Website evaluation - Employment

Name: Matthew Volkmann
Name(s): MSNucleus
Evaluating PK12 Web Sites Project
Web Site URL: http://www.msnucleus.org/curriculum/curriculum.html
Description: Briefly describe the web site. Is the site intended for students or teachers?
What kind of information is presented?
This website contains a large quantity of free curriculum resources for practicing teachers.
Appropriate Content: Are the materials worthwhile and valuable? How well does the web
site cover the subject matter? What is the subject area and implied target audience? What
types of things will the teacher gain or student learn from the site? Is the content, the
language and instructional approach clear and at the appropriate level? What evidence is
there that information is accurate and credible?
The materials presented on the website aren’t very valuable. I could create a better earth
science lesson plan in the time it takes to make a bowl of cereal. The materials I looked at
were intended for junior high or high school students, but the focus was very narrow and
without much information on method or even content. There is no citation given for the
information presented here.
Design: Are appropriate design features employed by the web site? Is information easy to
find, read and use? Can the user easily navigate from one part of the site to another? Would
it be accessible to users with disabilities? Give examples.
From a design standpoint, the website is poorly put together. There is a large block of text
at the top. There is language within the paragraph that makes no sense (ie. “click on the I.
Science MaTe Free Access symbol and enter”.) furthermore, there is blinking text near the bottom of the
page. There isn’t too much clutter, the webpage just isn’t thought out…at all. Users with disabilities would
perhaps have an okay time navigating the website. There isn’t an excessive use of frames to get in the
way of that, and all links are text links, not images.
Accessibility: Does the web site allow a person with a disability to fully access it? For
example, is information presented and organized in a way that can be used by persons with
visual disabilities and devices they may use?
Again, the website does an okay job at accessibility, but that mostly stems from the use of
extremely simple design and layout. No frames and no image links. All text links makes
navigation easier.
Overall evaluation: What is your general impression of the site? Is the web site free of
broken links and images? Would another medium be better for the same information (e.g.

would a book or video work better)? Is the web site effective? Summarize and give an
honest recommendation regarding this site. Describe how you might use it in your
classroom.
I don’t think teachers should ever use a site like this. Science instruction needs to be
created or adapted from reputable sources, and with attention to how it relates to the
students’ lives. I don’t believe that the information presented here should be available in
any form. There aren’t any citations, there isn’t any attention paid to design or layout, and
there isn’t any reason that a teacher with 25 minutes on his/her hands couldn’t come up
with a better science curriculum.