Peer Review

Introduction to Bacteria

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Dec 24, 2011 by Biology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: Introduction to the Bacteria is a pretty good introductory site to learn about bacteria. Most sites emphasize bad aspects of bacteria but this site focuses on good attributes of bacteria (which is great). The material includes sections on Fossil Record, Life History & Ecology, Systematics, and More on Morphology. The site shows how bacteria play a fundamental role in nature. Most of the material includes text and pictures to provide users with some basic information about bacteria. Some of the material is still under construction and when completed, will enhance the educational value of this site.
Type of Material:: This site is generally a collection of images accompanied by text to describe what is being viewed.
Recommended Uses:: The material can be used in the classroom or at home, but is more suited for individual use to learn about bacteria for independent study.
Technical Requirements:: This is a straightforward site that requires only a browser to view HTML/text as well as images.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: Users will learn about the history and taxonomy of bacteria. The site provides a good introduction to bacteria and how we interact with them on a daily basis (e.g., starting with bacteria in yogurt to others such as cyanobacteria, and even some information about viruses).
Target Student Population:: Undergraduates, and to some extent, the general public can benefit from this site.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: There are no prerequisites for this site, although some knowledge of biology will help in understanding what is presented.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The information is accurate and fairly interesting
The site is very basic in content, which provides an introduction to microbiology and how we interact with microbes in nature
The site shows the positive aspects of bacteria
One feature provides links for terms; an example is prokaryote; which provides basic information on that term and what makes something a prokaryote vs. eukaryote
Most of the images are good quality
Images are appropriately categorized

Concerns:

Collection is incomplete and many of the materials in the Systematics section are under construction
Although there is some organization with sections, it is not clear if this approach follows traditional pedagogy for teaching microbiology

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The site shows that, without bacteria, we would not have decomposition and have major problems in our ecosystems
Material also provides good introductory material about nitrogen fixation
The blend of text and images makes the material interesting
Of the sections presented, the Fossil Record section is unique for a site on bacteria
The images shown are colorful and engaging

Concerns:

Learning objectives are not clear
Material is basically text and images, which may not be very exciting for users who prefer animations
Very few labels or magnifications are provided for the photomicrographs

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The information is organized by sections
Site is fast and intuitive
No defective links or major bugs were found

Concerns:

There is no search engine to specifically find specimens by common or scientific name
It is not always clear how to navigate to the home page

Other Issues and Comments:: This is a good site for learning about bacteria and the authors should be encouraged to complete sections that are currently under construction.
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