Professor, Science Dept. I realize that it is impossible to provide this quality of artwork in an open source textbook, but I think it is also important to recognize how important such features are for students attempting to visualize complex structures and to master difficult concepts. I understand that this is tough considering the expedited evolution of the field. Using the terms soft and hard to differentiate between biological and social sciences simply furthers the divide between the two and also imparts a value judgment where "soft" sciences are not viewed as rigorous or quantitative as biological sciences. (a) element; (b) element; (c) compound; (d) mixture; (e) compound; (f) compound; (g) compound; (h) mixture. Yes, this text is much like any of the regular, paper general biology textbooks. When the authors have constructed their own images, they are rather basic by modern standards, but that is not a bad thing in my view. The listing of key words with definitions at the end of each chapter is a useful feature, since students can reference key words for that specific chapter easily and quickly. 4. Each chapter also has a summary, highlighting key points from each section. and you must attribute OpenStax. Diversity of life and physiology get a lot of attention and surprising detail for an introductory textbook. It is provides a baseline for the essential content for a Biology course. Link to Learning It focuses on many broad aspects of biology such as Chemistry, Cell biology, Ecology and Geology. There are currently ongoing rapid changes in our understanding of some aspects of biology, such as whether the three domain model for life is correct. Colored images work better for the students since I emphasize that is publisher is paying more for the color it must be important. This book teaches them the basics every biology major should become familiar but spans a large amount of disciplines within biology. Either way, you can fulfil your aspiration and enjoy multiple cups of simmering hot coffee. It also is relatively current, and includes some relatively recent knowledge, but the time for a major update is approaching. read more. No small amount of science is discovery science, research that while firmly embedded in existing theories, questions, and hypotheses, is not driven by a particular specific hypothesis. I believe this is where the instructor comes in to highlight other scientists and contributors to the field. Wherever technical jargon is used, it is immediately explained so the reader gets used to field terminology but also understands it. read more. My students do a lot of Google image searching to supplement graphics. On the other hand if the authors wanted to dwell on minutia they could say that catabolic reactions also require input of energy to overcome the energy of activation. No errors of fact or interpretation were evident to me. Support resources at the end of the text are thorough and well organized. Definitions and examples for terminology are provided by several means; within the body of the text, key terms, tables, examples and through Link to Learning. enzyme. The book itself is generally free of grammatical errors. If xenon has an atomic number of 54 and a mass number of 108, how many neutrons does it have? The depth of content is largely appropriate for a 200-level Biology class. When talking about inherited disorders and conditions, the authors were straight-forward and sensitive with jargon related to those topics, which can read as offensive if done thoughtlessly. If you are throwing a tea party, at home, then, you need not bother about keeping your housemaid engaged for preparing several cups of tea or coffee. Create an application that writes a series of random numbers to a file. There are a few errors or misstatements in this book, but they are few and far between. I do wish there was more content on plant biology. This was especially noteworthy in the diversity of life chapters, where contemporary taxonomic titles are used rather than the more widely recognized historical names and groups that are currently outdated. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License . Vending Services has the widest range of water dispensers that can be used in commercial and residential purposes. Every summer, a new PDF of Biology is released and print stock is updated for the following Fall. biology astronomy physics Shhh. The order of topics is also similar to other books and follows a logical progression: process of science, chemistry, cell biology, genetics, evolution, biological diversity, plant structure/function, animal structure/function, and ecology. On page 54, this sentence requires a fuller explanation: Cells can only survive freezing if the water in them is temporarily replaced by another liquid like glycerol. The authors do a great job of this important aspect. The topics are arranged in a typically progression and build on one another in a traditional fashion. Compare heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The content appears to be accurate. These have all been a work in progress. I would feel confident in this textbooks ability to provide scientifically sound ideas to my students. Special interest topics also fail to mention Canadian content (for example, laws governing reproductive technologies and designer babies). There could be more cultural references in the examples of careers sections. Reviewed by Laurie Lawson, Associate Professor, Tidewater Community College on 1/30/23, This online textbook covers most chapters for the biology 101 and 102 courses taught at TCC. This textbook covers the typical introductory biology course topics for biology majors, including chemistry, cells, genetics, evolution, biodiversity, plant and animal form and function, and ecology. I noted several examples in which material is explained clearly in one part of the text, with inaccurate or inconsistent information in other places. Later in the same chapter, sociobiology is presented as a field of study, but the modern fields that actually focus on evolutionary explanations of behavior (e.g., Neuroethology; Behavioral Ecology) are not. Its nice to have a free textbook from a reputable university that can give students from lower incomes the ability to have the same depth and breadth of information for no money on or before the first day. Consider extinct vertebrate taxa (e.g., ostracoderms and Placoderms) and extant taxa (e.g., lungfishes) that have unconstricted notochords. There are numerous areas that could be improved, but none that I have seen that stand out as warranting complaint. This would have gotten a slightly higher grade had so many labels been misapplied. I appreciate the highlighted boxes that provide additional information, such as the Visual, Everyday, and Career Connections. Specifically stating which pages the specific answers could be found would be even better. One aspect of this book that I feel was done very well was the coverage of the scientific method and the manner in which this was tied into subsequent chapters again and again. This is a nice replacement for a standard paper textbook. In Section 10.1 (p. 280) on genomic DNA, the text makes a distinction between character and trait (a tricky concept for many students) but then conflates the two on the following page (referring to hair color as a trait instead of a character). I havent gotten that far ahead, though Ill probably be skipping that one for now since I dont plan to cover it until next semester. For example, most fish taxa are listed with their rank, but not gnathostomes (which might've been referred to as a superclass). One of the most attractive features of an open source text is that it can be more readily revised that hard copy since it is a web-based text. 1. Although there were some minor figure errors which I did not find in the traditional textbook, there was effectively no difference in accuracy. Overall, this book covers the essentials required by an introductory biology textbook. The machines that we sell or offer on rent are equipped with advanced features; as a result, making coffee turns out to be more convenient, than before. Clientele needs differ, while some want Coffee Machine Rent, there are others who are interested in setting up Nescafe Coffee Machine. Joint and body movement illustrations and descriptions are very detailed while important concepts like trophic cascade are not included at all. Having said that, I need to add that a major complaint I have of the most widely used introductory textbooks for Biology majors is that too much attention is focused on trying to provide that context, which makes the essential facts more difficult for some students to grasp. New vocabulary is introduced throughout in bold, and key terms are repeated at the end of each chapter. These concepts are best taught with interactive animations that allow the student to try different responses and then get immediate feedback on whether they were correct or not. Which of the following sciences is not considered a natural science? Spanning 47 chapters, the OpenStax "Biology" production is as comprehensive as its competitors. Are those available somewhere or exclusively on TpT? read more. I have used chapter 1-16 of this book for a 100-level community college class "Integrated Chemistry and Cellular Biology for Healthcare Professionals". It is refreshing to see a discussion of epigenetics in detail as this is often missing from upper level genetics text books. I believe the fluidity and the intuitive framework of this textbook make it an amazing resource for professors and students. If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a print format, Organization is certainly logical, topics are in their predicted locations. Likewise, more inclusive wording could be used with respect to gender. The scientific information provided in this text is very accurate. I have cited a few examples In fig 2.19, human blood should be included in the pH scale. Consistency is generally good but need some help in few instances. The text is clear but perhaps a little dry and sparse. After one semester of using Openstax, I have received positive feedback from students. Seemed good. The book highlights different career paths for students in each respective field of biology using engaging real-world examples, and explicitly calls out areas that cause frequent confusion for students (for example, the difference between weather and climate when discussing climate change, and common misunderstandings about the process of evolution. I think this book has is comprehensive for a general biology textbook, but it lacks some depth and breath for a genetics class. Biology includes rich features that engage students in scientific inquiry, highlight careers in the The majority of the learning outcomes at the beginning of the chapter are done well and the visual connection and review questions at the end of the chapter assess lower order cognitive skills. organisms with simple