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Peer Review

Inside the Brain: An Interactive Tour

Reviewed:
Nov 11, 2019 by Psychology
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Ratings

Overall Rating: 5.0 stars
Content Quality: 5.0 stars
Effectiveness: 5.0 stars
Ease of Use: 5.0 stars
Overview:

This interactive tour from the Alzheimer's Association explains how the brain works and how Alzheimer's affects it. The two-part tour consists of 16 interactive slides. Part 1 covers Brain Basics, and Part 2 addresses the Alzheimer's Effect. 

Type of Material:

Animation, simulation

Recommended Uses:

 

  • The pictures and descriptions would be useful in any course including aspects of the brain (e.g., anatomy and physiology to many different psychology courses). 
  • Students can review the material on their own and this can be referenced in class using the many drawings that delineate parts of the brain, their function, and the effects of Alzheimer’s.
  • This site also could supplement an in-person classroom because the tour could be used to demonstrate Alzheimer's progression during an in-class lecture. 
Technical Requirements:

A basic web browser is needed to view these pages and the simulation. 

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The site seeks to educate the user on the basics of how the brain works, along with how the brain and functions of the brain change as Alzheimer's disease is acquired and progresses. It depicts these changes using excellent graphics to showcase modified structures in the brain. 

  • Part 1 of the tour includes understanding the basic parts of the brain and their functions.
  • Part 2 of the tour reviews what happens to the brain with Alzheimer’s.
Target Student Population:

College Lower Division, College Upper Division, Graduate School, Professional, High School

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

 

  • No prequisite knowledge is needed to understand the material presented on this site, just an interest in the brain and how it functions. The site includes clear explanations regarding the parts of the brain discussed.
  • However, basic understanding of Alzheimer's or cognitive decline in general may be useful for more fully understanding the presented material.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:

 

  • The drawings combined with the explanation provide a clear description of the parts of the healthy brain as well as the brain with Alzheimer’s.  The content is appropriate for anyone with an interest regardless of their background. Overall, the tour provides a strong basic overview of the brain.
  • The two major parts of this demonstration--Brain Basics and Alzheimer's Effect--are both structured, supported, and illustrated exceptionally well. The graphical depiction is likely to impact immediate concept acquisition for the learner. 
Concerns:

None.  Clear descriptions, useful drawings.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:

 

  • This site does an excellent job of providing explanations of the various illustrations noted. Additional supporting documentation is provided alongside the bottom and top navigation, as well as within the main-page navigation. This is useful for visitors wishing to learn more about Alzheimer's disease, request additional information, download manuals, and more. Additionally, the specific Credits and Links sections at the bottom right is an excellent reference to support all items presented in this site. 
  • The materials allow the visitor to preview the parts of the brain for a class or to review post class.  Anyone simply interested in the parts of the brain will find information and drawings easy to understand. 
Concerns:

None. 

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:

 

  • The material is clearly organized.  No special programs are needed.
  • The site is exceptionally easy to browse and requires only viewing and clicking to activate any of the simulations. 
Concerns:

 

  • During the review, tab-only navigation progressed out of order and skipped the content in-page. 
Other Issues and Comments:

Inside the Brain: An Interactive Tour is an excellent supplemental activity for students who are learning about the changes that occur within the brain for patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease. 

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