1. Home
  2. Peer Review: Plants in Hawaii

Peer Review

Plants in Hawaii

Reviewed:

Jun 26, 2011 by Biology
Bookmark

Ratings

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars
Content Quality: 4.5 stars
Effectiveness: 4.5 stars
Ease of Use: 4.8 stars
Overview:

Plants in Hawaii features what are called "canoe" plants because they were carried from Asia to Hawaii in canoes. This site describes twenty-four culturally significant plants brought to Hawaii by the islands first inhabitants - the Polynesian people. Cultivated by the islanders for their “life-sustaining” properties; the plants provide food, cordage, medicine, fabric, and containers necessary for daily life. The site displays information on the morphological features, growing conditions, historical range, medicinal properties and cultural significance of each plant providing a thorough and entertaining treatment of these intriguing species. In addition, each page is furnished with a plethora of links to facilitate further study. This site is particularly useful for users wanting interesting background information about plants in Hawaii.
Type of Material:

This site includes images and reference material about plants in Hawaii.
Recommended Uses:

The material gives users a better appreciation of certain Hawaiian plants and gives some information for identification and uses of plants according to folklore. This site should be used as a preliminary or supplementary source of information for a lecture on Hawaiian ethnobotany, or more generally for a course on plants and people.
Technical Requirements:

This site requires a browser to view HTML/Text and images.
Identify Major Learning Goals:

The information presented provides users with some historical and scientific information about Hawaiian plants. Learning goals include comprehension of the plants historical, morphological and anthropological features. In addition, through the study of these fascinating plants, users will learn about the Hawaiian people’s history and cultural practices.
Target Student Population:

The target viewing population includes the general public as well as anyone wanting to know about Hawaiian plants from Grade School through Graduate School. Undergraduate students enrolled in botany, plants and man, or ethnobotany courses would find this site useful.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

There are no prerequisites for this site, although some knowledge of plant biology might help to give users an even great appreciation for the material. A general knowledge of botanical nomenclature is beneficial but not necessary for the use of this site.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:

  • High quality drawings and images are included
  • The material is easy to find and helps relate botanical and historical information
  • The material is well organized into individual pages for each plant
  • The descriptions are well-written
  • The historical background and cultural significance is well supported in the bibliography
  • Content presented in an interesting manner
Concerns:

  • It is not always clear where to find specific reference material for each species
  • Some of the information seems anecdotal, although very interesting
  • This site would be greatly enhanced by the addition of quality pictures to accompany every page

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:

  • A great tool for researching culturally significant Hawaiian plants
  • This is a neat site for getting students interested in plant biology
  • A good mix of historical and other fun information is provided for each species
  • The mix of drawings and images makes it easier to visualize plants
  • Links within the site show relatedness of content
Concerns:

  • No learning objectives are provided
  • Drawings and/or pictures are not shown for some species
  • Key ideas and study questions would enhance the academic applicability of this site

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:

  • The site is simple and straightforward
  • Navigation through the material is fast and easy
  • No defective links or major bugs were found
  • Information is clearly conveyed; the text is well organized and possesses few grammatical errors
Concerns:

  • Searching the site for specific information without a search engine can be a little difficult
  • There were some broken links at the time of this review
Other Issues and Comments:

This is a great site for users interested in exploring plants of Hawaii. It could be expanded to include more species as well as additional drawing and images of the species presented. It is a well-researched site conveying interesting information about Hawiian plants and culture.
Creative Commons:
creative-commonscreative-commons by