Molecular Biology is part of the Biology Project, a series of learning modules for biology. The Biology Project: Molecular Biology contains four problem sets linked to tutorials titled molecular genetics of prokaryotes, nucleic acids, recombinant DNA technology, and eukaryotic gene expression. Each problem set consists of a series of multiple choice questions, ranging from 11 to 15. The student may access a tutorial that includes some illustrations and/or animations prior to selecting an answer. An incorrect answer leads directly to the tutorial. A correct response leads to a brief explanation of why this answer is correct. The molecular genetics of prokaryotes section is primarily about the lac operon. The nucleic acids section has questions about the discovery of DNA as the genetic material, and DNA replication, transcription and translation. Recombinant DNA technology has extensive coverage of cloning, Southern blots and genotyping. Eukaryotic gene expression is primarily focused on eukaryotic RNA processing with a couple of questions on gene regulation.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
4, 4, 4 = 4
The tutorials are simple and direct with very good figures and cover many important concepts. The multiple choice questions are clear, unambiguous and challenging.
Concerns:
The problem sets are uneven in their coverage and emphasis. For instance, in the nucleic acid section almost half the questions are about DNA replication, while there is no coverage of DNA structure. Because of the uneven coverage and the incomplete glossary, occasionally terms are used that are not explained on the site, for instance, PCR is used several times but the technique is never adequately explained.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
3, 3, 3 = 3
This can serve as a good self-paced review for students who have studied these topics. Students get immediate feedback on how well they know the material and get prompt instruction targeted at the specific topic they are having difficulty with. Since the tutorials directly address the questions, any student who takes the time will be able to access the correct information. Figures and animations are effectively used in the tutorials to explain the concepts to the students.
Concerns:
There is no tracking of responses so the user does not get a summary grade as feedback on their overall performance. Every wrong choice to a particular question leads to the same tutorial, thus the tutorials are based on the correct answer and do not address the misconceptions that might have led to a particular wrong answer. The tutorials could be even more effective if they addressed the specific error revealed by a wrong choice.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
5, 4, 4 = 4.3
The site is laid out in a uniform style and the links are clearly labeled and easy to navigate. Each module runs in a linear fashion and each page has links back to the beginning of the module as well as the homepage for the molecular biology site.
Concerns:
Two of the animations aren't working and the protein synthesis animation opens in the same window and has no instructions to go "back". The questions are not always arranged in a logical order.
Creative Commons:
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