![]() ![]() This text could be improved by highlighting and showing images of a larger proportion of non-white, non-male researchers. The phrases “This data” and “these data” are both used. The text sometimes treats the word “data” as plural and other times as singular. ![]() Generally I have not found grammatical errors. Many images are quite nice, and I have used them in my teaching materials when teaching with a non-OER text. Many of the images are just okay some are fairly hard to see. Pearson has a similar but less responsive interface for its eBooks. The first thing that I notice is the sleek, responsive, intuitive user interface of OpenStax it is easy to navigate the table of contents to open a specific section of each chapter. I can quickly find any topic through the Table of Contents. The organization is such that it would be easy to include or omit entire sections. Sections and Chapters are organized in a manner similar to most mainstream Biology textbooks. Bite-sized sections can be assigned to accompany lecture, video, practice questions, and in-class lecture or lab activities. I am particularly pleased with the sections of the text. Chapter organization and writing style are consistent among all sections. ![]() The textbook is consistent both internally and with most conventions in the Biology Discipline. For example, “genetic engineer” yields no results, while “genetic engineering” is found in two chapters. The entire book can be searched for a particular word or phrase – there must be an exact match. Each section of a chapter is a good length and clearly written. Each chapter has an alphabetical list of key terms. Each section opens with clearly stated learning objectives that I modify and add to my own teaching materials. ![]() A simple explanation of CRISPR gene editing is needed.Ĭoncepts of Biology is very clearly written, with a consistent layout that is easy to navigate. In Chapter 10 there is a link to a video about genetic engineering that was created in 2003, eighteen years ago. However the genetic engineering content could be updated. For example, I am pleased that the Citric Acid Cycle is not called by the older convention of “Krebs Cycle”. Generally content and terminology are up to date. I encountered no inaccuracies that affected my class. The list is short, and errors appear to have been corrected. One instructor resource is a list of errata that can be downloaded as a pdf errors that have been found by users and updated. In Chapter 5, I found the coverage of environmental adaptations in photosynthesis to lack depth, and I included another resource to add more detail to my course. Mary's College of California on 5/28/21Ĭoncepts of Biology includes almost everything that I would normally include in a one-semester General Biology course. Reviewed by Kai Blaisdell, Visiting Assistant Professor, St. Journalism, Media Studies & Communications. ![]()
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