4.7
stars
310 ratings

Joel Cracraft, Ph.D. +1 more instructor

25,280 already enrolled

Offered By

Evolution: A Course for Educators

American Museum of Natural History

About this Course

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How are all of the species living on Earth today related? How does understanding evolutionary science contribute to our well-being? In this course, participants will learn about evolutionary relationships, population genetics, and natural and artificial selection. Participants will explore evolutionary science and learn how to integrate it into their classrooms.

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 10 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish, Romanian

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 10 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish, Romanian

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.71/5 (46 Ratings)

Joel Cracraft, Ph.D.

Chair and Lamont Curator

Division of Vertebrate Zoology

25,280 Learners

1 Course

David Randle, Ph.D.

Assistant Director, Curriculum and Instruction for Online Teacher Education Programs; Faculty, Master of Arts in Teaching, Richard Gilder Graduate School

Education Department

35,946 Learners

2 Courses

Offered by

American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s preeminent scientific, educational and cultural institutions. Since its founding in 1869, the Museum has advanced its global mission to discover, interpret, and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe through a wide-ranging program of scientific research, education, and exhibition.

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(3,052 ratings)

Week

Week 1

1 hour to complete

Course Introduction

1 hour to complete

1 video (Total 3 min), 3 readings

2 hours to complete

Introduction and Darwin's First Great Idea - The Tree of Life

The first module of the course introduces Charles Darwin’s revolutionary concept of a “tree of life” depicting the evolution of all life from a common ancestor; how evolutionary trees depict relationships among organisms; and how new species are formed. You will explore resources for discovering and addressing student misconceptions about evolution.

2 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 48 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes

4 videos

Evolution: What It Is and Why It’s Important15m

Species, Speciation, and the Tree of Life: Part 19m

Species, Speciation, and the Tree of Life: Part 214m

Teaching Evolutionary Science8m

3 readings

Charles Darwin's Evidence for Evolution10m

Thinking About Evolution: A Systematist's Perspective10m

Building the Tree of Life10m

2 practice exercises

Phylogenetic Trees Practice Quiz30m

Module Two Quiz30m

Week

Week 2

3 hours to complete

Darwin's Second Great Idea - Adaptation via Natural Selection

You will learn about Darwin’s second breakthrough: that adaptation via natural selection is the basic mechanism of evolution. You’ll go behind the scenes with Dr. Cracraft to see how evolutionary biologists use the Museum’s collections. Lastly, you’ll choose a topic from the course and explain how to use it as empirical evidence that supports common ancestry and biological evolution.

3 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 84 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

Week

Week 3

2 hours to complete

The History of Life

You will learn about the role of extinction in evolution, and find out what the relatedness of major groups of living things reveals about the history of life. You’ll also watch videos of scientists at work and learn how to use them in your classroom.

2 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 49 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

Week

Week 4

2 hours to complete

Human Evolution

This module explores the rich variety of hominids on the tree of life, along with how and when different human species - including Homo sapiens - migrated around the world. You’ll also learn strategies for teaching evolution in culturally diverse classrooms.

2 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 46 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

1 hour to complete

Course Conclusion

1 hour to complete

1 video (Total 2 min), 3 readings

Reviews

4.7

93 reviews

5 stars
77.74%
4 stars
18.06%
3 stars
2.90%
2 stars
1.29%

TOP REVIEWS FROM EVOLUTION: A COURSE FOR EDUCATORS

by AMAug 20, 2016

I really love the way how they prepare this course. Thank you so much. Good job!

by CEAug 16, 2015

Very interesting, Loved the detail and course work, cant wait to do another on from the AMNH. Thank you for a well put together course.

by MGMay 18, 2021

A fantastic course where Ive learned how to discuss about the history and origin of everything.Thank you Coursera !Keep up the good works!

by JCMar 21, 2016

Loved the variety of content, instructors & format. I also loved checking in regarding our own responses to the information.

View all reviews

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What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
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Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Evolution: A Course for Educators

Evolution: A Course for Educators

About this Course