| Product Name: |
Essence of Biology |
| Level: |
First Year Tertiary |
| Platform: |
Macintosh® / PC - Windows® |
| Supplied Information: |
Essence of Biology is an interactive study companion to accompany Biological Science, fifth edition, by W.T. Keeton & J.L. Gould. In addition to material relating to the various chapters of the book it contains a glossary and revision questions. |
| Possible Use: |
This product is suitable for First Year Tertiary courses for use by students working under instruction. |
| Review: |
Essence of Biology (EBIO) is described by its creators as an interactive study companion or hypertext study guide for Windows 3.1 accompanying the 5th Edition of the textbook "Biological Science" by W.T. Keeton and J.L Gould. EBIO is in PC format only. The software package consists of four set-up disks with installation instructions on the disk jacket; a single-page installation instruction sheet is also provided. Disks come with a runtime version of ToolBook and a self-extracting installer.
Installation instructions are clear and straight-forward; the user has the option to install the entire package or elements from volumes I and II. Also included is a four page pamphlett giving the user a guided tour of the software in a step-by-step format which is clear and easy to follow, allowing first time users to get up and running quickly. Minimal computing skills are necessary to install the software and run the program.
EBIO is very easy to use and highly intuitive in its operation. The program provides a comprehensive treatment of the six parts covered in the textbook: I.The Chemical and Cellular Basis of Life, II. The Perpetuation of Life, III. Evolutionary Biology, IV. The Genesis and Diversity of Life, V. The Biology of Organisms, and VI. Ecology. Each screen in EBIO appears as a "review card" which provides key notes of material covered in the textbook together with drawings, graphs and animations of some concepts. At the bottom of each screen are well-defined buttons which help you to easily navigate through the program's somewhat complicated, but well intentioned, hierachical arrangement of topics and auxillary learning aids such as the glossary and question modules. The information provided is, for the most part, accurate and user-targeted.
Positive aspects of the program include:
Well-organized, very user-friendly, computer-aided presentation of information. Instructions are clear and intuitive. Help screens are very informative, Very easy and fast movement around the program; it has a really intuitive feel. Hypertext functions are very effective. The inclusion of animation icons directly linked to information windows allow the user to understand concepts in a "cartoon-type" video format. EBIO comes complete with a multiple-choice question module which can be activated (or de-activated) at any time. The user is informed as to whether their answers are correct or incorrect; in either case a brief, but descriptive feedback is displayed. A comprehensive glossary complements the package; access is available via an on-screen control button or via a hypertext function within an information screen. Key notes presented on-screen in EBIO can be directly related to textbook information since the corresponding chapter and page numbers appear at the bottom of each!
screen.
Negative aspects of the program include:
EBIO suffers from poor attention to interactive multimedia styling. It is not a visually appealing program. Screen layouts are very boring users would become easily distracted by the monotonous presentation of information. Review cards cramped with text exacerbate the problem, making it very difficult to enjoy reading and interacting with EBIO. The program does not run full screen under Windows 3.1. The opening screen is visually unremarkable; graphic colour combinations and font quality is also poor throughout the program. Some Help screens cannot be properly read with some text/graphics obliterated. First page of Help related to stack organization does not mirror Guided Tour sheet. No function keys to allow the user to print card information; students frequently request such an option.
Overall, EBIO is a potentially valuable teaching/learning aid for university-level students studying general biological science or related speciality areas. By providing its users with a sound synopsis of information presented in the accompanying textbook, EBIO is definitely a useful educational resource. However, much of its impact as a computer-based multimedia instructional aid is lost due to poor multimedia design (on-screen presentation of graphics, artwork and text). |
|
Dr Mark O'Brien, School of Life Science, Queensland University of Technology. 30/7/97 |
| |
| Supplier: |
Jacaranda Wiley, PO Box 1226, Milton Qld 4064 |
|
headoffice@jacwiley.com.au |
|
http://www.wiley.com/products/worldwide/jacaranda/ |
|
phone: (07) 3859 9755 |
|
fax: (07) 3859 9715 |
| Date Record Last Modified: |
27/11/97 |
