All about evo-learn

In my first blog post I introduced what this evo-blog is going to be about. Here the aim is to introduce what I want to achieve with evo-learn and how I came to the idea of offering online courses on evolution.

I've been interested in human evolution since I was a small boy and can remember being fascinated by my mum's books on prehistory. Like many children I was in awe of dinosaurs but they were they akin to monsters, that although they had once lived, seemed quite different from anything alive today (at the time I didn't see the resemblance of a chicken to a T. rex!). But human evolution and the evolution of modern day mammals was something easier to relate to and something I found utterly captivating. 

For many years my interest in evolution was just that, an interest. I really used to enjoy fossil hunting while at the seaside but I didn't really think too much about trying to pursue a career in it. As a child I was also somewhat more creative and artistic rather than scientific. For some reason as I entered my teen years I became more scientifically minded. After school I studied biology, geology and geography and then studied environment and development studies at university. I then went on to study IT for a while, which I ultimately had little motivation for though I did learn a lot of useful things.

It was after studying IT that I first decided to change tack and study human evolution and so ended up doing a Master's degree at the University of Liverpool. I followed that up by undertaking a PhD, using computer modelling to test hypotheses of the diet and tool use of the extinct hominin species, Paranthropus boisei and Homo habilis.

While at the University of Liverpool I also gained teaching experience. I taught lithic archaeology and human osteology to undergraduate students and also taught human evolution to the general public at the Centre for Lifelong Learning. I particularly enjoyed teaching human evolution to the general public and in many ways the online courses that I am now offering are essentially online versions of those earlier courses and designed merely for those with a love of learning.

Before I finished my PhD I moved to Germany where  I finished writing up my thesis. I eventually graduated in 2013 and after a spell taking paternity leave I worked for the Humboldt University in Berlin providing, amongst other duties, English language support to the Novel Materials group at the Department of Physics.

Since April 2017 I've been a freelance provider of English proofreading services. It was at this time that I also decided that I would offer online courses on evolution to the general public, essentially offering online versions of the courses that I taught while at the University of Liverpool. In September 2017 I started offering my first online course and have since added two more courses. All three online courses currently on offer are on the topic of human evolution but this won't remain so. I'll soon start offering courses on other evolution-based topics.

Sometime in the near future I plan to offer an introductory online course on evolution. It will focus mainly on both the development of evolutionary theory (from before Darwin and beyond) and modern evolutionary theory. The course will end with a brief overview of the history of life on earth. This final part of the course will be somewhat of a taster for a much longer, more in-depth course on the evolution of life on earth that be available later at a later date.

Another online course that should be available in the near future is a course on diet and human evolution. This will be an in-depth look at how diet has shaped human evolution that will also explore the interplay between climate, food resources and evolution. 

Beyond the online courses mentioned above I would like to offer courses on the evolution of the mammals and also one specifically on primate evolution, and perhaps a course on how mass extinction events and shaped the evolution of life on earth. But I don't want to make any promises as to when these courses will be available or which courses will be available first, I'll decide on that later.

If you want to learn more about human evolution please consider taking one my online courses on human evolution. No prior knowledge is required, all that is required is an passion in learning about human origins!

There is a 30-day money back guarantee on all courses. Free samples are also available for all courses so you try them out and see if you like them before even paying.