Peer Review

The Brazelton Institute

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Jan 14, 2015 by Psychology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: This website provides an overview of the highly credentialed Brazelton Institute, which has developed the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) for the observation and assessment of neonatal development. The scale provides invaluable information about “what it will take to nurture a baby.” The website contains hotlinks to related research, media coverage, training opportunities for professionals, and learning materials that can be purchased. Advanced high school and college students, child development specialists, physicians, researchers, and new parents will find the site informative.
Type of Material:: Reference material
Recommended Uses:: The website would be an excellent supporting reference for in-class lectures, class discussions, and homework assignments (both online and face-to-face).
Technical Requirements:: The website was successfully reviewed using both Mozilla Firefox (31.3) and Google Chrome (31.0).
Identify Major Learning Goals:: • The student will learn about tools (and organizations) that ascertain and contribute productively to the health of newborn infants. • The student will be able to describe the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS)and explain how it would be used.
Target Student Population:: The key target population would be advanced high school and college students studying human development. The website would be particularly useful for either undergraduate or graduate students who are new to this concept. Finally, the site would be beneficial for students (and graduates)who are interested in pursuing a career working with infants.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: None

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: • This material is well referenced; the credentials of the Brazelton Institute are outstanding. A wealth of varied information is provided to serve many interests of readers. • The content is concise and provides a strong, broad overview of the scale.
Concerns:: None.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: • It is valuable for students to know about the Brazelton Institute and its neonatal assessment tools. It may motivate students to pursue further studies or careers in early child development.
Concerns:: • The website is designed for “professionals who work with infants and their families.” To enhance its usefulness for the classroom setting, faculty may wish to develop case study examples/scenarios that aid students in better understanding the behaviors and characteristics that newborns may exhibit and how the NBAS can be applied to support enhanced comprehension of caregiving and nurturing.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: • The site is professionally executed with excellent photography and graphics. • The site is very simple and straightforward to navigate. Supporting content is easily accessed via a well-structured navigation menus.
Concerns:: • At the time of the review, several links did not work.

Other Issues and Comments:: The work of this organization is admirable and noteworthy. Although this website is not meant to be a training module, the presented information offers a strong foundation for lesson plan development.
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