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 Ratings
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| Reviewed: |
Nov 13, 2011 by Biology Editorial Board |
| Overview: |
“BBC Science and Nature: Human Body and Mind” is an extensive site to learn about basic anatomical structure and function of the body and general psychology of the mind. At the time of this review, a Stress Test is shown at the top of the site, which requires users to register with the BBC. The test is pretty comprehensive, but does provide interesting information. The other material includes two main units: "The Body," which includes units on the anatomical structure and function of organs, muscles, bones, puberty and the nervous system, and "The Mind." which includes topics on psychology, emotions, personality, memory, and mental disorders. Two smaller units include sleep and brain sex. Each unit is comprised of a tutorial, or facts about the subject, high quality links to external information, and includes games, animations, and activities to involve the learner. Both The Body and The Mind are exceptionally well-done sites that engage users with interactive explorations of human anatomy and psychology. |
| Learning Goals: |
Students will develop a basic understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the human body including the location and function of organs, muscles, bones, and the nervous system. Students will also acquire basic information of what psychology is and gain an introductory understanding of how emotions, personality and memory function. |
| Target Student Population: |
High school and undergraduate students, interested in human anatomy and psychology, can benefit from this site. |
| Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills: |
There are no prerequisites for this site, although some knowledge of basic human anatomy will help users to understand what is presented. |
| Type of Material: |
Tutorial with drill and practice games, and animations. "The Mind" unit also contains quizzes and surveys for interactive learning. |
| Recommended Uses: |
The site can be used as an interactive tutorial to teach general anatomy and physiology and psychology. The animations and diagrams could be used as teaching aids in a lecture, and the games, quizzes and surveys could be used as homework, either to provide a review of information covered in class or used prior to class to cultivate interest in the subject matter. |
| Technical Requirements: |
The introductory material can be navigated with HTML but most of the interactivity requires Adobe Flash Player. |
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| Strengths: |
- The content is complete for understanding introductory information about anatomy and physiology and general psychology
- Material is very accurate and complete, particularly for the The Body section
- The psychology portion of “The Mind” unit presents basic concepts that can be used as a foundation for further learning
- Information is systematically organized and follows one concept to the next
- The Flash Interactivity for orienting and placing organs very well done
- Quality of graphics is very good
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| Concerns: |
- The Stress Test might be better placed below the The Body and The Mind sections
- Most links are high quality and support the main topic
- In the interactive "Organ Game," the cricoid cartilage of the voice box is in the incorrect orientation and needs to be rotated 180 degrees
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Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool |
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| Strengths: |
- Engages the learner and creates interest in a topic, especially The Mind Games and Surveys if given prior to covering a topic in class
- Different units in this site could be useful for a variety of classes, such as anatomy, a general health class or a psychology class
- Material is intuitive and easy to learn from trial-and-error
- The anatomy portion is better suited to covering concepts in a systemic approach versus a regional approach
- Instructions on how to orient and place organs very helpful
- Games can be used as reviews after a topic is covered in class to reinforce the concepts
- Very good for use at home to learn human anatomy
- The stress test is a good idea but a little too long
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| Concerns: |
- Objectives are not clearly stated
- There is no constructive feedback for incorrect answers in some of the interactive games
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Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty |
| Rating: |
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| Strengths: |
- Very easy to navigate to the different major sections of site
- Self-contained and instructions for games and surveys are clearly stated and easy to understand
- Adobe Flash Animations load quickly and run smoothly
- No defects were detected in the way the interactive lessons are presented
- Information is easy to understand
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| Concerns: |
- It might be a good idea to move The Body and The Mind to the top of the site
- A few links do not work
- In the game sections, if the learner has scrolled through some of the facts and then switched to a new topic, the new information does not start at the top, but midway through where the scrolling stop in the prior section
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| Other Issues and Comments: |
The level of interactivity in The Body is excellent and helps users understand human anatomy. |
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