Peer Review

7.342 The Biology of Aging: Age-Related Diseases and Interventions (MIT)

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Apr 12, 2021 by Health Sciences

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

Aging involves an intrinsic and progressive decline in function that eventually will affect us all. While everyone is familiar with aging, many basic questions about aging are mysterious. Why are older people more likely to experience diseases like cancer, stroke, and neurodegenerative disorders? What changes happen at the molecular and cellular levels to cause the changes that we associate with old age? Is aging itself a disease, and can we successfully intervene in the aging process?This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.

Type of Material:

Online Course

Recommended Uses:

Self-Paced Course

Technical Requirements:

Personal Computers with internet with good download speed.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The learning objectives for this course are:

1. Understand the methods of contemporary biological research and the logic and experimental design and interpretation on aging.

2. Describe major biological theories and processes of human aging.

3. Compare possible mechanisms and genetic pathways in aging processes.

Target Student Population:

The seminars in this course are suitable for students who have biology background and have an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current aging research.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Recommended prerequisites are genetics, general biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular biology.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The supplemental material may be downloaded which then allows the learner to learn at their own pace without the internet requirement.
The weekly summaries are presented by many instructors who are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.

Concerns:

It is unknown if the prerequisite information is required for all learners to use the material.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The readings and assignments are in individual tabs. The summary of the readings is helpful in determining what to expect.

Concerns:

There are no objectives for the course and it is not clear how another instructor may implement the graded activities for their needs.
This online course only provides weekly summaries along with some readings.
The information is very specific on the aging occurring at the molecular and cellular levels. For students who do not have prerequisite knowledge, they will not be able to understand the material. For students who have prerequisite knowledge, they are not satisfied with weekly summaries.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

It is very easy to use since the information only contain the weekly summaries.
There is plenty of material for a student to read and review on the topic of biology and aging. There are aspects that are clear such as the syllabus and readings.

Concerns:

More specific information could be included to improve the resource.

Other Issues and Comments:: The information included for content learning is lean. More specific information would improve the resource.
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