Peer Review

Connecting Concepts: Cell Biology/Chemiosmosis 2: Chemiosmosis in Eukaryotic Cells

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Reviewed:: Sep 16, 2005 by Biology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: Cell Biology/Chemiosmosis is one of a series of interactive web-based lessons designed to give introductory undergraduate biology students opportunities to connect biology concepts. Each lesson is a series of screens that breaks the topic down into simple steps and then illustrates the connections between the steps to present the completed concept or process. Chemiosmosis is a difficult process for students to grasp; this site can be used as a supplement to the lecture to allow students to review the topic at their own pace and as many times as desired. This lesson topic covers how it works in eukaryotic cells. A very good help screen is provided to help students use the lessons. The larger site containing the entire series will be very useful at the introductory level
Type of Material:: Tutorial.
Recommended Uses:: This site could be used in many ways. 1. As the basis of a classroom lecture presentation. 2. As an out-of-class assignment before the topic is covered in class. 3. As a study tool for students after topic is presented in class.
Technical Requirements:: Use of a current web browser will be required. Macromedia Flash Player 6 plug-in is required.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The major goal of this lesson is to help students understand the series of events that occur inside cells/cell organelles that allows the cell to harvest energy from oxidation reactions and synthesize ATP. This lesson topic addresses a portion of the larger process and contains specific learning objectives.
Target Student Population:: High school (AP level) through college.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Students will need to have a basic understanding of energy as applied to living systems as well as basic knowledge of the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

Site is highly interactive as student places components in correct position.
Questions asked throughout lessons help student get feedback on understanding of concepts/process.
Animations clearly connect the different parts of each process into a coherent whole.

Concerns:

Accuracy of table comparing mitochondria and chloroplast needs to be reviewed.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

Clearly demonstrates relationships between elements of each concept.
The site can be used in several waysas a direct teaching tool in a distance learning course, as a lecture outline, as a review and study tool for students after topic covered in class.
Some of the questions asked promote problem solving by student.
Some of the questions asked will be very challenging for introductory students.
Completion of plans for links to assessments and image/animation data bases will greatly enhance the usefulness of the site.

Concerns:

None

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

Instructions clear, especially when manipulating components and entering animations.
Instructors manual available; summarizes the contents of each of the lesson topics.
Glossary available for selected terms.

Concerns:

None

Other Issues and Comments:: This series of lessons has outstanding potential for use by faculty and students everywhere. The concepts are broken down to simple parts and then reassembled by an interactive process and animations into a whole.
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