Peer Review

Chemguide: Helping you to Understand Chemistry

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Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: This site provides primarily a scrollable text presentation of concepts in
introductory, inorganic, physical and organic chemistry. The site has a very
clean look and feel, is searchable and is clearly and well written. It also
includes good links to related topics and concpts in each section and a large
self-testing section. The figures available are accurate and simple to
understand. While the overall site covers aspects of first year chemistry
(bonding and structure), inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry etc., no
discipline is covered in very great detail.
Type of Material:: The site presents primarily text in scrollable, long pages with occasional
figures or diagrams. There are no animations and there is no interactivity
involved.
Recommended Uses:: 1. This site is useful as a reference material for students
2. It is a good study aid to be used in individual or group study
3. Good review tool and for self-testing by students.
Technical Requirements:: Standard computer platform.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The major learning goals of this site appear to be as a simple introduction to
first year, second year, or third year chemistry, without attempting to be
encyclopedic or comprehensive in treatment or provide examples of worked
calculational style problems.
Target Student Population:: Advanced high school and freshman and sophomore college chemistry students
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Introductory high school chemistry

Rating:
Strengths:: This site provides details of all the introdutory concepts and skills needed for
lower level college chemistry that are:
-consistently accurate
-consistent with cutrrent textbooks
-the links within the site are well designed to enhance the pareticular topic
being presented
Concerns:: This site uses only textual information and does not include any simulations or
animations, which could enhance student comprehension and retention. The number
of subjects covered is small. The site is primarily geared towards
use by A-level students in the U.K. For these students, the site is roughly
equivalent to an A-level preparatory text transported to the web. The number of
worked calculations is nonexistent for first year chemistry students, a major
impediment.

Rating:
Strengths:: The explanations presented are written in a remarkably clear style. This is
aided by the very clear web presentation style. The site has a look of
professionalism. The incorporation of a google search engine for the site helps
quick navigation. Students will be able to use small parts or several related
parts to better understand a topic, and as such, it has the flexibility of being
used as a comprehensive review tool or to learn a few specifc concepts and
topics. It also provides a link to an extensive interactive quizzing section on
various topics.
Concerns:: -The site presents information in a largely textual manner and therefore may not
appeal to multiple learning styles, navigation could be improved so that the
student is not continually scrolling through very long pages.
-It does not engage the viewer through audio and animation
-It is not interactive for the most part except for the quizzing sections.
-The prominent placement of the GOOGLE search engine on the main pages detracts
from the value of the site.

Rating:
Strengths:: - The site is very straightforward to use, with navigation by major topic and
then scrolling.
- The information is presented in a easy to follow fashion and is
self-contained.
- The terms in each new concept are clearly defined and linked to related terms
and explanations
Concerns:: None

Other Issues and Comments:: This site is a good source for learning and reviewing introductory
concepts in inorganic, physical and organic chemistry. There is little to no
mathmatical examples under the topics. It would have been much better if the
site had incorporated help with calculations rather than referring the reader to
the purchase of the textbook.
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