• Microscopy
  • Microscopy is a fundamental skill in Biology labs.  
  • Clients have the option to select from using the V-Scope or a physical microscope and slides.
  • Our standard and core kits use the V-Scope, rather than physical slides.
  • We are microscope agnostic - meaning that students can use our microscope,  a school microscope, or purchase a non-SI microscope. .
• Dissections
  • Dissections are a key element of a Biology experience and are included throughout the second semester course. Dissections include:
    • Monocot and Dicot Flowers, Fruits (Angiosperms: Flowers and Fruits)
    • Moss and Pine Cones (Simple Plants and Gymnosperms)
    • Mushroom (Fungi)
    • Earthworm (Invertebrates: Cnidaria, Platyhelminthes, Rotifera, and Annelida)
    • Clam, Grasshopper, and Sea Star (Invertebrates: Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Echinodermata)
    • Perch, Rat (Vertebrates)
    • Owl Pellet (Food Web)
  • All hands-on dissections in Biology are available in a digital format as well.

• Biological Macromolecules
  • Cait's recommendation!
  • In the Biological Macromolecules lesson, students learn about the four major macromolecules: proteins, DNA, lipids, and carbohydrates. These are the building blocks of life, forming the basis of cells and all other larger organisms!
  • This lab has two experiments. In the first part, students use colorimetric assays (color changes) to test for the presence of proteins and simple carbohydrates (sugars).
  • In the second part of the lab, students use colorimetric assays to test for complex carbohydrates (starch), DNA, and lipids.
  • The lab wraps up with students receiving an unknown solution. They must repeat all five tests to identify what macromolecule is present in the unknown solution.
  • Supplies used include a ChemBag with many chemicals, burner fuel and stand, scale, beakers, and test tubes.
  • This lab also incorporates a virtual component - because the DNA test requires a carcinogenic (cancer causing) agent, we use a simulation to allow students to test for DNA. This allows them to learn how the test is performed, while staying safe at home.
  • This is a classical biology lab, that is typically performed using the same materials in campus environments.
  • This lab also has a digital version available that highlights how our simulations are built to directly match the hands-on learning outcomes and activities.

• Mitosis and Meiosis
  • Duane's recommendation!
  • This lesson covers the processes of cell division in cells.
  • The first experiment in this lab has students model the processes of mitosis and meiosis using beads. Students take pictures of the different stages of the cell cycle to submit to their instructor.
  • In the second experiment, students using the v-scope or physical slides to observe dividing cells under a microscope.
  • In the final experiment, students create karyotypes and differentiate between a normal karyotype and those with genetc abnormalities.

• Vertebrates
  • This lesson covers the seven classes of vertebrates and their common characteristics. It also includes a discussion of homologous and analogous structures.
  • The first experiment is a digital experiment in which students analyze homologous structures across five classes of vertebrates.
  • The second and third experiments are a perch dissection and a rat dissection, in which students have the opportunity to view the anatomy of these organisms and compare their structures.  
  • Students receive a perch, a rat, dissection tools, and a dissection pad, among other items.
  • Dissections are a major component of on ground courses  this allows students to maintain this aspect of a biology course at home.

Other good labs to demo:

• Cellular Respiration - Experiments with lots of materials to show, key concept that most students will study in a first semester course.
• Food Web - Includes a physical experiment, in which students dissect an owl pellet, and a digital experiment where students evaluate Biomagnification.

• Carolina
  • Lessons
    • 72 total biology lessons listed on website (18 digital labs or dry labs)
    • Many of the digital/dry labs are duplicates - digital labs involve a digital component, dry labs require students to source their own materials.
      • For example, there are four labs on blood typing (a topic not typically covered in a biology course) - one with real blood, one with simulated blood, a dry lab, and a digital lab.
  • Standard Kits
    • General Biology 1 (w/ microscope; 10 labs; $211 )
    • General Biology 1 (w/o microscope; 11 labs; $179)
    • General Biology 2 (9 labs; $134)
    • Introduction to Biology (7 labs; $129)
    • Botany (6 labs; $130)
  • Competitive Information
    • Specimens - Offer a variety of specimens for biology (perch, crayfish, squid, earthworm, frog + organs) and are known for this on campus.
    • Content Delivery - Carolina launched their platform in Summer of 2023.  Biology is expected to launch in Spring of 2024 on the platform. See the Carolina Distance Learning cheat sheet for more details. Content continues to be offered via PDF as well.
    • Content - Carolina offers limited introductory content and experimental support. The introductory content is majority text, very few images (and only in black and white), and no interactives. Their experiments do not include set-up images and have very few support videos, leaving students to guess at how to set up their experiments correctly. Small number of assessments with no ability to customize or autograde. Notably, the Carolina content demonstrated on the Gateway platform has not been meaningfully updated versus the historic PDFs.  
    • Microscopy - They offer a simplistic virtual microscope that is far less comprehensive than the V-Scope. Select this link to view the Carolina virtual microscope. They also offer a microscope for students to purchase; however it is a children's microscope (the box says for ages 3+), which is not equivalent to a microscope that should be used at the university level.

