Biology IB HL2 is the second year of a two-year course of study which emphasizes ecology, human physiology, animal physiology and the international nature of science. Requiring a minimum of 30 hours of structured labs, research papers and experimental design projects emphasizes laboratory work. Instruction is student-centered with cooperative learning as well as teacher directed, thus offering the student a college-level biology experience. The course is generally taken in the second year of a student’s two-year IB Diploma coursework.
The course also allows students to develop interpersonal skills, and digital technology skills, which are essential in 21st century scientific endeavour and are important life-enhancing, transferable skills in their own right. The overarching theme in the course, especially the laboratory-based portions, is the Nature of Science, a set of principles which align well with the eight practices of science and engineering as identified in the Next Generation Science Standards.