How Online Learning Can Help You Understand Complex Biology Topic

By March 2020, there are 200 closed U.S. universities, and most private and public schools made a fast switch to online learning as soon as the virus spread quickly worldwide.  It's a lot of pressure for teachers, staff, and school leadership in a social and emotional environment like a pandemic.  A major education issue is teaching complex topics remotely and for students to fully understand them from home.  The question is can online learning achieve student advancement in understanding complex topics.

What Is Online Learning, and How Can You Best Take Advantage of It?

Online learning, also called e-learning, is accessible education that is open to all. Currently, 300 million students worldwide aren't able to go back to school. During these uncertain times, many reliable websites provide accessible education.  Globally, many children do not have access to traditional education. Free online education with quality teachers is a great opportunity for them.  Most students are taking classes online via Google Classroom, Cisco's WebEx, or Zoom.  They use online textbooks, watch instruction videos, and view multimedia media lessons.  Teachers can interact with their students with Zoom meetings and discussion groups, share suggested resource lists, and assign homework remotely.  Most students aren't able to meet with their teacher after class or during office hours. Subjects like biology and chemistry that need practical demos and are better explained via visualization are the hardest to manage during the lockdown. In the current scenario, an online biology homework help service can fill the gap. These online homework services connect students to tutors who help them understand complex topics including but not limited to subjects such as biology.

In General, What Are Some Experts' Approaches on How to Learn a Complex Topic?

Barbara Oakley Ph.D. recommends that students view the big picture concepts.  She coins her approach “change your brain” based on her neuroscience-based tips that create new neural pathways.  Harvard professor Jal Mehta and Science Learning Academy's humanities teacher Joshua Block promote an approach called “deep learning”.  You are vulnerable when you have to learn a new skill, like changing a tire or using a new language, but find that you must persevere. Deep learning experiences are transformative and create unforgettable memories.  Pearson is an educational publishing company who conveys excitement and accessibility in education. Their approach and technology are very interactive and easy-to-use for teachers and students.

How Can I Use These Expert Approaches, While I Need to Understand a Complex Biology Topic at Home?

Let's start with Oakley Ph.D.'s neuroscience-based approach.  Simplify your learning.  Separate your chapters into its intellectual and visual information. Be confident in your ability to learn and to master difficult subjects.  By creating new neural pathways and connections, change your brain to grasp the scientific method or how the human body works. Block and Mehta's deep learning experiences originate from your intense curiosity. You guide the journey and exploration of your transformative moments with a complex topic.  Don't make your learning passive consumption.  In deep learning, you find the problems and solve them on your own.  You ask the hard questions and find the answers.

For example, a DIY science experiment with active yeast, sugar, warm water, and all placed in a Ziploc bag will demonstrate the complex topic of cellular respiration!  Deep learning is challenging, almost vulnerable, where you are left with no other choice but to motivate yourself.  Pearson's learning approach is that students still have fun during the learning process.  For example, during a physics lesson, a student can design a toy using complex subjects like potential and kinetic energy.  Pearson offers help to educators who are transitioning to online teaching.  A science teacher's biggest challenge with remote learning is providing and observing the classes' hands-on experiments.  For biology students, teachers can upload videos of simulations, experiments, and dissections.  During your teacher's video, you will learn by explaining what you observe and take class notes.  You will apply it to the course content, and better retain key biological principles and complex topics, such as cellular respiration, enzyme activity, and osmosis.  All distance education students can use learning apps like Educreation, Whiteboard, or Quizlet.  With game-based, project-based, and other learning styles, online education will offer unlimited possibilities to you.

In conclusion, online learning can help you understand complex biology topics and it isn't going to disappear. Change your brain with new neural connections.  Create memorable and transformative deep learning experiences.  Research the infinity of resources online. By being outside, you can observe animal behavior, human impact, and plant transpiration. Outside is a 24/7 commercial-free channel where you can explore and observe the study of life – biology! Online school experiences that are being created by the pandemic will change society and education forever.