Chevron Left
Back to Understanding Plants - Part I: What a Plant Knows

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Understanding Plants - Part I: What a Plant Knows by Tel Aviv University

4.8
stars
1,793 ratings

About the Course

For centuries we have collectively marveled at plant diversity and form—from Charles Darwin’s early fascination with stems and flowers to Seymour Krelborn’s distorted doting in Little Shop of Horrors. This course intends to present an intriguing and scientifically valid look at how plants themselves experience the world—from the colors they see to the sensations they feel. Highlighting the latest research in genetics and more, we will delve into the inner lives of plants and draw parallels with the human senses to reveal that we have much more in common with sunflowers and oak trees than we may realize. We’ll learn how plants know up from down, how they know when a neighbor has been infested by a group of hungry beetles, and whether they appreciate the music you’ve been playing for them or if they’re just deaf to the sounds around them. We’ll explore definitions of memory and consciousness as they relate to plants in asking whether we can say that plants might even be aware of their surroundings. This highly interdisciplinary course meshes historical studies with cutting edge modern research and will be relevant to all humans who seek their place in nature. This class has three main goals: 1. To introduce you to basic plant biology by exploring plant senses (sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste, balance). 2. To introduce you to biological research and the scientific method. 3. To get the student to question life in general and what defines us as humans. Once you've taken this course, if you are interested in a more in-depth study of plants, check out my follow-up course, Fundamentals of Plant Biology (https://www.coursera.org/learn/plant-biology/home/welcome). 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

DS

Aug 14, 2021

I really liked this course, the professor was engaging, clear, and informative, and did a great job explaining and simplifying the more complex biology topics so that it was digestible for beginners.

RV

Dec 12, 2016

Love the clarity of the instructors deliver which is supported by great explanations and most importantly visual aids & demonstrations. Ps... Especially loved the bloopers at the end. Nice treat! :)

Filter by:

501 - 519 of 519 Reviews for Understanding Plants - Part I: What a Plant Knows

By Rick O

•

Oct 25, 2022

Entertaining and highly informative.

By Eduardo E D

•

Oct 16, 2018

Learning a lot. I am very excited

By Cristian A

•

Jan 21, 2018

Excellent didactics and material.

By Paul K

•

Nov 13, 2016

very unique method of teaching

By Gil K

•

Jan 12, 2018

מעניין, מחדש, פוקח עיניים.

By Laura M

•

Jun 5, 2020

Ive enjoyed very much

By gowtham K

•

Apr 19, 2018

good course.........

By Apurva B

•

Sep 2, 2018

Interesting course

By Suleiman M

•

Aug 21, 2022

Totally love it!

By Ayoubpp

•

Aug 26, 2017

Very nice course

By Muhammad S

•

Dec 3, 2023

excellent work

By Alex L

•

Jul 20, 2017

very difficult

By Wang X

•

May 12, 2022

very helpful

By Jim D

•

Mar 9, 2022

I'm just a retired backyard gardener that wanted to know more about plants. However, I should have done a little more research before committing myself to this course. I didn't realize it would be at the cellular level and was totally unprepared for that. Most of what was taught I'll never use in the real world, but I still found the information fascinating. The biggest take-a-way I got from this course was it completely reinforced my belief in God and that it takes more faith to believe in the evolution theory than it does to believe in creationism. All the inner workings and complexity of plants at the cellular level just showed me more and more that the theory of evolution is nothing but an agenda pushed by spiritually blind "educators" that refuse to believe in a Creator. I'm sure that wasn't the professors intentions, but that was the greatest thing I got from this course and so I must thank him for settling that issue for me. Plants are truly amazing inside and out and to say it all happened by chance is complete nonsense. So thanks again for enlightening me and for solidifying the fact that a Creator was indeed involved in creating plants.

By Ginger B L

•

Jul 8, 2020

Professor is interesting but I just don't get it. Algebra is much easier. No wonder I do not have a green thumb.

By Nell T

•

Aug 14, 2023

good content, but the quiz formatting is difficult and doesn't allow you to learn from mistakes

By Desiree P

•

May 18, 2023

When you heve the wrong answers to can not ask for help

By Dr. D B

•

Feb 5, 2020

This course was horrible

By Omar A

•

Jan 6, 2024

I want to remove it