• Labster
  • Lessons
    • 140 lessons on their website are considered Biology, but encompasses all biology topics (ranging from general biology to A&P to bioinformatics)
      • In total, only 54 lessons are categorized as Biology or General Biology
    • Includes a mix of tutorials, experiments, and concept overviews, so not all of the items listed above would be considered experiments/labs.
  • Standard Kits
    • Labster offers various packages that vary in length of access time and number of interactives that can be accessed. Pricing is not readily accessible on their website but is generally cited online as less than $100.
  • Competitive Information
    • Content Coverage - Labster generally has good coverage of traditional first semester General Biology topics, but lacks strong coverage of second semester topics. In particular, they are lacking lesson covering plant structure and function, and the various organism classes (e.g., protista, fungi, vertebrates, invertebrates). They also have widespread coverage of very high level topics that would be more in line with a molecular biology or biotechnology course, but not applicable to a non-majors or general biology course.
    • Microscopy - Labster has minimal microscopy for their biology course, outside of two labs on the basics/how to use a microscope. V-Scope and our microscopy experiments incorporated throughout biology are far more comparable to an on-campus setting.
    • Dissections - Labster's content does not include any dissections that would support a second semester general biology course.
    • Lesson Duration - The estimated time required by Labster for their lessons ranges from 15 - 40 minutes. To meet the requirements for most colleges (2.5-3 hours per week in lab), students would need to perform multiple modules. In places where there is only a single interactive covering a topic, this could cause major problems for the instructor.
    • Pedagogy - Labster's content is highly gamified with overarching storylines that can distract from the lesson at hand. We take a more straightforward approach, presenting background content with critical information students need to complete the experiment, followed by the experiment, which takes an approach more comparable to on campus.  

• McGraw Hill
  • Lessons
    • 124 lessons are considered Biology on their website. However, this list also encompasses their virtual A&P and Microbiology offerings.  
      • A little over half (65) of the lessons would be applicable to an introductory or general biology course.
    • In a number of topics, we cover in one lesson what McGraw Hill covers in multiple modules. For example, testing for starch, sugars, fats, and proteins are typically a single lesson in our content (Biological Macromolecules) vs. McGraw Hill having each molecule as a single interactive.
  • Standard Kits
    • No standards per se. Labs can be bundled with textbook in packages.
  • Competitive Information
    • Content - The McGraw Hill lessons have limited introductory content. They include a list of key concepts and an overview, which are meant to provide introductory information. A "before you start" section with key techniques may also be included. There are no obvious learning objectives within the lesson. The overview is brief, and is likely developed under the assumption the student is pairing this with textbook reading.
      • For the demo lesson reviewed, the introductory content was eight sentences long.
    • Assessments - The McGraw Hill lessons include minimal assessments automatically, typically pertaining to creating a hypothesis, an experimental strategy, and a conclusion. Students can have multiple attempts to answer these correctly. If instructors want additional questions, they must be developed by the instructor (although McGraw Hill does provide a question bank to pull from).
    • Experiments - Experiments are set up in a point and click format with minimal opportunity to make mistakes. It appears that they are set up such that all students get the same answer. In contrast, our most recent digital developments have multiple possible answers to prevent students from cheating.
    • Graphing - Graphs are automatically generated by the McGraw Hill system. Given the key role of graphing in the basic sciences, this is a major missed opportunity for students to grasp the fundamentals of data analysis.

Is this kit Quality Matters certified?

• Yes! Biology was QM certified in Feb. 2022. It will retain this certification for three years. Click here to access the official certificate.

What level course is this for? 

• This course can be used for non-majors and majors biology courses, as well as one semester and two semester courses.  

What types of dissections are included? 

• The dissection specimens included are an earthworm, grasshopper, clam, perch, sea star, and rat. A series of plant components are also dissected as a part of the kit. Virtual versions of these dissections are included in the digital versions of the invertebrates and vertebrates labs.

Do you have a microscope option? 

• We offer the option of physical slides and microscopes as well as a virtual microscope. Most of the physical slides come prepared for students; however, students have the opportunity to view slides they prepared in Prokaryotes and Introduction to Microscopy.

What slides are available in your kits? 

Do you offer digital experiments?

• Yes, we currently have 17 digital lessons available for Biology, with more in development. These lessons are included in the table below, along with the hands-on equivalent for each lab.