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Back to Understanding Plants - Part II: Fundamentals of Plant Biology

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Understanding Plants - Part II: Fundamentals of Plant Biology by Tel Aviv University

4.8
stars
1,157 ratings

About the Course

This class is aimed at people interested in understanding the basic science of plant biology. In this four lecture series, we'll first learn about the structure-function of plants and of plant cells. Then we'll try to understand how plants grow and develop, making such complex structures as flowers. Once we know how plants grow and develop, we'll then delve into understanding photosynthesis - how plants take carbon dioxide from the air and water from soil, and turn this into oxygen for us to breathe and sugars for us to eat. In the last lecture we'll learn about the fascinating, important and controversial science behind genetic engineering in agriculture. If you haven't taken it already, you may also be interested in my other course - What A Plant Knows, which examines how plants see, smell, hear and feel their environment: https://www.coursera.org/learn/plantknows. In order to receive academic credit for this course you must successfully pass the academic exam on campus. For information on how to register for the academic exam – https://tauonline.tau.ac.il/registration Additionally, you can apply to certain degrees using the grades you received on the courses. Read more on this here – https://go.tau.ac.il/b.a/mooc-acceptance Teachers interested in teaching this course in their class rooms are invited to explore our Academic High school program here – https://tauonline.tau.ac.il/online-highschool...

Top reviews

AB

Jun 17, 2021

Excellent course with lots of information. Professor Chamovitz does a great job presenting this material. After this introductory course I realized how much more there is to learn about Plant Biology.

P

Oct 23, 2022

A must learn course to hone your understaning in plant biology. The Course is well explained and viusualized by the Instuctor.Also focuses on the current research findings in the genetic engineering.

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251 - 275 of 291 Reviews for Understanding Plants - Part II: Fundamentals of Plant Biology

By Ashfaq A

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Jul 15, 2023

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By Lavanya T

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May 5, 2020

5

By Anita S

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Apr 21, 2017

Thank you, Dr. Chamovitz! I enjoyed this course. I did WAPK 1 a few years back as well. Please do create many more courses on plant biology - yours is the only one available on Coursera. Some feedback points: 1) Very little interaction and moderation on the discussion forums. There are many interesting points posted there, but no instructor intervention. 2) After listening to the videos i really did not enjoy the reading material provided - perhaps some other sites would be better. 3) The course syllabus is not enough to gauge whether the course is basic, medium or advanced level. Perhaps an indicator would help. For example, in Week 3 content on photosynthesis I was expecting a much more detailed discussion. It would be great to have more advanced courses from you and your team. Your overview explanations are extremely lucid and the visuals provided really help. I think that very few biology textbooks/reading material provide such a clear overview picture and link across concepts. Excellent course! 4) The concern re. GMOs is just touched upon - in such a case I think it would be good if you could take up specific queries, concerns raised in different countries and share your view on those. For example, Bt Brinjal in India. 5) I love the lab visits! Thank you again for this course!

By Dan D

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Jun 16, 2018

I enjoyed the course and learned a fair amount. And although I've signed up for a handful of Coursera courses over the years, this is my first time ever actually completing one! :)Great professor with a clear lecturing style. I would like to see more PDF materials included in the course. For example, chapters from biology; botany; and other related textbooks -- but also other related texts and not necessarily from textbooks.I was also for a class which focused on a bit more of, for lack of a better way to put it, the plants themselves; maybe not so much at a cellular level but perhaps more at the level of plant organs, reproduction, plant evolution and survival strategies, etc.

By Kathie H

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Jun 28, 2020

This is a challenging course that extends a beginning knowledge of plants deeper into actual biology. It would be vastly improved with the addition of one week between weeks 3 and 4 that would be about plant breeding in horticulture and agriculture. This would be a better segue into ideas about "feeding the world." As it is now, going from photosynthesis right into transgenic crops is abrupt and confusing. This topic deserves 5 weeks and Professor Chamovitz is certainly the one to teach it!

