Peer Review

Plant Biology

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Mar 15, 2010 by Biology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: This site provides lecture notes for a plant biology course at the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics at University of Maryland. The notes include hyperlinks to relevant resources, and each topic includes a briefly annotated list of links. Some of the topics include the function of plants, basic physiology, cell biology, anatomy, metabolism, genetics, reproduction, evolution, diversity, human uses and ecology. Bacteria, fungi and some algae are covered as well land plants. Example exams, along with answers, make this site particularly useful for students.
Type of Material:: This site can be browsed using the order topics are presented for the course. It is essentially a set of lecture notes, annotated by copious hyperlinks to pertinent material.
Recommended Uses:: Users can view the materials at home or bring them to lecture to enrich the learning experience in class. Some biology background would enrich the learning experience.
Technical Requirements:: This is a straightforward site that requires only a browser to view HTML/Text as well as images. Some of the links may require additional plug-ins or software.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: Users will learn about plant biology through use of the lecture outlines and hyperlinks. The course from which these lecture notes are taken lists the following objectives: 1) to gain a basic understanding of the processes through which plants function, 2) to develop concepts concerning the factors leading to the great diversity among plants and the need to maintain this diversity, and 3) to understand the complex role of plants in the environment and in our society in order to make informed decisions.
Target Student Population:: Undergraduate students as well as instructors needing a set of lecture notes can benefit from this site.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: There are no prerequisites for this site, although it appears to be intended for students enrolled at the University of Maryland’s plant biology course.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The course offers a wide variety of topics
The section on human uses of plants is especially interesting
The information is accurate and pretty complete for a for a college-level plant biology course.
The sequence of lecture topics follows logical pedagogy
Appropriate vocabulary is used for the content aspect of these lecture notes, although information about taxonomy of phyla within kingdoms difficult to find
Images, when provided, are useful

Concerns:

Some images are missing or they are improperly hyperlinked
Some of the topics presented list only a hyperlink to specific material and, in cases where the hyperlink is not functioning, this leads to gaps in the material
Specific taxonomic concepts are not entirely clear, although concepts are well-presented
There are some spelling errors in some of the material presented

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The site provides a decent resource for instructors who are preparing to teach a plant biology course
The lecture notes presented by this site and they are a good resource for students
Learning objectives are clearly stated for the material at the beginning of the site
Sample questions for exams are provided
The images, when provided, clearly show specific content and make the site more enjoyable to view

Concerns:

Main objectives are shown for the course, but not specifically stated for each sub-topic
Not many animations or simulations are provided to engage students in the learning experience
More animations, diagrams, or images would improve the value of the site for instructors and students.
The high percentage of dead hyperlinks vitiates the value of the site and may make it difficult to comprehend some topics
Some frustration is experienced when some links are not active

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The course topics are well organized in outline form, making it easy to browse topics
The information is grouped logically for a plant biology course
The list of links at the end of each topic, spread throughout the outline provided a potentially-wonderful resource
Users with some background in botany will find the progression of material intuitive
Links from general topics to specific notes are quick and easy to use

Concerns:

There is no search engine to specifically find terms within the site
At the time of this review, there were many missing or unchecked hyperlinks and some links point only to a web portal rather than a specific topic.

Other Issues and Comments:: This is a good site for students and professionals who need lecture notes for a plant biology course. The website is a potentially-useful resource, especially for instructors of plant biology course. The links, when active, are especially useful for online instructors and students.
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