Peer Review

The Virtual Genetics Education Centre

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Jan 8, 2020 by Biology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

The Virtual Genetics Education Centre (VGEC) is a hub of evaluated genetics-related resources for teachers in schools and higher education, health professionals, and the general public. It covers all aspects of genetics, including information about simple DNA experiments suitable for all ages, tutorial materials, videos on useful techniques, and links to other evaluated resources.

Type of Material:

Learning Object repository, collection, tutorial.

Recommended Uses:

In-class lecture supplement, homework, self-study, individual and group work.

Technical Requirements:

Java, Flash, and other plugins as needed by specific online resource.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Users will learn about basic genetic concepts such as DNA structure and function and inheritance patterns.
Users will learn about the importance of genetic technologies in society.
Users will be provided with simple experiments suitable for all ages, tutorials, videos and links to other evaluated resources.

Target Student Population:

Middle School, High School, College General Ed, College Lower Division, health professionals, and the public.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

A working knowledge of basic biology vocabulary would be helpful but not necessary.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

Covers a wide variety of genetic topics.
Uses visuals and text to explain concepts.
Information is accurate and concise and provides a good basic background.
The concepts are grounded in the discipline and informed by scholarship.
Includes links to additional information and resources.
Organizes topics by audience - schools, universities, general public.

Concerns:

None.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

Additional resources for topics contain a variety of engaging lessons to further student understanding.
Assessments are available for users who want to measure their learning achievements.
Some suggested activities can be used as an assessment.
Sample questions (and answers) are provided at the end of sections.
Activities can be used in class to complement a lesson or assigned as homework.
Includes a glossary of important terms.
The blend of text and images makes the material interesting.
The large collection of resources makes it fun to explore many aspects of the subject matter.
This is a good searchable database--activities can be searched by topic or grade level.
The topics are well-organized in such a way that users can go directly to their area of interest.
Materials promote conceptual understanding.
Quality of graphics is very good.

Concerns:

None.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

Very easy to navigate to the different major sections of site.
Resources are logically and are easy to follow.
Many resources use a Creative Commons license and can be easily integrated into an OER module.
The web pages are muted but visually appealing.

Concerns:

Audio narration of text would enhance accessibility.

Other Issues and Comments:: This is an excellent source for materials that can be used in the classroom or for general knowledge. This site is also helpful for professionals who may be looking for materials that are easy to understand by patients and clients who may not have a strong science background.
Creative Commons: