This OER textbook is designed for use in Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBSE) - I, which is a required course in all accredited schools of social work . This text examines human behavior throughout the life span, including stage development and common theoretical perspectives in Social Work. Theories are presented to coincide with important developmental, social, and cultural issues.

Specific OER material reviewed: Human Behavior and the Social Environment I, by Susan Tyler (2020). University at Arkansas Pressbooks. Available at: https://uark.pressbooks.pub/hbse1/
Overall rating 1-5 stars
Each area rated is between 1-5
Comprehensiveness Rating: 5
The textbook covers all relevant content areas usually included in a HBSE I textbook or course. The authors introduce a range of social work and developmental theories, perspectives and constructs which will be helpful to prepare new students for professional work.
Content Accuracy Rating: 4
The content is appropriate and largely accurate, although at times limited in depth or lacking cultural context.
Relevance/Longevity Rating: 4
The textbook content is mostly up-to-date with recent and seminal scholarly sources, concepts, data and trends. Some sources are outdated. For instance, more recent research and perspectives are warranted in content around adolescent gender and sexual identity.
Clarity Rating: 4
The text is easy to read and follow, which is ideal for students reading online. There are frequent grammatical and capitalization errors. At times, descriptions of theories and constructs are vague or lacking clarity.
Consistency Rating: 5
The text is consistent in terms of terminology and framework. Each chapter is arranged similarly so that concepts are presented in a consistent format. This seems to be well formatted to help students’ expectations of learning content in an organized way.

Modularity rating: 5
Overall, the text is well written, and students will appreciate how the content is presented in an easily accessible format. Each section contains chapters that seem shorter than usual HBSE I textbooks, but that should allow instructors to be able to reorganize the chapters to align with their own style and priorities when teaching the content, as well as integrate their own material.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5
I appreciate the organization of the text; the sections are well organized to first introduce students to common perspectives in social work. There is a concise and succinct presentation of developmental theories following a life course perspective, starting with pre-pregnancy, and extending to late adult hood., Each section organized into physical, cognitive and psychosocial development. I very much appreciate the vignettes that start out the chapters, which I think can help with the challenges sometimes faced trying to link theory to practice.
Interface rating: 5
Overall, I think for a first semester of HBSE, this would be well received by students. Being an online textbook, it is well suited for the diverse methods of delivering content, including videos and photos. The videos will be very helpful to visual learners.
This book is easy to navigate.
Content is used effectively to emphasize the key concepts and ideas.
Grammatical Errors rating: 4
Overall, there are few typographical or grammatical errors. However, social work and theories are often capitalized throughout the book.
Cultural Relevance rating: 4
I would like to see an updated and more extensive presentation of anti-racism, colonialism, and historical trauma. I think this would be a needed addition to the text. Specifically enhanced content on the impact of racism and trauma on human development and health is important content for social work students.
Comments
We would highly consider this text for use with HBSE I students with additional content to cover the impact of trauma and structural oppression on development and health. Overall, we think students will appreciate the diverse methods of delivering content in the textbook and its readability. Informal review by several MSW students confirmed interest in utilizing a textbook that had alternate types of methods for delivering content and was accessible on their computers at no cost.