Week 1
Intro to Course & Basics of Entomology
Assignment: iNaturalist Bug Challenge
Secure payment through Stripe, accepted from almost all countries.
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Meet the six-legged majority, one week at a time.
A 10-week journey through every corner of the insect world, taught live on Zoom by entomologist Gwendolyn Erdosh. Every lecture is recorded, so you can go at your own pace.
“Loved the course! Inspired me to apply to grad school for entomology!”
“Extremely well paced and full of easy-to-digest information for beginners!”
“The projects have been fun and hands-on, the community elements are great, and the teacher is the sweetest!”
Starting from the very basics and covering almost every topic in entomology, with a hands-on assignment each week. No biology background needed.
Assignment: iNaturalist Bug Challenge
Assignment: Make flashcards of all 28 insect orders
Assignment: Write a one-page paper on your favorite arthropod's ecology and behavior
Assignment: Draw, paint or create an insect and label its body parts
Assignment: Pick 10 insects from your iNat observations and build a phylogenetic tree
Assignment: Worksheet: dichotomous key assignment
Assignment: Collect insects and create accurate scientific labels. Optional: pinning and spreading
Assignment: Write a paper convincing someone who doesn't like bugs why entomology matters to society
Assignment: Worksheet: solve a crime using insects
Put everything you've learned to the test and leave able to identify insect orders and families confidently.
Each week's lecture is taught three times, so pick whichever slot fits your life. Miss one? Every lecture is recorded.
Taught on Zoom, three times a week.
Rewatch anything, at your own pace.
Fun contests that make it stick.
Document real insects near you.
Including solving a crime with insects.
Ask questions and share your finds.
An entomologist with a slightly bigger-than-average bug obsession.
I'm Gwendolyn Erdosh, and I share my love of insects with thousands of followers online as @gwentomologist.
After a successful first session of the Online Entomology Course, I'm back with a new one and a growing community of curious students from around the world.
And more than anything, I want you to finish the course able to look at a tiny creature and know exactly what you're looking at.
“It has been the best educational experience I've had in a long time, if ever. Gwen is such an engaging teacher and she makes the information so easy to digest.”★★★★★
“I really appreciated the ability to choose between joining live lectures at different times and watching the recorded ones.”
“The Kahoots were a great way to keep everyone engaged and competitive.”
“I loved that there were so many people of different ages, backgrounds, and from so many places.”
January 2027. Follow @gwentomologist for updates.
No. The course starts from the very basics and welcomes curious beginners as well as seasoned bug people.
All ages welcome, recommended for 12+.
Every lecture is taught three times a week at different times, and every lecture is recorded, so you can always catch up.
Payment is through Stripe and is accepted from almost all countries around the world.
You'll get an email with your Discord link and the PDF syllabus.
Follow @gwentomologist to hear about upcoming sessions first.