Caveat Academy course · Grades 9 to 12

Biotechnology: from DNA to medicine

A semester of biotechnology: dilute a buffer and pick the right micropipette, cut DNA with restriction enzymes and copy it a billion times with PCR, read a gel, a Sanger run and a parentage profile, paste a gene into a plasmid and edit one with CRISPR, judge a test by its sensitivity, and weigh real cases with the four principles of bioethics. Six modules at your own pace, with a check in every lesson and a certificate at the end.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the High school electives library, $119 for 66 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 13 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: What biotechnology is and how a lab works

    Classify examples of biotechnology, convert lab volumes, choose micropipettes, and compute dilutions with C1V1 = C2V2.

    • Biotechnology, old and new
    • Lab skills: volumes, pipettes and sterile technique
    • Solutions and dilutions
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Tools that cut, join and copy DNA

    Explain how restriction enzymes, ligase and PCR work, and compute fragment counts and PCR copy numbers.

    • DNA, genes and proteins
    • Restriction enzymes and ligase
    • PCR: copying DNA
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Reading DNA

    Interpret gels, Sanger sequencing reads and STR profiles, and evaluate what a DNA match does and does not show.

    • Gel electrophoresis
    • DNA sequencing
    • DNA profiles
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Genetic engineering

    Describe recombinant DNA, protein production and CRISPR editing, and compute transformation efficiency and log-phase growth.

    • Recombinant DNA and plasmids
    • Making proteins at scale
    • Editing genomes with CRISPR
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Biotechnology in medicine and farming

    Explain vaccines, diagnostic tests, gene therapy and genetically engineered crops, and compute test sensitivity and inheritance chances.

    • Vaccines, antibodies and diagnostic tests
    • Genetic testing and gene therapy
    • Biotechnology on the farm
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Ethics, industry and careers

    Evaluate biotechnology cases with the four principles of bioethics and explain the path from discovery to approved product.

    • Bioethics
    • Biotechnology in industry and the environment
    • From lab bench to product, and careers
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 3 · DNA profiles

Worked example: checking a parentage profile

  1. At one STR locus, a child has 9 and 12 repeats. The mother has 9 and 14.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · High School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished semester of biotechnology: you can convert lab volumes and make any dilution from a stock, explain how restriction enzymes, ligase and PCR work and count fragments and copies, read a gel against a ladder, a Sanger run and an STR parentage profile, describe how a gene gets into a plasmid and how CRISPR edits one, compute transformation efficiency, growth and a test's sensitivity, and argue a bioethics case with evidence. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 9 to 12 who have taken or are taking biology and want to see how DNA science becomes medicines, crops and forensic evidence; students weighing careers in health, lab science or agriculture; and homeschool families who want a full semester of applied life science. Home activities use kitchen materials only.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 13 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the High school electives library ($119) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The High School space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. OpenStax, Biology 2e, the chapters on DNA structure, biotechnology and genomics, a free college textbook: openstax.org
  2. National Human Genome Research Institute, educational fact sheets on PCR, sequencing, CRISPR and the Human Genome Project: genome.gov
  3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, on the first approved gene-editing therapies for sickle cell disease (December 2023) and the clinical trial phases: fda.gov
  4. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects (2016): nap.nationalacademies.org
  5. The Nobel Prize, Chemistry 1993 (PCR), Chemistry 2020 (CRISPR-Cas9) and Physiology or Medicine 2023 (mRNA vaccines): nobelprize.org

Biotechnology is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester biotechnology elective but does not replace a school course or supervised lab work and awards no credit. Example numbers in worked problems are labeled as examples. Lessons on vaccines, genetic testing and gene therapy are science education, not medical advice; questions about a personal test or treatment belong with a doctor or genetic counselor. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.