Anatomy and Physiology

Reviewed by Elizabeth Mayers, Biology Instructor, Central Lakes College on 6/10/15

Comprehensiveness rating: 5

The book is very comprehensive. The table of contents breaks down each chapter by section, so that you can easily see at the beginning of the book the detailed topics covered throughout, as well as listing page numbers. The glossary is done very efficiently, by listing several pages of key terms at the end of each chapter. The topics covered by this text are in the same order as other major Anatomy and Physiology textbooks on the market, making the transition to a new text easier for the instructor in my opinion. The topics are covered in a comprehensive manner, and are equal to any other major Anatomy and Physiology text on the market today.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Although I have not read all 1100 pages as of yet, it appears that this text is very accurate. I do not see any major errors in figures, the text itself or review questions. This text is unbiased in it's teaching on the scientific study of Anatomy and Physiology. The text however does lean toward a style of writing which convinces the student of the importance of understanding Anatomy and Physiology. I believe this is important for students in this subject, because it is often health students (at the beginning of their career) who will take this course. They may hear from others that it is a tough subject and important knowledge, but often they feel that it will not be important to them in their everyday job in the future. This text includes many highlighted boxes throughout called "Everyday Connection". This is important for students at this level to be able to start connecting the topics that they learn with a better personal understanding of their own physiology (i.e. body temperature control), and also learn about new research fields that may affect them (i.e. stem cell research).

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

This text was recently published and so the information is up-to-date. The arrangement of the book is also made in such a way that making updates would not be too difficult. Most of the new or more changeable information seems to be placed within interactive links and highlighted boxes throughout the text. This would make it easier for the OpenStax publishers and authors to update the book with the latest advances in research within physiology.

Clarity rating: 5

The clarity of writing is on par and at the same level as any other major Anatomy and Physiology textbook on the market today. The main topics and terms are highlighted and discussed in a comprehensive yet straightforward manner throughout the text. The additional or "nice-to-know" information is highlighted separate from the main text in boxes throughout the chapter. All of the writing throughout is accessible to students, and appropriate for the course level. Figures throughout the text are extremely clear, and I am ecstatic to see that finally a publisher has scaled back on the writing all over the figures. I believe that the figures in this text are far more clear and accessible to students than any other Anatomy text on the market today.

Consistency rating: 5

The consistency of this book is very good throughout. Each chapter is well organized and I like the structure. Each chapter begins with not only and introduction but also lists the chapter objectives, which are maybe more important for the instructor, but it is nice to have. Each chapter is broken down into smaller sections, helping to break down the content into more manageable pieces for the student. The terminology is consistent throughout the book as well and it is also summarized in a glossary of terms at the end of each chapter, which helps the student in studying the terms.

Modularity rating: 5

This Anatomy and Physiology text is broken down well and each chapter is organized according to measurable chapter objectives. The chapter objectives correspond well to each chapter section as well, making it easy to teach this text in a modular format according to how the instructor feels is best to present the information to their students. Each chapter section is not overwhelming in the amount of material, but at the same time covers each objective fully.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics covered by this text are in the same order as other major Anatomy and Physiology textbooks on the market, making the transition to a new text easier for the instructor in my opinion. These topics cover a logical order and are in the order that makes it easy to follow the course outline for a typical two semester Anatomy and Physiology course.

Interface rating: 5

This textbook is available in several different formats including a print version (for a small fee) as well as a pdf, epub file or html file. The print version may be useful for many students that like to have a copy at their desk while they look through a PowerPoint or file on the computer at the same time. It is easy to navigate through due to it's comprehensive table of contents. Each section of the chapter is listed with a page number. The online files seem to have easy navigation, once you get used to the format. The .pdf file has tabs along the left side of the screen that are easy to navigate through to skip from one chapter section to the next. The interactive links are listed in the printed version, and accessible for all students. They are web addresses that are easy to get to, and show animations and videos related to the topic on that page of text. There are many more interactive links in this text than what I have seen in other similar Anatomy and Physiology texts. I believe this allows for the text itself to be more straightforward and much less "busy" with information. When the student feels they are ready they can easily open the link to see a video or animation to help them understand each topic better. This text is much less distracting and confusing in my opinion than other major anatomy textbooks on the market today. It seems to be written with the student in mind, and puts the major focus on the main topics and chapter objectives.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I have not noticed any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

This text has figures and examples which include all races, genders and ages throughout. For example the reproductive system chapter covers both the male and female anatomy and physiology comprehensively. It also includes extra information of disorders more specific to either male or female anatomy. At the end of the chapter their is a section which discusses puberty and lists many of the factors (besides genetics) that can play a role in affecting the development of the reproductive system. I believe this allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the way each individual's body can develop with slight differentiation.

Overall I am very impressed with this textbook. This book is formatted with the student in mind, understanding that they need to have less distractions in order to first learn the material. From an instructor's perspective as well the support staff was easy to work with and responded to my emails very quickly. The instructor only materials for this book are also a bonus. The PowerPoints are very basic, but this I feel allows you to input your own teaching style into the course while adding the figures from the text. This book would be wonderful for any two semester anatomy and physiology course, but also could be used one or a few chapters at a time to supplement another Biology course as well.