Peer Review

Cell Physiology

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Feb 16, 2020 by Biology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This short (~3:00) video provides an overview of the work of a research group at the University of Ljubljana studying cellular physiology and the role of membrane fusion and exocytosis in eukaryotic cells.

Type of Material:

Video presentation

Recommended Uses:

This video would be best assigned after class, after covering cellular organelles/cellular physiology, as it shows the importance of studying this information and the "real world" applications.

Technical Requirements:

This video requires the use of Flash

Identify Major Learning Goals:

This brief video serves as an introduction to the importance of membrane fusion and exocytosis in eukaryotic cells.
It also introduces the viewer to the type of work being done by a research group.
The presenter provides an overview of the key terms and concepts, including eukaryotic cells, exocytosis, etc., and also highlights the clinical significance of bench science.

Target Student Population:

College General Ed, College Lower Division, College Upper Division

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Students should ideally already be familiar with the basic types of cells and organelles prior to viewing this video.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The narrator provides a review of key terms and concepts included in the video, including exocytosis and membrane fusion.
The video provides an big-picture overview of how these concepts are studied, and why they are important in terms of advancing our understanding of pathophysiology.
The video shows young female scientists in the lab, which sends positive messages normalizing women in science.

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Concerns:

The video moves very quickly, so it may not be an appropriate introduction to these topics or concepts. Students should have prior understanding of cells and cellular organelles to follow along with the narration.
The video does not explain the various lab procedures that are happening in the background/featured, so it is not clear to a beginner exactly what is going on or how these activities relate to cellular physiology.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

This video increases the potential for students to understand the importance of cellular physiology and the possibilities for future work in the field. I think it would be a fantastic video to encourage undergraduate studies to pursue additional training in cellular physiology - or to realize that it is a possibility.
This video could also be used after introducing cellular organelles in class to illustrate the importance of understanding cellular physiology and how this understanding can be a critical part in finding treatments for various diseases.

Concerns:

The specific teaching-learning goals are not identified.
It isn't clear how to learn more about the work of this research group or the topics covered after watching the video. There is a list of "Related Open Educational Resources" but none of them seem to be continuations of these topics.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The site is licensed using CC-BY, making it accessible for classroom use.
Auto-generated captions are available in Spanish and English
Although a true trascript is not available, there is an extensive "Description" section that hightlights the key points from the video.
The information flows easily from one topic to another

Concerns:

Flash is required, and I also got a pop-up asking for permission to store information on my computer (?). I declined and had no problems playing the video, but that is concerning.

The video auto-played the second time I visited the website.

Other Issues and Comments:: This site also has access to a number of other lectures that may be of interest.
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