Why these podcasts?
Biology is a science that covers complex concepts. One of the most challenging things for a biology student is to make sense of the central ideas and understand all the details.
It is important to focus on the essential information first; this allows you to build a foundation – or a skeleton – to which you can then add details. These podcasts are meant to help you master the essential concepts in college-level biology; they summarize the key points on the most important topics covered in an introductory biology course. Once you are familiar with these, then the details covered in class or in your textbook will become relevant (and will be much easier to learn).
How should you use the blog?
The podcasts are meant to be listened to while you look at the illustrations on this page. The visual content on the page really helps to make sense of the information. Also, listening to the podcast while you look at the related visual information on the screen stimulates your brain in several ways and makes it easier for you to really learn the essential concepts.
Should you be looking for more information (e.g., definitions), you can search external websites using the Google search toolbar provided in the right panel.
I hope you enjoy these podcasts, and that you will find them useful.
