Peer Review

Beyond Textbooks

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Jun 22, 2022 by Library and Information Services

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This workshop explains how to select MERLOT learning objects that support teaching and learning.

Type of Material:

Workshop and Training Material

Recommended Uses:

Individual

Technical Requirements:

Works well with Chrome, Explorer, Firefox. While it can be used on a hand-held device, navigation will be difficult on some of the links.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Users will learn how to find and select materials from MERLOT and other resources (e.g. Digital Public Library of America).
Users will learn that there exists a world of digital materials beyond what their textbooks may or may not describe.
Users will learn how to incorporate digital learning tools into instruction and learning.

Target Student Population:

Graduate School, Professional

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

The main audience is instructors who have taught previously and are familiar within their teaching discipline.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The idea to provide a resource for instructors wishing to incorporate digital tools into their instruction is useful. The workshop is very brief and to the point. Links are provided for users to explore. Some links are very basic, others more than a little advanced; consequently, the range of learning can be from the isagogic to the advanced.

Concerns:

The page description describes using MERLOT resources, but none of the links on the page are to MERLOT resources. There seems to be little connection to any type of discipline or evidence-based practice/literature.

Note: Reviewers previously found outdated links, which appear to have been fixed as of 05/2022.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: The material is straightforward and showcases the benefits of MERLOT. The questions related to technology integration may be useful to users.
Concerns:: The page is mostly a list of links with very brief introductions, which is not the most effective teaching tool. It is unclear what the site provides beyond what the casual user would find on their own by exploring the MERLOT site.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The material was very easy to use. It attempts to be comprehensive in its coverage.

Concerns:

It is somewhat unclear how the page is intended to be used. The page does not follow best web practices. For example, sites should not display the URL as a link. Instead, it is better to hyperlink descriptive text of the website.

Note: Reviewers previously found outdated links, which appear to have been fixed as of 05/2022.

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