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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
1,790 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! :)

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376 - 400 of 519 Reviews for Understanding Plants - Part I: What a Plant Knows

By James H

Dec 28, 2017

awesome course and great professor!

By Rachel H

Jun 5, 2018

Challenging and insightful course!

By Jeffrey S

Jan 18, 2020

Excellent and informative course.

By Kasuni G

Dec 12, 2020

The best online course ever did.

By Mariia N

May 12, 2020

Great course and great lecturer!

By Imran A A

Nov 7, 2020

ENJOYED THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

By Vipin S

Jun 9, 2020

The best course I've ever taken

By Alan H

Sep 30, 2019

useful and entertaining so far.

By Richard K

Jun 10, 2017

very interesting and well done.

By Sally H

Jun 13, 2022

fascinating course, thank you.

By Renata B

Feb 23, 2018

don't miss! really interesting

By Jacqueline P

Oct 23, 2017

Wonderful course! I loved it!

By Yasmen G A

Oct 9, 2017

very good prof and good course

By Bonnie Y

Nov 2, 2020

So much fun. I learned a lot.

By sara s

Feb 15, 2018

SUPER DUPER

COOL YUMMMY COURSE

By 魏健.Wei C

Sep 14, 2016

满分好课,呆萌教授,赏心植物,多彩自然O(∩_∩)O哈哈~

By Gordon R

Mar 2, 2024

One of the best on Coursera.

By Rhonda H

Oct 24, 2022

Loved it and learnt so much

By Ducree

Dec 14, 2020

Time and effort is worth it.

By Frank T

Nov 13, 2020

Great course. Learned a lot!

By Randy I

Nov 9, 2020

Now I know what plants knows

By David W

Jun 23, 2020

Great instructor and subject

By Federica S

Mar 30, 2018

Excellent course! Well done!

By Zeynep O B

Jul 13, 2017

I totally LOVED this course.

By Ni K E S

Aug 3, 2020

What an interesting course!