Biology Labs Online is a free web collection of 12 interactive simulations and exercises for college and AP high school biology. Its topics include inheritance, evolution, genetics, population growth, protein structure and function, electron transport, plant physiology, cardiovascular homeostasis, and enzyme biochemistry. The activities use inquiry-based exercises to reinforce scientific methodology and address biological principles that may be dangerous, expensive, or time-consuming to investigate in wet labs. They are modular and self-contained, but are not intended to replace traditional wet labs, work as standalone tutorials, or serve as online courses. Older Java applets are converted to JavaScript through CheerpJ, a process the site says can have minor quirks. The site lists Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari on Mac, Opera, and Brave as tested on Windows and Mac. The applets assume mouse input, so they do not work well on mobile devices. Many can export data and graphs, but pop-ups must be allowed for output to appear in a new window. Notebook data must be exported or copied elsewhere to keep it.
Who it is for
The labs suit college and AP high school biology learners, as well as instructors who want interactive exercises alongside traditional lab work. Instructors can request access to instructor resources by email.
What is good
- Includes 12 biology simulations and exercises
- Covers a range of biology topics
- Many applets export data and graphs
- Free plan listed at no cost
What to know first
- Activities are not a replacement for wet labs
- Applets do not work well on mobile devices
- Java-to-JavaScript conversion can have minor quirks
- Notebook data must be exported or copied to save
Verdict
Biology Labs Online offers a broad set of inquiry-based activities for biology learners. Keep its scope and desktop-oriented applets in mind: it is not a standalone course or a substitute for wet-lab work.
Biology Labs Online plans and pricing
All plansCompared on biology learning software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Virtual labs
- Yes
- Biology simulations
- Yes
- Assessment tools
- Yes
- Teacher tools
- Yes
- Primary learner level
- mixed
- Supported platforms
- web
