June 15, 2016 (Vol. 36, No. 12)
URL:
http://statgen.ncsu.edu/slse/animations/animations.html
Rating:
Strong Points: High-quality modules, interactive activities
Weak Points: None
Summary:
Interactive educational resources can bring scientific concepts to life, and that is certainly the case with the animated modules presented on the Bioinformatics in Motion website. The website includes six modules that teach key concepts in bioinformatics: sequence alignment, database search, motif discovery, genome rearrangements, fragment assembly, and hidden Markov Models. Information is presented clearly within the modules as both narration and printed text, and the user can adjust display options such as the size of the printed text. Beyond passive animations, the modules also include simulations and other interactive elements to engage learners. The website includes links to resources related to the modules (such as primary literature), and there is also a small collection of links to other online teaching resources. Overall this is a very useful site to educators and students alike.
