This site contains six modules that are either multi-page online articles/texts (mad cow disease, smallpox, yellow fever, blood cells ) or interactive quizzes (complement, virus replication). The site also contains many links to other virology sites and links to images and videos of viruses.
Type of Material:
Tutorials
Technical Requirements:
HTML; some Quicktime movie links
Target Student Population:
Undergraduate students in introductory microbiology or health-related classes; selected modules may be appropriate for students in introductory virology courses.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
Quality of Content = (5) (4) = 4.5
Well designed with accurate material
Content is current and linked to relevant articles and governmental resources
The self-paced quizzes are a good review of mastery of the content written in easy to understand language
The text modules work students through the history and evidence used to understand viruses, an approach that is missing in most texts
Concerns:
The online text modules are minimally interactive
The grey background lacks aesthetic appeal - could be more attractive for students
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
Potential Effectiveness as Teaching Tool = (5) (4) = 4.5
Good use of real historical and current data, diagrams, images and animations to illustrate difficult concepts
Links to online lecture notes will help students learn about virus replication
Interactive and thought provoking questions are asked of the students in the tutorial
Concerns:
Long pages of text such as in the Mad Cow module are difficult for reading on the web
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
Usability = (5) (4) = 4.5
Easy to navigate and quick, with few defective links or bugs but some of the links are to pages that distract from the flow
Concerns:
In the complement module, choosing one of the pathways does not allow access to the other
In the Blood cell module, navigation back to the initial photo is difficult
Features of Excellence
Well organized and very easy to use
Good historical presentation of yellow fever and s
mallpox virus studies
The virus replication tutorials are clearly presented and can provide a resource for students to check their understanding
Recommendation
Instructors might selectively assign modules based either on supplementing a text with historical information or use of quizzes to for students to test their knowledge.
Overall rating = (5) (4) = 4.5
Creative Commons:
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