Introduction to Biology

Introduction to Biology

Gain a solid foundation for a career in healthcare or medicine with an understanding of biology. This course will help you learn how cells and DNA determine the structure and function of the human body which is essential to understanding the fundamental causes of human disease.
6 Weeks Access / 24 Course Hrs
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6 Weeks Access Course Code: bio
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$145.00 USD



In this lesson, you'll take an in-depth look at your cells and how they function. You'll consider why all life on Earth is based on cells. You'll take a look at the structures found in eukaryotic cells—the type of cells shared by you, other animals, plants, mushrooms, and seaweed—and explore how each structure contributes to the life of the cell as a whole. By the end of this lesson, you'll have a better understanding of how your cells work.



In Lesson 5, you'll explore the structure and function of one of the cell's most crucial parts: the plasma membrane. All life depends on this very important boundary between a cell and its environment! You'll start by examining the membrane's components and unique properties, which are perfectly suited to protecting the health and well-being of the cell. Then you'll take a look at the important jobs the membrane does for your cells, including screening materials, moving stuff in and out of the cell, and receiving messages. Finally, you'll see how materials cross the plasma membrane and why that's important to normal health. Along the way, you'll gain a better understanding of blood types, diabetes, and cystic fibrosis.



In Lesson 8, you'll look at the most important molecule of life: DNA. You'll see how the genetic blueprints in DNA determine all of your unique traits. You'll also explore DNA's structure and learn about its powerful chemical code. By the end of the lesson, you'll know what the letters A, T, G, and C mean to biologists, and you'll have a better understanding of the importance of stem cells in medical research.

In Lesson 9, you'll explore how cells divide to make new cells for growth, repair, and sexual reproduction. You'll see how cells make exact copies of themselves during mitosis in order to grow or repair damage (such as a paper cut). The lesson will walk you through the process of mitosis to show you how cells get exactly the right number and types of chromosomes. Then you'll see how a special kind of cell division called meiosis is necessary to sexual reproduction and the human life cycle.

In Lesson 10, you'll find out how parents pass traits to their offspring. You'll explore how the genetic information from both parents interacts to determine which traits appear in each generation. By the end of this lesson, you'll have a better understanding of why people in families look like each other and why there is so much diversity in human traits like skin and eye color. You'll also know more about the inheritance of some genetic diseases.

In this lesson, you'll look at how biologists are delving into the mysteries of life by reading and manipulating the genetic code. You'll take a peek at some of the new DNA technology that's helping scientists test for and treat genetic diseases, engineer organisms, and solve crimes. You'll explore some of the issues this technology presents. By the end of this lesson, you'll have a better understanding of genetic testing, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and how DNA is used in forensic science.

In the final lesson of the course, you'll investigate how normal cells turn into cancer cells. You'll look at the changes that occur in cells as the disease progresses. You'll also explore how cancer treatments work and find out what lifestyle choices you can make to lower your cancer risks. By the end of this lesson, you'll have a better understanding of the biology behind cancer, as well as the risks, prevention strategies, and treatments for this disease.



Hardware Requirements:


Software Requirements:

  • PC: Windows 8 or newer.
  • Mac: OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 or later.


  • Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.


There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Instructional Material Requirements:






I really enjoyed this Biology class. I thought it was going to be too difficult for me, but actually it wasn't. The course was very informative, interesting and had just enough touches of humor and real life examples so that I could understand the material. While I don't think I've grasped all of it, this will certainly be material that I will go back to for greater understanding. Thank you so much for the opportunity to learn this material and thank you to our instructor Rene, for caring enough to take an otherwise "scary" bit of material and bring it to light the way she has, in a condensed, hit the high points of the course. I'll look for another course taught by Rene and be even further enlightened!

I like the instructors analogies and how they related to the subject matter, like comparing a cell to a house. I thought the class was well thought out and presented in a logical manner. I loved the length of each class - giving you enough information to learn, but not over whelming. I enjoyed the class thoroughly.

This course was just right for me. I have read & studied a lot of biology over the years, but I wanted a simple, up-to-date review and that's what I got. Nicely written; I especially liked the analogies, they were great. The assignments were interesting and fun.

I found this course, Introduction to Biology, fascinating and a valuable update of my education of science. The instructor was excellent and responded to my questions with great depth. The span of the course is correct for its length. I hope there will be a follow-on course with a focus on plant biology and fungi.

Thank you so much for such an enjoyable class! Through your illustrations and analogies you made learning these concepts easy and fun! I really enjoyed it!

I enrolled in this Ed2Go course as a refresher of basic biology since my last biology course was during high school back in 1972. My intention is to enroll in a for-credit college level biology course/lab. This Ed2Go online biology class suited my needs perfectly. In addition, I was so fascinated by the discussion of chemistry and how it relates to biology, that I am currently enrolled in the online chemistry course! Learning is Life Long!

Thank you for all the information that you included in the course, especially for connecting theory to the everyday life, which made it easier to understand some mechanisms. I really enjoyed this course and I can actually say that I regret it's over.

Enjoyed the class, liked your way of teaching. You are making students understand the material not just simply memorize it! I did not study for a while and this was a good refresher for me.

I really enjoyed this course and felt that I learned a lot from it. I was pleased to see that the instructor used real life comparisons to help me better understand concepts. I really enjoyed this class and will enjoy using this new knowledge in my everyday life.