Peer Review

Aeon | a world of ideas

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Jun 16, 2023 by Sociology

Bookmark

Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

Aeon is a digital magazine publishing articles on science, philosophy, society and the arts. It publishes essays and provides videos in the areas of philosophy, science, psychology, society, and culture. There is a menu for each of the above headings with subcategories and lists of offerings under each. There is also a search engine

Type of Material:

Collection of thought provoking articles and videos.

Recommended Uses:

Website content may be used for college-course homework, individual study, group projects, and reference.

Technical Requirements:

High speed internet and plug in graphics software. Firefox browser 98.0.2 for Mac was used for this review.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Students can be sensitized to the array of many thought provoking articles and videos. These can be used in the context of class projects to develop critical thought process. More specific goals would depend upon the topics of the course and the particular assignment. Articles and videos from this site can be used to enhance student discussion and as part of references used for the assignment

Target Student Population:

College General Ed, College Lower Division, College Upper Division

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Accessing and using most content requires no specialized knowledge and skills. Some content requires understanding of core concepts and debates within particular academic disciplines.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: Each content (essay, video, or audio clip) is self-contained. Some content is appropriate for general college student learning.
Concerns:: Aside from the materials being thought provoking and written or videoed in an academic manner, there is no over-arching concepts , theory, or approach specified. There is no method or criteria used or printed to determine the validity of the content.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: The potential effectiveness of the material is dependent upon the particular items chosen for given assignments from the instructor. They may be used by the instructor to expand conceptual understanding of the course topic
Concerns:: The disparate feature of the website makes it somewhat challenging for many instructors to find appropriate items to be course materials. Better organization and rating/ranking of items is needed, not just based on popularity. Moreover, items lack explicit learning objectives and prerequisite knowledge.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: The menu can be obtained easily and under each of the main headings are subcategories which can be clicked for the offerings. The site has a clear and consistent layout and is easy to navigate.
Concerns:: The website includes non-categorized content (except for keyword "tags"), making it generally difficult to navigate and select appropriate learning resources for teaching and students. It would be good for the website to include navigation guidance for instructors and students to locate appropriate learning materials.

Other Issues and Comments:: This is a resource of thought provoking items but needs better refinement in its search capabilities.
Creative Commons: