September 1, 2005 (Vol. 25, No. 15)
URL:
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/bio101.html
Rating:
Strong Points: Wealth of information, organization, pictures
Weak Points: none
Summary:
Remember Biology 101? I sure do. It was the first class I had in my first semester in college at the ripe age of 18. It started at 7:30 in the morning, whether or not I did, and was taught by one of the most boring lecturers I’ve ever known from one of the most boring textbooks ever written. OK, maybe that is a bit harsh, but it was not a pleasant experience. Since those heady days of 1972, I’ve come to know hundreds of lecturers and see an equal number of ways of organizing information for students. It was with that in mind that I scanned through W.P. Armstrong’s Biology 101 site subtitled Wayne’s Word. A quick look at the content inside made me wish that I’d had access to Wayne’s collection of pictures and text back when I was a student. Meticulously organized, Wayne’s Word (also the name of his online textbook) oozes with images and an organization that invites students to scroll through the pages. This is a learning tool that everyone can appreciate.