Introduction to Biology Lab

Course Content from eScience Labs

Course Number: BIO101L

Download Course Syllabus

Overall Rating
Content Rating

This lab-only course is designed as a standalone addition to StraighterLine's Introduction to Biology course. Students will complete at home laboratory experiments, track and record results and take lab-based assessments to meet the lab requirement. The labs are provided by eScience Labs, a leading provider of at home lab kits and supplemental online materials. This course will give the student a solid foundation for further study into laboratory sciences.

Information about the required lab kit is available in the "Course Text" tab below.

college credits

Self Paced

Science

Overall Rating
Content Rating

10/31/14 by emjoyt

Really the only good thing about this course is that it will save you money. The lab is difficult to understand and will take more time to complete because there is no instructor to ask questions. There is a lot of self-teaching happening if you decide to take this lab.

Content Rating	40 100
Overall Rating	40 100

10/31/14 by emjoyt

Content Rating	40 100
Overall Rating	40 100

10/28/14 by bcmeyer555

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	100 100

10/28/14 by bcmeyer555

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	100 100

10/27/14 by dmj750

Content Rating	60 100
Overall Rating	60 100

10/27/14 by dmj750

Content Rating	60 100
Overall Rating	60 100

10/21/14 by nate.h

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	100 100

10/21/14 by nate.h

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	100 100

10/5/14 by espiritg

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	100 100

10/5/14 by espiritg

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	100 100

9/3/14 by dlmeena

The course was very straight-forward. The Lab kit contained everything that was needed and was very interesting to use.

Content Rating	80 100
Overall Rating	80 100

9/3/14 by dlmeena

The course was very straight-forward. The Lab kit contained everything that was needed and was very interesting to use.

Content Rating	80 100
Overall Rating	80 100

9/1/14 by betancourtfamily6

Relatively simple lab to accompany the Intro to Bio course

Content Rating	60 100
Overall Rating	60 100

9/1/14 by betancourtfamily6

Relatively simple lab to accompany the Intro to Bio course

Content Rating	60 100
Overall Rating	60 100

8/23/14 by rbguerrero

Great class learned a lot.

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	100 100

8/23/14 by rbguerrero

Great class learned a lot.

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	100 100

8/22/14 by emily.m

Helpful to get lab out of the way however needs more structure.

Content Rating	60 100
Overall Rating	80 100

8/22/14 by emily.m

Helpful to get lab out of the way however needs more structure.

Content Rating	60 100
Overall Rating	80 100

8/19/14 by samsowa2004

It was great. I will grade 10 out of 10

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	100 100

8/19/14 by samsowa2004

It was great. I will grade 10 out of 10

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	100 100

8/6/14 by mikeandmikes4

Great course- Lab materials are very organized and easy to use.

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	100 100

8/6/14 by mikeandmikes4

Great course- Lab materials are very organized and easy to use.

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	100 100

7/21/14 by bmatthews674

This course was a great way for me to learn how to conduct scientific experiments without me having to leave home.

Content Rating	80 100
Overall Rating	80 100

7/21/14 by bmatthews674

This course was a great way for me to learn how to conduct scientific experiments without me having to leave home.

Content Rating	80 100
Overall Rating	80 100

6/17/14 by jacob.ressel

The lab was fun and informative. Although, taking the lab only portion was difficult, because some of the knowledge tested on was not provided in the lab only.

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	80 100

6/17/14 by jacob.ressel

The lab was fun and informative. Although, taking the lab only portion was difficult, because some of the knowledge tested on was not provided in the lab only.

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	80 100

6/3/14 by Kristinad.a

The course was simple but not to simple and was easy to finish in a short amount of time.

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	100 100

6/3/14 by Kristinad.a

The course was simple but not to simple and was easy to finish in a short amount of time.

Content Rating	100 100
Overall Rating	100 100

11/25/12 by toddhinderman

Easy to understand and straightforward
11/12/12 by alucas

I did enjoy the tests layout. The length gave me plenty of time to think through each questions.
11/9/12 by meredith_ben

I enjoyed being able to go at my own pace.
11/1/12 by moka.mouse15

I enjoyed the hands-on lab experiments. They were interesting and examples of real-life applications of the acquired information.
10/31/12 by Dori M.