By timothy b

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May 28, 2017

Very detailed and informative without seeming like schoolwork. I would have given it 5 stars except the GMO lectures were too focused on technology to the exclusion of environmental concerns. Even if GMOs are safe for humans, lab studies are poor predictors of field results. GMOs share many of the problems of invasive species and biological controls. Once released, they require constant monitoring and management, a cost many users are not willing to incur.

By Nathan N I

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Jan 26, 2021

This course was fun and as informative as the first. I specially enjoyed the genetics areas that were covered. I wish the course was a little longer. Maybe covering Plants immune response to diseases and other plant hormone involved. Overall I greatly appreciate the effort put into this course and would recommend it to anyone interested in studying plants

By Shringi

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May 30, 2020

Thoroughly enjoyed.

Title of the course set my expectation a bit different. It started with fundamentals but instead of covering them all, goes on dedicating one out of four week into transgenic plants. The topic is important, however I feel Instructors should have mentioned a list of all the topics covered in the overview section of the course.

By catherine f

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Jun 21, 2020

Really enjoyed both aspects of the course, some it was more scientific then i needed but all interesting. The lectures definitely get you asking questions, they do not have all the answers but it promotes further learning elsewhere should you want it.

I enjoyed it and it was an eye opener to the amazing world of plants

By Shrihari N

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Feb 24, 2021

This too is an excellent course in which I learned a lot, but there are a few things I wish were covered:

1) Methods of plant transformation other than Agrobacterium-mediated T-DNA insertion

2) Case studies where GMOs caused massive environmental, ecological, or economic damage

3) Secondary metabolism in plants

By Eva

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May 31, 2017

Great course! I enjoyed professor Chamovitz enthousiasm. I now understand some important basics, but I understand I will need to learn a lot more to fully grasp plant biology, techniques for research and applications. This course makes me want to learn more! I hope there will be a follow up course.

By Leon G B

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Feb 3, 2021

There was great content around certain parts of Plant Bio. Since part 1 was so long I expected part 2 to be just as long and cover as wide a scope of topics. I do wish that this course had more content--but hey, maybe I'll use this as inspiration to pursue another degree!

By Warren G F

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Apr 14, 2023

Part II had far less issues in the quizzes than Part I so it was far less frustrating. Part II is also much "deep" than Part I. I learnt quite a lot in both but Part II was more fun. Thank you.

By John N

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Sep 5, 2017

Great introductionary course for basics of Plants Biology. The other Course course from Dean Chamovitz - "What a Plant Knows" is much more interesting, is has 70% of the same knowledge.

By LolaP

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Feb 6, 2019

C'était très enrichissant et intéressant. J'ai préféré en revanche la Partie I que je trouvais plus riches.

Merci encore pour ces cours!! Une super opportunité d'apprendre la biologie.

By madhav s

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Dec 6, 2016

I would like to thank the course instructor and coursera for such an incredible course . It has truly helped me understand the plants biology and life process.

By Cass G

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Jan 29, 2018

I prefered the course "What a plant knows" which was easier for me even if this course is very very interesting.

Thank you very much.

By Huda K

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Aug 14, 2017

I must say that I used a lot of external reading in order to submit the quizes. Other than that, the course is very intersting.

By Sharavanakkumar S K

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Aug 18, 2020

Excellent course instructor, most enjoyed course because of the course materials and way of teaching.

By Tom L

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Mar 17, 2020

Very good course on the basics of plant biology, could have been a little more in-depth though

By Saleem A

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Feb 10, 2017

i think this is very good course and the teacher was excellent through out the course

By Rituparna G

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Aug 6, 2020

It was a joy to hear Prof. Daniel. Loved the way he taught. Very Informative.

By Matthew R

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Jan 11, 2018

Shorter than some other courses, but very informative and easy to understand!

By alfonso m

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Dec 13, 2022

Molt interessant i ben explicat. Manca subtitols amb català.

By Darthiya M

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Jun 1, 2020

good explanation. very useful in understanding the basics.