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Peer Review

Nucleic Acids

Reviewed:

Mar 31, 2016 by Biology
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Ratings

Overall Rating: 4.2 stars
Content Quality: 4.2 stars
Effectiveness: 4.0 stars
Ease of Use: 4.2 stars
Overview:

This page is part of the biochemistry section on Radar's Chem4Kids website. It provides a very basic definition and description of nucleic acids, in such a way that middle school students can understand the concept. including information about DNA, RNA and nucleotides. This page is one of the Basics of Chemistry topics presented by the author.
Type of Material:

Tutorial. Learning object repository.
Recommended Uses:

In class supplement, homework, pre- or post-class review materials.
Technical Requirements:

This is a text-based resource so there are no plugins required.
Identify Major Learning Goals:

Define and describe the biological relevance of nucleic acids. Users of the site will learn the basic structure of DNA and the molecular pieces with which the nucleic acid is made.
Target Student Population:

Elementary/Middle School science courses or very basic high school biology courses and home-schooled learners.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Knowledge of basic Biology and Chemistry vocabulary.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:

  • Material is clear and concise
  • The informal tone is approachable and engaging
  • Provides a strong summary of the concepts for students who have not encountered the basics prior to class
  • The information is accurate and provides a good basic background about the material
  • The content is well organized
  • The vocabulary is suitable for the intended audience
  • Links to related contents are available on the page for learners who are interested in further exploration
Concerns:

  • Material does not provide adequate depth for most college-level courses
  • Information needs context and/or an assignment to thoroughly incorporate into a class

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:

  • Concepts are reinforced progressively, and students are introduced to all concepts needed within the page
  • Demonstrates relationships between nucleic acids, nucleotides, DNA, RNA, etc.
  • While the material is primarily text-based, the page is colorful and designed for children viewing preferences
  • The material is logically presented
  • Material is presented in such a way that it can be used in lecture
  • The links to related sites within the page enable learners to engage in further exploration
Concerns:

  • Does not include learning goals and would not be a good way to measure learning outcomes
  • Is not particularly efficient for a college-level class as students would need to access other resources to get a deeper understanding of the material
  • Because this site is designed to focus on chemistry, I’d like to see a bit more information about the three pieces of a nucleotide (5-carbon sugar, nitrogen base and phosphate group) found at the end of the page

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:

  • Material is easy to use and the overall design is straight-forward with little distracting information.
  • Use of headers helps to break up the material and guide the reader
  • Very easy to navigate to the different major sections of the site
  • Site is fast and intuitive
  • Easy to assign as review materials
Concerns:

  • Material is not interactive
  • It gets a little bit busy at the end of the page, where students will find a video on polymers (not overtly tied into the other material on the page), some ads and related resources
  • Users can be easily distracted by the advertisements on the page
Other Issues and Comments:

This is a nice website, although it may not be appropriate for college-level students. It is a good starting page when introducing the concept of DNA.
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