I enjoyed the lab experiments
10/16/12 by daniels.paola

I like the flexibility.
10/9/12 by melody.board

I liked being able to go at my own pace because some topics were difficult for me and required more time while others were easy and I could complete them quickly.
9/12/12 by alwilliford

I liked reading the book.
It explained more than the tutorials
8/29/12 by mellysmelly7

I liked that I could take the class at my own pace.
8/6/12 by gbyrum

I liked that the pace was up to me. My work schedule is inconsistent, so I had to work on the class whenever I had the chance.
6/10/12 by edwardvillaros

I liked the lab exams because of how the questions and test was laid out
6/9/12 by kylehausam

I liked the lab portion. Very interesting. You not only get to read about how things work but also get to see how they work and grow.
6/9/12 by dfdff79

I liked the labs
6/8/12 by marilynplummer

I liked the labs
6/8/12 by johanna.hilfiker

I liked the labs
5/29/12 by robert_goff1

I liked the lessons definately helped understand what would be on the exam
5/27/12 by benjamin.bolognini

I liked the My Grades tab because I can track my success. I did not like how the grade showed
3/22/12 by jmkiser33

I think the exams and the new timer that was put in were a nice touch. That web site structure is easy to move around in. The format of classes as an individual pace is great.
3/20/12 by lukejohn58

I thought the book was easy to understand
2/28/12 by raymonddmanley

Labs were fun
2/19/12 by dadurbano

Self paced work allowed me to manage my work and home life
2/8/12 by sharitaoneal

The checklist really helped. I am a visual learner so seeing what I needed to do helped alot. I didn't think I was really into Science but taking this course has really changed my mind. I found myself thinking about what I was learning ALL the time. The text was an excellent choice!
1/23/12 by Donny702

The labs were actually pretty interesting.
1/22/12 by zfgameguy

The labs were the best part of the course. They were interesting and fun.
1/22/12 by sarahelizabethhostetler

The labs were the most interesting because they were hands on.
1/15/12 by brownz1097

The online flexibility and online exams made it easy to complete the course at my own pace, and eliminated the inconvenience of scheduling and traveling to find a suitable exam proctor.
1/6/12 by tdean

the reviews helped on tests
11/14/11 by kdjanuary
11/14/11 by yha228
11/13/11 by josefinaly
11/13/11 by josefinaly
11/12/11 by atsou001
11/12/11 by breed1990
11/11/11 by bumblebeesew
11/11/11 by cpowers1831
11/11/11 by cppaddock
11/10/11 by daniel_holland
11/10/11 by foozbasha
11/9/11 by froggimom
11/9/11 by jonathan-straigherline
11/8/11 by ltate10
11/8/11 by mrskaterprep68
11/8/11 by rich_beasley
11/7/11 by sumershine7
11/7/11 by anonymous

Course Objectives

After completing this course students will have,

Learn how work to safely in the laboratory
Understand how to make testable observations and hypotheses
Explore key concepts in biology
clearly define and relate all aspects of the cell cycle
understand and describe each structure of the cell and their roles
Explore photosynthesis
Understand Mendelian genetics
Discuss heredity and mutation
Have an understanding of the Ecology of organisms
Understand mutation.

Topics	Title	Objectives
1	Introduction to Science	Apply the scientific method, including making observations, developing hypotheses, identifying variables and controls, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions Use calculations and measurements to connect percent error, significant figures, conversions, accuracy and precision to scientific reasoning Summarize how to write and format a lab report
2	Lab: Cell Structure & Function	Apply Cell Theory Compare and contrast the structure and function of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells Identify eukaryotes and prokaryotes based on their cellular structure
3	Lab: Ecology of Organisms	Define ecology as interactions amongst organisms and their environment Analyze the effects of abiotic and biotic factors in an ecosystem Assess how generalists and specialists define their habitat tolerance
4	Lab: Energy and Photosynthesis	Identify the four principles of a chloroplast: thylakoids, grana, lamella,and stroma Use photosynthesis to explain how the sun affects all organisms Compare and contrast the light-dependent and light-independent reactions that occur during photosynthesis
5	Lab: Mitosis	Relate DNA to genes, alleles and chromosomes Identify chromosomal structures during the various stages of the cell cycle including chromatin, sister chromatids, homologous chromosomes, and centromeres Compare and contrast animal and plant mitosis Apply the concept of ploidy to the human species Explain the role of parent and daughter cells in cell cycle division
6	Lab: DNA and RNA	Compare and contrast the structure and function of DNA and RNA Connect nucleotides, amino acids and proteins to the central dogma of the genetic code Explain and perform a DNA extraction
7	Lab: Mendelian Genetics	Explain how Mendel’s work formed the foundation of modern genetics including the law of segregation and the law of independent assortment Relate genes to homozygous, heterozygous, dominant alleles, recessive alleles, genotype and phenotype Use monohybrid and dihybrid crosses to analyze patterns of inheritance including dominance, incomplete dominance and co-dominance
8	Lab: Population Genetics	Explain how genetic drift, the founder effect, mutations and natural selection affect a population’s gene pool Use the Hardy-Weinberg equation to calculate gene frequencies within a population Analyze the effects of stochastic events on genetic variation and frequency in the gene pool

Course Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites to take Introduction to Biology with Lab, however it's recommended that the student has completed Introduction to Biology or its equivalent within the past 6 months.

This course utilizes custom lab kit from eScience Labs which costs $81.61 plus shipping. Click the kit code [kit1585] to purchase from eScience Labs. Purchasing the correct kit is essential to your success in the course.

NOTE - This course is now utilizing an updated kit from eScienceLabs, so please be sure to have purchased kit1585 to ensure proper alignment between your lab materials and the course content.

In order to save money for our students we have worked with ESL to eliminate certain household items which added to a much higher cost of standard kit. You will need to furnish the items below to complete the labs. Each item can be found at most grocery stores or in your pantry. Download the list.

Lab 2:

Aluminum foil
4 gelatin packets (unflavored)
Bowl
2 resealable bags (clear)
Household items that can represent cell structures (please see the course for examples)

Lab 3:

Paper towels
Scissors
Sunny location
Water

Lab 4:

Cutting board
Kitchen knife
Light source
Pencil
Quarter
Scissors
Spinach leaves (fresh)
Tape
Water

Lab 6

Pen or pencil
Scissors
Ethanol (must freeze for at least 60 minutes)

Lab 8

Access to a printer

StraighterLine provides a percentage score and letter grade for each course. A passing percentage is 70% or higher.

If you have chosen a Partner College to award credit for this course, your final grade will be based upon that college's grading scale. Only passing scores will be considered by Partner Colleges for an award of credit.

There are a total of 500 points in the course*:

Topic	Assessment	Points
	Lab Kit Code Assignment	40
1	Introduction to Science + Lab exam: Introduction to Science	85 + 35
2	Cell Structure and Function + Lab exam: Cell Structure and Function	85 + 35
3	Ecology of Organisms + Lab exam: Ecology of Organisms	85 + 35
4	Energy and Photosynthesis + Lab exam: Energy and Photosynthesis	85 + 35
5	Mitosis + Lab exam: Mitosis	85 + 35
6	DNA and RNA + Lab exam: DNA and RNA	85 + 35
7	Mendelian Genetics + Lab exam: Mendelian Genetics	85 + 35
8	Population Genetics + Lab exam: Population Genetics	85 + 35
Total		1000

*Please note that not every piece of the lab will carry a grade but any required materials (as reflected in lab instructions must be completed to be eligible for a transcript. Uploads required include lab exercises (Word documents) and digital photographs of laboratory exercises. If these files are not submitted StraighterLine will not be able to provide students a final grade.

Information about the required lab kit is available in the "Course Text" tab below.

Create your own custom Introduction to Biology Lab ! Select up to courses from the list below.

Online Course*: Introduction to Biology Lab +$49.00
Tutoring (included)*: Tutoring +$0.00

Subtotal
$49.00