1. Many topics are covered at a moderate level of depth with additional links provided to content from other sections of the text This is a very comprehensive textbook that provides an appropriate balance between the different fields of biology. This is a good book for an introductory level class, covering all material that would traditionally be presented in a one or two semester series. Be on the watch that the figures mirror the text, but aside from that, I look forward to using this for my class. My students have always struggled with the ever-higher page count zoology or integrative biology textbooks. The contents on the left side of the page make navigation very easy and you can easily switch to different sections to find the information that you need. 17. Examples used earlier in a given chapter may be revisited later in that same chapter or unit, facilitating continuity and flow. Most importantly, these guides will help those students who lack note-taking skills and need extra support. I know that I have such students, and I know that this text would be hurtful to them. Its generally well-written. The sentence structure and vocabulary beyond the scientific terms are simple enough that even ESL college students should be able to glean information. I am writing this review of the genetics unit from Biology 2e (chapters 11-17) in the context of potentially using this book for an introductory level, one semester genetics course for majors. Students who did these problems would gain in understanding, but I think the questions are not especially strong with respect to developing new skills at applying the concepts, doing broader analysis, or synthesizing ideas. read more. As with any textbook, minor errors have made their way into the book. For example, trying to show how Valine is substituted in hemoglobin before Translation has been covered. read more. I found it very easy to divide the readings into manageable segments that provide clarity and promote student understanding. Other sections are excessively technical and will probably confuse students. This will probably be apparent especially in the molecular genetics topics. This text is modular in the way that most textbooks are modular -- information is organized into chapters, and chapters are organized with subheadings. Their own figure 1.17 underscores that prokaryotes are not a valid monophyletic group. In contrast to some introductory biology textbooks that focus almost exclusively on humans, this text consistently includes examples from all three domains of life, making the content more applicable to students with interests in different areas of biology. For my purposes this text does an adequate job of achieving that balance, and any deficiencies in content coverage can be made up by supplementary materials supplied by individual instructors. In Figure 45.10, there is no such thing as the carrying capacity of seals. The book itself is generally free of grammatical errors. Again, this seems to reflect a lack of understanding on the part of the authors, as the inaccurate terms are used consistently. Bar codes are used in many places for easy conversion as media changes. While there are probably a few more grammatical errors than would be typical for a traditional textbook, I have no problems with the grammar of the text. Although the book will be most naturally adoptable for courses that deliver content in this same order, the book should be flexible enough to allow instructors to adapt it to their own ordering of topics. The Toolkit. This textbook does a great job at being consistent throughout in terms of style, dialogue, summaries, resources, etc. Reviewed by Cathy Sistilli, Professor, Biological Sciences, OhioLink on 7/19/19, Good coverage of topics appropriate to a two semester biology majors course. In fact, not only are there no such problems, but many of the examples used demonstrate a clear commitment to human (and other biological) diversity. Navigation within the digital book was problem-free. This is outdated terminology that has no place in a general biology textbook. The coloration of these figures should also be improved for contrast. Tunicates and vertebrates are sister taxa that diverged more recently. The text is very easy to read, written for a collegiate audience in a way that avoids jargon, or identifies it in quotes to indicate that it is. In fact in the first chapter, the second image that contained a person, showed researchers excavating a paleontological site in Spain. I am reviewing this textbook not for a first year course in introductory biology, but for a second-year one-semester course on the integrative biology of animals. From this perspective, I would have actually preferred if the text was less modular. Overall, I think it is a good text. Chapters can be taken out of order. Some of the videos for the pc computer, cannot be accessed however. I would like to see more than headshots of "discoverers", particularly since they are bound to be primarily white men, and more emphasis on the work of culturally diverse teams, reflective of what labs and discoveries look like today. These included sites such as Khan Academy. It is also important to emphasize to students that diffusion is an effective and important process for transport of molecules over small distances but is completely irrelevant at macrocopic scales. The text is easy to read with consistent flow and rationale. Jan 9, 2023 OpenStax. 4. 