Biology is a favorite school subject for many. Then there are some of us who’ve never liked it and still don’t. If, however, you have a test coming up and you feel unprepared, stay on this page. Beginners are more than welcome. We searched the Internet and found some exciting crash course biology resources. Come feel smarter with these top picks.
What Is Biology?
If you’re a newbie at this whole biology thing, you’ll feel lost at first. There’s a lot of information and resources online that will help you. In a nutshell, biology studies the life and the changes that affect all living things. Earth, its people, animals, and plants aren’t the only subjects of study. Biology extends to all the planets in our Universe. Cells play an important role in the study of biology.
You’re now familiarized with the notion of “biology”. How about we show you some useful crash courses and resources next? They’ll all provide valuable skills and make the subject more fun and easier to digest.
Khan Academy
The Khan Academy is one of the most popular online learning platforms. They’re aimed at all ages and each of the lessons is personalized. Apart from biology, there are many other subjects to get lost into:
- science;
- arts and humanities;
- math;
- economics and finance;
- computing.
They also offer preparation for tests such as SAT, GMAT, IIT JEE, and many more. Coming back to biology: you have a wealth of methods to learn it. Your teacher’s name is Hank Green. He’s more than glad to introduce you to this fascinating subject. The topics he covers are:
- photosynthesis;
- systems;
- animals;
- taxonomy;
- plants;
- biological molecules;
- ecology;
- anatomy;
- evolution.
There are 40 videos in total, each with Hank’s personal input. He tells you everything you need to know about the topics above. None of the videos is longer than 15 minutes. The Academy is present on YouTube with a dedicated channel. If you subscribe, you’ll get access to great videos as soon as they’re posted.
AP Biology Crash Course
If you prefer your crash course biology resources other than online, this book is the way to go. It’s perfect for students who want to ace their Advanced Placement Biology exams and AP Biology text questions. This valuable resource is the work of an AP teacher. His name is Michael S’Alessio.
If you want to get a high score on your AP Biology tests, we recommend this crash course biology book. It comes with an online Advanced Placement crash course you can download on your Kindle. The price of the book on Amazon is $13.54 for the paperback edition and $11.99 for Kindle.
Barron’s AP Biology
We’ll stick to books for now and recommend another resource: Barron’s AP biology. The paperback edition is $10.68. If you want to download it on an eBook, the price is $12.18.
The subjects covered are:
- cells;
- human physiology;
- evolution;
- animal behavior;
- plants;
- photosynthesis;
- cell division (mitosis);
- biochemistry;
- ecology;
- animal reproduction and development
and much more. At the end of each chapter, you’ll find a list of model tests. Check what you’ve learned by completing them. Take your time, don’t rush through them.
Barron’s AP Biology Flash Cards
Flash cards are a good idea if you like to memorize different facts. Barron’s AP flash cards are perfect for your biology needs. They cost $16.84 and you get 500 of them covering 20 categories. Some of them are molecular genetics, hormones, photosynthesis, and immunology.
The most important phrases and words are in italics or bold. That way you’ll know what to repeat several times and what you’ve already memorized.
UC Berkeley
If you’ve already tried the resources above but you want an academic approach, UC Berkeley has a YouTube channel. It covers different subjects, biology included. Learning the basics and then expanding on them will appeal to those who want a different teaching method.
Subscribe to the university’s channel and get introduced to the world of biology. There are 93 videos in total and they’re all free. By the end of it, you’ll know all there is to know on the subject.
We have other online resources you should also check out.
MIT Open Courseware
Another university from the U.S. offers biology online classes translated into different languages. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one such example. To find your favorite course, all you need to do is use the Course Finder.
If you click on Science, you’ll find Biology at the top of the Sub-Topic option. Click again and select, from Specialty, what you want to learn. Here are some of the categories: ecology, biochemistry, stem cells, and cell biology. Let’s say you chose ecology.
There are 11 courses. They teach you things like “Introduction to Environmental History” and “Nature, Environment, and Empire”. Choose the latter, then click View Course. The classes are aimed at graduates and there’s a version in Chinese (Traditional) for students from Asia.
Cell & Molecular Biology Online
The website provides links to crash courses that are ideal for beginners, students, and teachers. Cell & Molecular Biology Online has 15 general resources for biology lovers. They range from fun posts for kids to the latest science research news. Biozone, for example, has a vast collection covering all areas of biology. You’ll learn about animal biology, cell biology, ecology, and so on.
Petersons
Yet another crash course biology resource for people looking for university-level biology classes. To make things easy, go to the Search field, type Biology, click Enter, and wait. You’ll be redirected to a page that lists 1876 colleges offering biology courses.
Take your time and see what each of them is all about. The first three top schools are the College of Saint Elizabeth, the University of Maine at Machias, and the Ave Maria University. If you’re from the U.S., these options are your best pick. They’re located in New Jersey, Maine, and Florida. Crash course biology in the comfort of your home!
The Biology Corner
This is one of those websites that you want to use again and again. Information is presented in a friendly manner for both students and teachers. Biology is taught via a multitude of lessons. When you’re done with one of them or all, test yourself. For that, make sure you use the site’s web quests and quizzes.
If you have a biology test soon, this online resource is more than glad to help. Try their advanced placement tests and brush up on your biology. To find what you’re interested in, look on the right side called Worksheets. You’ll see topics called Anatomy (Dissections), Cells, Plants, and other interesting subjects. Click on one of them, wait a bit, then explore the lessons. Each post has detailed photos to make learning easier.
The Biology Project
Founded by the University of Arizona, the website is an interactive way to study biology. Topics are cell biology, CHH, Human Biology, and Immunology.
We hope our 11 crash course biology resources prove helpful. No matter if you’re in high school or college, these online lessons are a great way to learn useful facts. You’ll feel smarter and ready to face those looming biology placement tests.
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