Caveat Academy course · Grades 9 to 12

Evolutionary Biology

A semester of evolutionary biology: what evolution is and the evidence behind it, the Hardy-Weinberg principle and genetic drift, natural selection measured in finches, moths and bacteria, how new species form, deep time, dating rocks and mass extinctions, and how to read the tree of life, including the branching story of our own species. 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 12 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: Evolution and its evidence

    Define evolution precisely, explain natural selection from its four observations, and evaluate the main lines of evidence for common descent.

    • What evolution means
    • Darwin, Wallace and natural selection
    • The evidence for evolution
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: The genetics of populations

    Explain the sources of variation, compute genotype frequencies with the Hardy-Weinberg principle, and distinguish selection, drift and gene flow.

    • Where variation comes from
    • The Hardy-Weinberg principle
    • How populations change
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Natural selection in action

    Classify selection as directional, stabilizing or disruptive and analyze field studies of finches, moths and resistant bacteria.

    • Patterns of selection
    • Natural selection observed
    • Sexual selection and coevolution
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: How new species form

    Explain reproductive isolation, compare allopatric and sympatric speciation, and describe the pace of evolution and adaptive radiation.

    • What is a species
    • How speciation happens
    • The pace and branching of evolution
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: The history of life

    Compute ages from half-lives, place major events in deep time, and analyze the causes and effects of mass extinctions.

    • Deep time and dating rocks
    • Major milestones in the history of life
    • Mass extinctions
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: The tree of life and human evolution

    Read phylogenetic trees, estimate split times with a molecular clock, and describe the branching history of hominins.

    • Reading evolutionary trees
    • DNA and molecular clocks
    • Human evolution
    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 5 · Deep time and dating rocks

Worked example: dating a bone with carbon-14

  1. A bone has 25 percent of the carbon-14 that a living animal has.

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 evolutionary biology: you can define evolution precisely and explain natural selection from its four observations, weigh fossil, anatomical and DNA evidence, compute carrier frequencies with the Hardy-Weinberg principle, tell selection from drift and classify the type of selection in a data set, explain how reproductive isolation and polyploidy make new species, date a sample from its half-lives, explain what caused the great extinctions, read a phylogenetic tree and estimate a split with a molecular clock. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 9 to 12 who want to go deeper than the evolution unit of a biology class, are preparing for biology, AP Biology or an environmental science course, or are curious about careers in medicine, genetics, ecology, paleontology or conservation; homeschool families who want a complete semester unit.
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 12 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. University of California Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Evolution: evolution.berkeley.edu
  2. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Human Origins program: humanorigins.si.edu
  3. National Academies of Sciences, Science, Evolution, and Creationism, free to read online: nap.nationalacademies.org
  4. OpenStax, Biology 2e, the units on evolutionary processes and biological diversity, a free textbook: openstax.org
  5. Peter R. Grant and B. Rosemary Grant, 40 Years of Evolution: Darwin's Finches on Daphne Major Island, Princeton University Press, 2014

Evolutionary Biology is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester high school evolutionary biology elective but does not replace a school course and awards no credit. Ages and percentages for events in the history of life are well-established approximate figures that scientists refine as new evidence appears; example numbers in worked problems are labeled as examples. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.