Peer Review

Genes don't blend

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Sep 11, 2020 by Biology

Bookmark

Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This is the third module from "DNA from the Beginning." DNA from the Beginning is an animated tutorial on DNA, genes and heredity. The science behind each concept is explained using animations, an image gallery, video interviews, problems, biographies, and links. This module shows Mendel crossing true-breeding pea plants with different traits and getting only one of the traits in the hybrid plants. The gallery has a picture of Mendel and other Monks and the first page of his manuscript on "Experiments in Plant Hybridization." There is one audio file of Robert Olby discussing how well-connected Mendel was to the resto fo the scientific community, and there is an included biography with details about other aspects fo Mendel's life. There is also a simple question about the expected result for a cross for two true-breeding peas with variations of a trait.

Type of Material:

This is a very well-done animated tutorial with simulatons and a video.

Recommended Uses:

This material can be used in class or individually to learn more about genetics.

Technical Requirements:

This website requires Adobe Flash and plugins needed to play interactive videos.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The purpose of this website is to educate students about the history of Gregor Mendel's contrution to genetics and our current understanding of DNA. Specifically, this website dedicated most of its material based on genetic level learning.

Students will learn what are basics of genetics and genes.
Students will be able to relate and compare genotype and phenotype.
Students will be able to analyze specific outcome of monohybrid and dihybrid crosses.
Students will understand what law of independent assortment is, law of dependent assortment is, law of segregation is, genetic crosses, genotype, phenotype which are eventually part of basic mendelian genetics.

Target Student Population:

The material at this site is ideally targeted for students in upper-division biology classes in high school or college, as well as those who simply want to learn about genetics.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

The prerequisite and or skill needed for this class is a basic understanding of biology, and some background in genetics.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The information is accurate and provides a good basic background about the material
Interactivity keeps users interested in the material
At the time of this review material is up-to-date
Images are appropriately categorized
The content is well-organized
Animations are well done and show good detail
Narrations by experts add credibility to material
Quality of graphics is very good
Material is clearly laid out
Each step is clearly shown
The information is a comprehensive survey of what may be studied for this topic
Some rare or hard-to-find images and videos are provided
Images, videos, and audio files are appropriately categorized
The content follows good pedagogy
Animations and simulations are straightforward
The learning objects are interactive and engaging

Concerns:

There were no concerns about content at the time of this review

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The pedagogy of providing information is a nice blend of learning and interactivity
The learning experience is interesting
This is a unique way of learning
The images shown are colorful and engaging
Material is intuitive
The large collection makes it fun to explore many aspects of the subject matter
Animations are easy to follow
This is a good searchable database
Information provided helps students understand the relatedness of the topics
Narrations help users focus on key concepts
Information within and between topics flows very well
The material is logically presented
Sample questions (and answers) are provided at the end of sections
Material promotes conceptual understanding
Material is presented in such a way that it can be used in lecture
The interactivity is exceptionally well done and engages users to learn material
Material is intuitive and easy to learn from trial-and-error
Material builds upon knowledge in multiple ways depending on how users navigate through the site

Concerns:

There were no concerns about potential teaching effectiveness at the time of this review

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The information is well organized
Site is fast and intuitive
No defective links or major bugs were found
Very easy to navigate to the different major sections of site
The information is organized and follows a logical order
Animation flows very easily
Narrations and animations played simultaneously without problems
The information is organized and follows a logical order
Animation flows very easily
Navigation is intuitive
The information flows easily from one topic to another
Adobe Flash Animations load quickly and run smoothly

Concerns:

There were no concerns about ease of use at the time of this review

Other Issues and Comments:: Overall, this website provided a great mixture of both interactive and nonactive ways to allow the user to greatly navigate the history of genetics and DNA.
Creative Commons: