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Peer Review

Cell Membrane Flash Animation

Reviewed:

Nov 13, 2011 by Biology
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Ratings

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

This is a good site that starts out by showing different organelles of both plant and animal cells and their function. Materials also include some wonderful flash animations that show how oxygen gets infused into the blood stream and how osmosis and diffusion work. The material is geared for an introductory biology class to learn about cells and the functionality of the different organelles contained in cells.
Type of Material:

While some of the beginning material is presented as HTML, there are also simulations provided as Adobe Flash format later in the site.
Recommended Uses:

Many of the learning objects can be used in the classroom, although these same materials and others at this site can be used individually for interactive learning.
Technical Requirements:

Much of the material can be navigated with HTML, although Adobe Flash Player is required to use the simulations.
Identify Major Learning Goals:

The goal of this site is to educate new students on function and structure of plant and animal cells. This site will also help users learn about basic cell structure as well as diffusion and osmosis.
Target Student Population:

Target populations are middle school, high school and college non-science classes.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

There are no prerequisites for this site, although some knowledge of cell biology and chemistry will help to understand what is presented.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:

  • The content is well organized
  • Material is fairly complete for understanding some aspects of cell structure and function
  • Animations and simulations are straightforward
  • Quality of graphics provides enough detail for this level of understanding
Concerns:

  • The amount of information is a bit limited – it might be a good idea to provide more information on the phospholipid bilayer
  • A video that shows users the different parts of the cell would be a nice addition to the site

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:

  • This is a good starting point for learning about basic cell structure and function
  • The site is appealing and simple
  • Material is intuitive and easy to understand
  • A test is provided toward the end of the learning material to assess knowledge
Concerns:

  • Some of the materials are over-simplified
  • It may help to have videos and reading materials on separate pages
  • Objectives are not clearly stated

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:

  • The site is not too big, which makes it easy to navigate
  • Adobe Flash Animations load quickly and run smoothly
  • No defects were detected in the way the animation is presented
  • Information is easy to understand
Concerns:

  • There were no concerns about ease of use at the time of this review
Other Issues and Comments:

Students using this site like the material. It helped them organize the information and taught them the difference between osmosis and diffusion. It would be helpful if the accompanying material mentioned that osmosis and diffusion could occur simultaneously because many students might be under the impression that these occur separately. The flash videos are fantastic.
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