Because all organisms, and all their characteristics, are products of a history of evolutionary change, the scope of an evolutionary biology course can be an overwhelming challenge for students; organismal biology, including paleobiology, ecology, animal behavior, physiology and systematics are all central to evolutionary biology. Instructors want students to gain a big picture view in which they understand the general principles of evolution and the process of evolutionary change. In Evolution, 5e the authors provide learning objectives for each major section that are supported by signposts at key points in the manuscript to highlight and summarize key takeaways. A broader view of the subject is presented by using abstract concepts, such as natural selection, and providing a range of applications and implications so that students can recognize evolutionary patterns of change. Students in this course also struggle with thinking like scientists-they need to understand theoretical