7+$3 X@mc !B"+ In my first year of using this OER, I regret to report that I didnt have time to explore the links embedded in the text. There were no major differences I observed between 1e and 2e. There is a comprehensive table of contents, index, and "Key Terms" page for each section. These and many more errors and omissions can be corrected by a revision of the text and replacement of figures. anabolic (also anabolism) pathways that require an energy input to synthesize complex molecules from simpler ones. The content of the text is generally accurate but not uniformly. The book followed a typical format of introducing biological concepts starting with cell and ending with community biology. All areas of introductory biology were covered. The text is divided logically and often, providing a break for students reading. Chapter 12 In particular, Chapter 17 (Biotechnology and Genomics), needs to be updated. p.359 Why show a karyotype where the colours dont match up for the homologues? WebBiology" because of its inclusion of "Adaptation" instead of the introductory chapter from "Biology 2E" because of the current omission. Why are two base pairs (T-A and incorrectly labeled C-G) shown? The text is very well organized and the material flows well. Depending on your choice, you can also buy our Tata Tea Bags. The section on prokaryotic cells does not mention the circular shape of their DNA, but it is then eluded to in the section on eukaryotic cells. I attended Louisiana Tech this summer for BISC 130 132 and the prof used Openstax. Content is generally accurate and relevant. read more. The OpenStax Biology book has units and chapters that cover all of the major topics that one would consider for a general or introductory Biology course. The illustrations while generally very appropriate perhaps could be shown larger and in more visually appealing ways (e.g. One example will suffice: there is no mention of the CRISPR-cas9 gene editing method which even the general public is aware of now because of extensive media coverage of the work of Dr. Jennifer Doudna and others. "Prokaryotes" do not comprise a monophyletic group, and thus, while the name "prokaryote" may still be used, it is definitely not a basis of modern, formal, scientific classification. Therefore, I conclude that the text is neither culturally relevant, nor culturally insensitive. I primarily used PDF copies, but did spend one day using the online version without issues. 1999-2023, Rice University. Overall, I highly recommend the book. One critique is that the learning outcomes at the beginning of the chapter and the visual connection and review questions at the end of the chapter are mostly lower order cognitive skill questions (i.e. The former links students to videos, animations, and primary literature while the latter highlights different careers that apply to the section discussed in the text. While images in general represent different races, inclusion particularly of scientists from different groups could be improved. Sources were cited appropriately and they were relatively recent. read more. This book is written at a level that is very accessible to my college freshmen and sophomores. I am interpreting this question as 5 = no grammatical errors and 1 = oh-my-goodness-so-bad. P.451 Probes must be explained much more completely. I was impressed with the quality of the content. This is a shame and could wind up creating misconceptions about the current study of animal behavior. 2. The material is provided in a clear and succinct manner, a well-organized book with subheadings and appropriate level of reading smaller sections. More vocabulary is presented which is a good thing to expose the students to. AAAS's Vision and Change concepts and competencies were not a theme in the book. This text, while far from being obsolete, probably needs an update as it was finished in 2018. I saw very few references to race/ethnicity in the text, Reviewed by Thomas Giardina, Assistant Professor, University of Delaware on 5/21/18, This review will focuses specifically on a representative chapterin this case, Chapter 7: Cellular Respiration. organisms with simple diffusion through countercurrent flow) and then using human systems as examples. Most importantly, they help you churn out several cups of tea, or coffee, just with a few clicks of the button. WebPANOPEN + OPENSTAX BIOLOGY ACCESS CODE 17th Edition ISBN: 9781944519766 BIOLOGY 2E 2nd Edition ISBN: 9781506699851 BIOLOGY 13th Edition ISBN: 2810017676413 BIOLOGY FOR AP COURSES (OER) 17th Edition ISBN: 9781947172401 EBK BIOLOGY 2nd Edition ISBN: 9781947172524 Homework Help by Science Subjects Terminology is used consistently throughout. This is often a matter of opinion across Biology professors, so that is not surprising. We focus on clientele satisfaction. American spelling is used throughout, which is fine with me. I feel the text is mostly accurate, but as in any large text, the occasional error slips by editors now and then. This is consistent across the textbook, with the chapters following what I would consider to be a logical flow. Some students may need more context to learn the vocabulary. The navigation is a bit easier with the downloaded version, as the online version is divided into units, so if you just give your student a chapter to look at, you may need to tell them which unit the chapter is listed under. This text is consistent and organized throughout. Like most biology textbooks, the topics are presented in hierarchy from small to large scale (atoms to ecosystems), which builds concepts logically and necessarily somewhat cumulatively. I feel this book would be relevant for biology majors, learning their new field, as well as non-majors exploring the topic for the first and (maybe) only time. glycosidic