Peer Review

Missouri Flora Website

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Jul 15, 2005 by Biology

Bookmark

Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: Missouriplants.com is a very simple, straightforward site that contains photographs and descriptions of plants found in Missouri, USA. The site has an easy-to-use identification key for plants found in Missouri and the lower Missouri River watershed. The key is arranged by leaf arrangement and flower color with excellent images available of each plant in its entirety, with leaf, stem, inflorescence, and flower close ups. There is also a description of habitat, range, and variations to the standard. A glossary of botanical terms is available as well as an alphabetic list of all the plants on the site. The links page is exceptionally complete and well annotated with pictures of bugs and plants as well as cool botany links. This is a site that can be used by professionals and amateurs alike.
Type of Material:: This site is organized primarily as a picture collection of Missouri plants.
Recommended Uses:: The primary use of this site is as an identification key. Depending on the level of class, the site could also serve as a basic, simplified introduction to classification of plants for high school and college level.
Technical Requirements:: Technical requirements include the ability to view text as HTML and pictures with Java enabled Internet browser.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: This collection can be used to view or identify plants found in Missouri. This site is not an academic site, and has no learning goals specifically listed. However, the site is clearly intended to assist in the identification of plants found in Missouri. The site could support a number of classroom learning goals.
Target Student Population:: Content is appropriate for the general public as well as K-12 and college students interested in viewing and identifying Missouri plants.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: The site is designed to be accessible to a wide range of users. Some basic knowledge of botanical concepts is needed to fully understand materials. Use of web browser will be required.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The site contains a good picture collection and descriptions of Missouri plants
Each entry is organized to provide detailed information and contains an image of the entire plant, as well as magnifications of stem, flower, inflorescence
Descriptions of plant, habitat and location of specimen are provided
List of botany links is extensive and well annotated
Collection is limited but continuously growing
Description and pictures are accurate

Concerns:

The collection could be more comprehensive but is well on the way to becoming a complete picture collection of Missouri plants
Several entries are not yet complete
Since flower color is needed to enter key, it has little utility if flowers are not visible

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

Categorizing pictures by flower color and other characteristics demonstrates relationships
Assignments focused on specific grade/course objectives could be built around the information presented
Site would be an effective problem solving tool for advanced high school and college studentscollect specimens and work with the key to identify both plant and habitat
Glossary provides an effective means for learning botanical terms
Organization permits flexibility of use
Content builds knowledge about plant taxonomy

Concerns:

Learning objectives are not included
It may help to include text and/or examples of how the site could be used creatively to identify species

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The site is straightforward
Entries to key by leaf arrangement and flower colorhighly intuitive
Material is well organized and easy to navigate
Written for user with minimal biology backgroundlittle jargon used and glossary available
Few defective links or bugs were found
Site is updated on a regular basis

Concerns:

Some missing pictures / defective links were encountered in the picture collection
No search capability provided

Other Issues and Comments:: This site is well on its way to being a comprehensive collection of Missouri plants. The pictures are good quality and descriptions are accurate. The cool botany links is a good feature of this site and provides some hard-to-find learning material. This site is enjoyable to look at and to use. A great deal of work has gone into what is obviously a work in progress. Keep up the good work.
Creative Commons: