Peer Review

The Battery ~ Alessandro Volta

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Jan 21, 2022 by Engineering

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This video concerns the development of the electrical battery invented by Alessandro Volta, by means of the scientific biography of his author. The video describes the most relevant issues in the life and the work of this scientist. It also bridges Volta's invention to the current world that is very dependent on batteries.

Type of Material:

Animation (Video)

Recommended Uses:

This material can be used as a complementary material in courses related to electricity and history of science/technology. It can be presented in the classroom to introduce a discussion on the topic. It can also be recommended as a recreational material. Useful for traditional and hybrid/blended teaching.

Technical Requirements:

Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers were used to access the material. It seems that all facilities are active for any browser.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The main objective of this material is to present the history of the invention of the battery and the work of the scientist reponsible for it - Alessandro Volta. It also explains how the original battery worked and that current batteries are based on the same principle.

Target Student Population:

Middle School, High School, College Lower and Upper Divisions, and Professional Personnel. For Middle and High School students it may be a stimulus to awake interest in STEM. For College students it may make them aware of the hard and creative work of scientists and enginneers who have contributed to the technological status that today we take for granted. There have been centuries of such work.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Basic knowledge of physics. Curiosity about science can be present in students in the Middle School level.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The content is well presented. It has an interesting start - batteries in cell phones and laptops that are of widespread use. It ends with an important concern - the fact that batteries are damaging to the environment and must properly be disposed; the research for less damaging batteries is also introduced. The description of the principles behind the Electrophorus and the battery are clearly presented. They are easy to understand.

The historical circumstances of the discovery of the electrical battery are clearly explained in the video. The video presents the scientific life of A. Volta and the influence of social and cultural factors involved in the professional development of scientists. It highlights how discovery in science and technology is conceived as a social task, combining actual knowledge and cultural and social behavior of the existing society. It also shows rigorously how the scientific method works, far from the myth of the isolated and brilliant genius, sometimes built for propaganda policy. It reveals also the role played by scientific societies to give recognition of discoveries.

Concerns:

No concerns.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: The material can widen the scope of student understanding physical phenomena. The instructor can use it to build bridges between physics, chemistry, and actual components. This can yield a discussion with the students. The material could be used for self-learning as well as a supplementary material in traditional or blended/hybrid courses on history of technology. Also useful for basic courses on electricity. The learning objectives are clearly stated.
Concerns:: Since it is a video, it does not offer interactivity. For this reason, the instructor will have to add the material to the course so that students can think and draw conclusions from the contents. To become useful for effective learning it should be combined with extra exercises and quizzes. The instructor will have to coach the students on the use of the material.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: It is a video on YouTube, so there are no instructions on how to use it. Only connection to the Internet and link to the video repository is needed. It can be reproduced in computer, iPad and smartphone. The video is very beautiful - beautful images, precise presentation of the XVIII and XIX centuries, and a very nice sound track. Visual design of the video corresponds to the concept of documentary film, representing historical facts by means of actors, pictures of antique instruments, publications and drawings. This makes the video attractive and motivating.
Concerns:: As corresponds to video materials, limited interactivity. There is also a concern on accessibility. Blind/visually impaired persons will not benefit/fully benefit from it. When deaf persons are considered, the version I reviewed was captioned in Portuguese, but the beautiful sound track would be lost. For deaf persons who do not know Portuguese the spoken information is lost.

Other Issues and Comments:: The video is addressed to engineers and students of engineering degrees interested in learning about the history of the electricity Laws. It covers addresses the discovery of the electrical battery by means of the history of A. Volta, the Italian scientist. The video shows the description of the machines used by A. Volta to carry out his experiments, following a rigorous scientific method. It highlights how discovery in science and technology is conceived as a social task, combining actual knowledge and cultural and social behavior of the existing society. This approach is very illustrative of what the engineer role in society is.
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