bond. The index has links to the relevant sections, which is helpful, and each chapter contains a Key Words section. I did not find references to other sections of the book, and these chapters could be used without the rest of the text. There seems to be less volume of coverage of Ecology/Evolution compared to Organismal The text wast not culturally insensitive of offensive and when used examples where cultural diverse throughout the text. However, I now realize that instructors are encouraged to cut irrelevant material and use relevant material to their coursework. The text wastes no words on poetry, and moves through the material with a workmanlike approach. Reviewed by David Carlini, Associate Professor, American University on 2/1/18, This text is very comprehensive, covering all topics that should be included in a two semester undergraduate introductory biology course for Biology majors/premedical students. Text modularity is good. On page 482, the text states, Although natural selection may work in a single generation on an individual, it can take thousands or even millions of years for the genotype of an entire species to evolve. The idea that evolution and speciation require millennia is included as a misconception later in the chapter! I think the modularity of this book helps with the flow. Author (s) OpenStax. The comprehensiveness varies but is overall mostly appropriate. The organization of the book follows a well established and familiar pattern, with the chapters organized into sections as in many other well known general biology textbooks, e.g. I dont think this type of writing will attract any students to this type of text over a paper textbook. Students should be able to build upon their knowledge and comprehension as they proceed through the course. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Overall this book does a great job and overall I believe that it is an adequate substitution for a published text that students purchase, although some connections between themes may need to be emphasized. Some of them (Figure 5.11, Figure 18.6) are truly awful. For instance, in Figure 40.15/Page 1178, the branch after the Thoracic aorta is named the Abdominal aorta; its branches include the Celiac trunk, Superior Mesenteric artery (mistakenly labeled as Gastric artery), and it becomes the Common Iliac artery (mistakenly labeled as Iliac artery) . In other places, there are attempts to make connections with topics introduced in later chapters. Majority of the figures and charts in the "Art Connection Figures" are very difficult to read. I felt like there was too much detail on some processes, and too little detail on other topics. Some of these topics, for examples DNA sequencing, only Sanger sequencing has a figure and next generation sequencing is described in a few sentences. The organization and flow of the text is logical and straightforward. Not sure this is a major hang up, just something I noticed. The genetics section of this book appears to be consistent. In some instances, I felt that certain topics, such as stem cell research, were not given much coverage, but the overall coverage was excellent. I wouldnt call the text culturally relevant but it is certainly not culturally insensitive or offensive. Non-major students who dislike biology because of the very intricate details of glycolysis or the steps in DNA replication would be the best sort of market this book could reach. The text is written in an understandable, clear manner, and all major terms are bolded and referenced in the end-of-chapter glossary. Now that you have the Water Cooler of your choice, you will not have to worry about providing the invitees with healthy, clean and cool water. I liked the fact that there was a glossary of terms in each section, Learning objectives presented at the start of each section are also very useful for students to focus their reading. 2 Review Questions - Biology 2e | OpenStax Review Questions Review Questions Highlights 4. The first third of this Biology 2e text is roughly equivalent to our abridged version The text is easily searchable by key words (Ctrl F). Furthermore, Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The organization of the text makes it easy to assign very specific chapters and subsections according to the goals of the course, and to read these sections out of order. This is especially important at my institution where our introductory sequence for life science majors consists of two free-standing semester-long courses: Organismal and Ecological Biology; and Cellular and Molecular Biology. This is a strength of the text, considerably easier to use in that way that most texts I have examined. The chemistry chapter and many others have animations to help teach concepts that are better learned through visualizations, but some chapters do not have interactive animations that are very helpful in learning tough concepts like chemical bonding, building a molecule or diffusion and osmosis. Since first looking at this text a year ago, I have been very impressed with the quality and comprehensiveness. The depth of content is largely appropriate for a 200-level Biology class. Logically and often, providing a break for students reading with any textbook, the. Sections are excessively technical and will probably be apparent especially in the `` Art Connection figures '' very... In the first chapter, the second image that contained a person, showed researchers excavating a paleontological in! Minor errors have made their way into the book followed a typical of... 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