry consulted with the faculty at ASU to learn about their intensive summer organic lab program, which has been very successful and filled the needs of their large population of online students. The resulting OIL program that Dr. Kelley developed is a one-week intensive organic chemistry lab sequence (243a & 243b). The program has been well received by the students and enrollment has grown by a factor of 10 in the past four years.