Online courses directory (27)

This comprehensive biology course introduces a broad range of biology subjects including molecular biology, gene, cell biology, organic and inorganic compounds, experimental methods and designs, regulatory mechanisms in plants and animals, pathogens and parasites and more. This free online course builds on our Introductory Biology course. It is particularly suitable for any student of biology at second level, or anyone who wants to gain more knowledge and understanding of the biological world around us.

This free online course in our Biology suite examines natural selection, patterns of evolution and molecular biology. It also explores DNA, protein synthesis and mutations and gene mapping. It is a practical guide for those working in life sciences who want to refresh their knowledge of biology or for any student of biology studying the subject at second level.

This free online course offers an in-depth exploration of general, organic and analytic chemistry. It examines various topics such as chemical equilibrium, rates of reaction, chromatography and their applications in real-world industries. These tutorials are are an excellent complement to chemistry classes for students or for those working in the chemical industry who would like to refresh their knowledge of these topics.

This free online course in Chemistry looks at elements, electrochemistry and food chemistry among other topics. It is an ideal course to engage students and help them grapple with the subject matter in an interactive and self-paced manner. It is particularly suitable for any student of chemistry at second level, or anyone who wants to gain more knowledge and understanding of the world of chemistry.

Alcohol is enjoyed by many people during social occasions, but for others addiction to alcohol or alcohol-related illnesses can be a serious health issue. This free online course begins by reviewing the biological effects of alcohol on the body, including hangovers, psychological, and physical disturbances. The course also looks at the effects of chronic alcoholism such as liver damage or fetal alcohol syndrome. Finally, the course reviews some of the treatments for alcohol-related illnesses. This course is ideal for anyone who wants to learn more about the effects alcohol can have on their health, or for learners already working in the areas of health promotion or health awareness who want to further their knowledge and understanding of the health effects of excess alcohol consumption.

Cell division and replication are fundamental biological processes that occur in all organisms. This free online course about cell division will explain the complex processes of cell division in detail. You will learn about mitosis and meiosis and the phases that occur in each of these processes. You will learn that in the early stages of development embryonic cells can generate all cell types in the body. You will also look at how cells divide and replicate allowing us grow and repair body tissues, and if damage occurs, how some cells can replicate faster than surrounding cells to form tumours. This free course will be of great interest to all students who wish to pursue a career in the sciences, medicine, pharmacy, nursing, biology or biodiversity or the individual learner who simply wants to learn more about mitosis, meiosis and their role in cell division and replication.<br />

Evolution and natural selection are very important concepts that have revolutionised our understanding of biology. Natural selection is a process resulting in the evolution of organisms that are best adapted to their environment, usually occurring over thousands, and even millions of years. In this free online biology course you will be introduced to the concepts of evolution and natural selection, the causes of these fundamental biological processes and how the success of a species can depend on changes to just one allele on one gene in one chromosome. You will study the naturally occurring variation within species and how mutations and reproduction continues this process. You will also be introduced to DNA, the blueprint of life forms on earth, by looking both at its physical structure and how it copies itself, and turns into the proteins that make up all living organisms. This free online biology course will be of great interest to all learners who wish to pursue a career in the sciences and medicine, to learners who are already studying subjects such as biology, biodiversity and biochemistry, and the individual who simply wants to learn more about how and why there is such diversity among plants and animals today.<br />

It is over sixty years since the structure of DNA was first discovered by Watson and Crick. Since then work in genetics and gene technology has expanded to the point where the entire human genome has been sequenced, and there is now hope of being able to cure diseases using gene therapy. There is also on-going work in the area of modifying plant DNA to produce pest-resistant crops that give bigger harvests for more food. Today, people need a thorough knowledge and understanding of genetics and gene therapy so that they can make up their own minds as to the potential benefits and drawbacks of what this field of science can offer us. In this free online course you will discover what genes do and explore and come to understand reference terms such as meiosis and mitosis. The course also covers evolutionary aspects of DNA and the genome. You will also learn about gene technology which includes gene testing, gene therapy and the controversial area of genetic modification in plants. This course will be of great interest to professionals working in the areas of biology, medicine and development, to learners who would like a career in the areas of genetics and gene technology, and to anyone interested in understanding the basic area of science that underpins all living existence.<br />

Heredity is the genetic transmission of characteristics from parent to offspring. Many of these characteristics, particularly the dominant ones, have a physical manifestation like hair colour or colour blindness, but other traits can skip generations until the right combination of genes allows a regressive trait to appear. This free online course about heredity will look at how traits are passed on, why some traits form part of our physical makeup and why we only carry others in our genes but never express them. You will learn how to work out ratios of traits that are present in both the genotype and phenotype using the Punnett Square method and the Hardy-Weinberg Principle. You will also learn how bacteria change their DNA over time and how this impacts on human health. Similarly you will learn how viruses replicate and how they can change human DNA. This free online heredity course will be of great interest to all learners who wish to pursue a career in sciences such as biology, medicine, zoology or botany and to any individual who simply wants to learn more about how traits are inherited and changed.<br />

This free online learning course introduces the learner to the basic principles of Psychology from both a behavioural and biological perspective. The topics include classical and operant conditioning, the brain and the nervous system, stress and states of consciousness. All ALISON graduates are entitled to certification. This free Psychology course is an excellent complement to face-to-face classes and as a study guide or for those who would like to familiarise themselves with the fundamentals of Psychology.<br />

Two fundamental aspects of chemistry are, firstly, the structure of the atom and the role of the subatomic particles neutrons, protons and electrons, and, secondly, the atomic structure of the known elements that make up everything and how their place in the Periodic table of the elements determines their chemical properties. This free online course will give learners a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of these two core building blocks within chemistry. The course starts by examining the structure of the atom and subatomic particles, and then discusses the elements, and breaks them down into their subatomic structure of protons, neutrons and electrons. You will learn how the structure of each element determines its place in the Periodic table and its chemical properties. This course will be of great interest to all students who wish to pursue a career in any of the sciences such as chemistry, physics, biology or geology, or the individual learner who simply wants to learn and understand what the world around us is made up of.<br />

Gases behave differently from either solids or liquids, so there are different methods for understanding their behaviour. Having neither fixed volume nor shape gases are moulded entirely by the container in which they are held and from this it is possible to measure their behaviour by measuring properties such as pressure, volume, temperature and number of molecules. This free online chemistry course will introduce the concept of the ideal gas and the ideal gas law which is a good indicator of the behaviour of gases under many different conditions. The various components in the ideal gas law are explained in clear terms and you will see that by using equations you will understand how the impact of a change to one property, for example temperature, will impact on the other properties. Where there are multiple gases in a container you will be shown how to work out their partial pressure relative to the total pressure. This free online chemistry course will be of great interest to all students who wish to pursue a career in any of the sciences such as chemistry, physics, biology or geology, and to the individual learner who simply wants to learn and understand how gases behave.<br />

A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that bind together using chemical bonds. They may be from one or multiple elements and it is the ratio, or mass composition, of each molecule that gives the molecular compound its chemical characteristics. In this free online science course, you will learn about molecules and how they are composed of various elements, in mass, atoms and ratios. The course introduces the student to Avogadro’s number or the Mole, which is used to convert between atomic mass and grams, so that you will be able to work out ratios and weights of molecules. You will also learn how to balance chemical equations, and by balancing the reactants within equations, get viable chemical reactions. This branch of chemistry is known as Stoichiometry. The course will be of great interest to all students who wish to pursue a career in any of the sciences such as chemistry, physics, biology or geology, or the individual learner who simply wants to learn and understand how atoms form the molecules which make up all the material surrounding us. <br />

Matter exists in four states - solid, liquid, gas and plasma and it will change state depending on the temperature and pressure applied to the matter. In this free online chemistry course about states of matter you will learn about the characteristics of each of the four states and the amount of energy that can be added to or taken from a substance before it starts to change state. As all substances change state at different temperatures and pressures you will learn how to use phase change diagrams to plot the energy and pressure levels, the triple point, critical temperature, boiling and melting points associated with different substances. You will also learn in a step by step manner how to calculate the change in energy needed to move a substance along the state of matter spectrum. This free online chemistry course will be of great interest to all students who wish to pursue a career in any of the sciences such as chemistry, physics, biology or geology, or the individual learner who simply wants to learn and understand what is happening when matter changes from solid to liquid to gas.<br />

The amount of energy required to change the state of a substance depends on how strong or weak the bonds between the molecules are. For substances with strong bonds at standard temperature and pressure, like diamonds, it is extremely difficult to separate the molecules, whereas substances with weak bonds, like helium, remain in a gaseous form and do not condense into liquid or solid states. In this free online chemistry course you learn more about factors that affect the chemical nature of substances. You will learn why substances changing state can also be affected by mixing substances together. The course explains about using water as a solvent and mixing in different substances to see the effect on the boiling and melting points of the solution. This is followed by step by step examples of working out what the change in boiling or melting point will be based on the amount of solute added. This free online chemistry course will be of great interest to all students who wish to pursue a career in any of the sciences such as chemistry, physics, biology or geology, or the individual learner who simply wants to learn more about factors that affect the chemical nature of substances.<br />

This free online diploma course is ideal for professionals working in the area of environmental science, for students who wish to pursue a career in environmental science, or for those who simply want to learn more about building a sustainable existence on this planet.<br /><br />Environmental science is the field of science that studies physical, chemical and biological aspects of the environment and determines solutions to environmental problems.<br /><br />Gain thorough knowledge and understanding of environmental science such as understanding the earth's processes, evaluating alternative energy systems, pollution control and mitigation, natural resource management, the importance of global water supplies, and the effects of climate change.<br />

The free online Diploma in General Science course from ALISON is ideal for anyone who wants to gain a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of key subjects in biology, chemistry and physics. In biology you will covers subjects such as cell theory, genetics and evolution; in chemistry you will cover subjects such as atoms, molecules and the periodic table; and in physics you will cover subjects such as magnetism, electricity and sound. This Diploma course will be of great interest to those who want to further improve their knowledge and understanding of general science, and will greatly enhance your career prospects.<br />

Great advances have been made in the field of anatomy and physiology of the human body. ALISON's free online diploma course introduces you to the basic anatomy and physiology of important systems in the body such as the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, reproductive system, skeletal system, nervous system and others. For each system covered in the course, the anatomical features are outlined and the physiological functions are explained. <br /><br />ALISON's anatomy online course will be of great interest to students of anatomy, physiology, biomedical science and medicine, as well as any learner wanting to expand their knowledge and understanding of the human body.<br />

Introduction to Biology is a free introductory course on the science of the living world. These lessons teach learners of all ages about organisms, cells, nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals) and the process of digestion. This free online course is an ideal study-aid and complement to classes for second level students and is valuable to parents who wish to help their children with their studies.

Cellular respiration is a key concept to understand in biology as it involves obtaining energy from the nutrients organisms eat and the removal of waste products. It is a key biological process which is vital to all life forms, including humans. In this free online biology course you will learn about the chemical makeup of the energy that is stored, generally referred to as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), how this molecule works and how it is used in the respiratory process. You will also learn about glucose as it is the main source of energy, and the stages involved in cellular respiration from glycolysis through the Kerb’s cycle to the electron transport chain. You will learn how molecules are split to release energy through oxidization to produce ATP and waste products in the form of water and carbon dioxide. This free online biology course will be of great interest to all students who wish to pursue a career in sciences such as biology, biochemistry, medicine, pharmacy or the individual learner who simply wants to learn more about how we convert our food into energy.<br />