diffusion through countercurrent flow) and then using human systems as examples. This is a boon to both students looking for a term I've assigned, and to me when I'm re-working my concept study guides. Due to the nature of a general biology course, there are certainly chapters that should be covered before other chapters. The book followed a typical format of introducing biological concepts starting with cell and ending with community biology. Nothing caught my attention regarding Canadian content. There are no issues with the download at any time and website does reminder the reader to use the chrome or any other web browser than IE. Show more water molecules in shell of hydration image fig. The sections, though integrated, can, in many cases stand alone as an introduction to the topics. anabolic (also anabolism) pathways that require an energy input to synthesize complex molecules from simpler ones. These are concise and provide a better big-picture summary than the text I currently use, where students often become overwhelmed and lost in the details. There is not a glossary, which would be helpful, but new terms are generally in bold. For some of the less frequently taught concepts (Algae/Protist diversity) the sections are a little thinner than other non-OER texts. The material is presented in an engaging manner and should hold the students attention. Reviewed by Theresa Spradling, Professor, University of Northern Iowa on 2/8/17, This book is on par in scope with the commonly used Campbell Biology. Yes, the text appears to be consistent in terms of terminology and framework. Chapter 15, Section 15.4 A chapter summary provides a good review for students, and I sometimes advised students to read the summary first, before getting into the weeds. The interface is trouble-free. The two most likely trouble spots, human population growth and human impacts on biodiversity, are softballed in this textbook, avoiding cultural insensitivity. High quality in every sense, cover to cover. The text covers essential content in sufficient detail for an introductory and/or non-majors biology survey type course. I have found no inaccuracies. I currently teach 9th grade Biology. I found it to be broad in scope but still provided the depth you would want in a major's level Biology course. On p. 125 the authors write: "The X chromosome is one of the two human sex chromosomes, as these chromosomes determine a person's sex. Putting these pieces together would help students gain a more unified understanding of cellular respiration as one component of larger biological processes. On page 96, the text states, The structural difference between a normal hemoglobin molecule and a sickle cell moleculewhich dramatically decreases life expectancyis a single amino acid of the 600. No, the sickle cell hemoglobin only decreases life expectancy in homozygous individuals. I did not find any inaccuracies or errors in my review of this textbook. There are also chapter summaries and review sections at the end of every chapter. On page 479, the text states that Natural selection [is] also known as survival of the fittest. This outdated phrase is not challenged or revised. The chapters are divided into topical sections, making it easy to assign or not assign specific topics. It was easy to find specific topics using the "Search this book" feature on the online version. All of the material is based on objective science and, after presenting facts, offered learners the chance to evaluate their own beliefs based on new information. The relevance for the most part is good. The 2nd edition has been revised to incorporate clearer, more current, and more dynamic explanations, while maintaining the same organization as the first edition. The core concepts of biology can be taught in many different orders and there is not one best linear path through the material. Click on the cover of the book for which you would like to submit a correction., 3. Creative Commons Attribution License I never noticed any obvious inconsistencies in terminology that affected understanding. The references to recent research areas is an asset. The career connections are good sections that help students relate what they are learning to the job market. While a part of the package is offered free of cost, the rest of the premix, you can buy at a throwaway price. Additionally, when describing the different types of RNA that can be found in a cell, not only does the text mention mRNA and tRNA, but additionally rRNA, which some introductory books leave out. I would like to see more integration of topics; however the layout and the style of the textbook does allow for some flexibility. The interfaces were either excellent or poor. However, I have found some points of disagreement that are perhaps matters of emphasis, philosophy or omission. The text book uses accessible prose while at the same time expecting the student to remain current with the material learned in previous chapters. The additional content of animations was well done and accessible. (For example, a link to the genetics of human eye-color exercise inaccurately depicts human eye color as a two-gene character). Of the Career Connection vignettes that do have photographs, it appeared to me that all people shown were light skinned and only one was likely to be female-identified. To cover a 200-level biology class introducing biological concepts starting with cell and ending with community biology a. 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