Peer Review

Botany: The Appreciation of Plant Life

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Sep 6, 2019 by Biology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This site provides an outline of an online botany course for non-science majors. The outline includes extensive web notes with excellent images. The site provides a great overview of the basics of plant life for an introductory course.

Type of Material:

This site is a textbook-based web-learning tool that helps users learn about the basics of plant life, including plant history on this planet, the basics of plant morphology, and the mechanisms of plant life.

Recommended Uses:

This site is an excellent source that can be used for out of class assignments, review, and in online classes.

Technical Requirements:

The site can be accessed using any of the common web browsers, including Firefox, Chrome, Explorer, and Safari. No additional plug-ins or tools are needed. It can also be accessed on a smart device, such as a smart phone or tablet.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

No specific learning outcomes are provided in the material. As the outline for a review course in botany the goal is to present an review of plant anatomy and physiology for non-sciece students. The "Web Notes" provided include extensive graphics and illustrations

Target Student Population:

High School, College General Ed, College Lower Division

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

No prerequisites are needed, other than an interest in plant life.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The information is interesting, for those considering further study in Botany
Material is accurate and well organized, chronologically and systematically
Most of the activities are easy to do at home
Images are appropriately categorized and labeled
The illustrations are excellent and accurately labeled

Concerns:

The information is interesting, but can be presented in more interactive ways for better engagemen
The material does not provide specific student learning outcomes

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The site leads students through the different classifications of plants from simplest to more complex with web notes linked from each part of the outline
The combination of brief text and exceptionally clear illustrations supports each web note beautifully - both from and accuracy and aesthetic point of view
Would be an excellent source of information as a supplemnt to class materials and online classes

Concerns:

None

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Concerns:

The WebNotes cannot be downloaded, for future perusal, and thus requires Internet access at all times, in order to access the material
The site is not specifically organized for students with disabilities.

Other Issues and Comments:: The basic material is very well done.
Creative Commons: