Question

Hi.
I will begin the course this week. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Hi. Well, you've to start by reading all the Introductory Biology material, watch the videos and solve the activities and exams.
This is a complete course and it will help you with whatever your interest area is.

Answer 2

Thank you. I had that same idea.
My main interest is... just that, interest. Just to grab basic notions of biology. My question had more to do with any other supplementary material recommended besides the one already available, any chance to reach out to teachers if necessary, or any other tip like a specific study method.

Answer 3

Best of luck - studying biology may be difficult, but it is also very rewarding :)

Supplementary material...hm. It seems that you are just starting out? If so, you might be interested in picking up a old and cheap copy of a general biology textbook off of Amazon to supplement your learning. I recommend Campbell's and Reece Biology or Raven's General Biology but - this is most certainly not necessary, as there are plenty of online resources to guide you. I personally can't read on the computer for too long, and love having a book with no distractions to study :D

Teachers - I can't comment on real life tutors, but - you have the entire OpenStudy biology user base to choose from! If you stumble upon any difficulties, please feel free to contact me, LiliaKarina, and others, too: blues, BiomedStudent, and Calliope (just to name a few!) are all wonderful teachers who are willing to help you.

And as for study method...learning biology at first is like learning a language. And that means there is, necessarily, a good deal of memorization involved. You can use flash cards to help you, or find online tests and whatnot. But a general tip - it's much easier to study biology by understanding the why behind the concepts. Things can get boring and difficult quick if you try to memorize your way through - but if you slow down, and think about things, they tend to make sense.

Key to that last part is an understanding of natural selection and more generally, how evolution works. If you can start to wrap your mind around....what's evolutionarily favorable and what's not, you'll start to really understand the heart of biology.

Answer 4

Thank you for that!

Answer 5

Biology is a very interesting field, with lots to discover at every turn. You never know when you will bump into a fascinating fact or process. Best of luck to you, and enjoy the course above all!