Picture of Rebecca Blakiston at Library of Congress

Hello! I am your instructor, Rebecca Blakiston. Above is a picture of me from earlier this year at the Library of Congess in Washington, D.C. To learn more about me visit my blog here.

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Introduction

 

How can one succesfully evaluate an information resource found on the internet?

Welcome to Evaluating Web Resources! In this lesson, we will explore strategies to evaluate information resources found on the world wide web. We will look at a checklist to use as a tool for evaluation and then look at a contextual approach for evaluating resources. Since this is an online course, we will be using our class wiki to facilitate discussion as we progress through the material. I highly encourage you to take advantage of this resource and to also feel free to e-mail me directly if you have any questions.

After taking a look at the overview of this lesson below, please begin by entering the "Lesson & Activities" page. I also encourage you to look at the "Assignment" and "Calendar" to become familiar with what will be expected of you and the appropriate deadlines.

Overview of this Lesson

Summary:

This portion of the course will be web-based. Through online modules and practical examples, students will learn strategies to evaluate information resources found on the web. They will then prepare an online presentation in the form of a website explaining why a certain website is a good or poor information resource.
Time Frame:

This lesson will take place during one one-hour class to be held synchronously online, followed by two weeks of asynchronous work and discussion.

Students should anticipate approximately 6 hours of work on their own time following the online class.
Understandings:
  • Students will be able to evaluate information resources found on the web using the checklist
  • Students will be able to use a contextual approach to accurately evaluate information resources found on the internet
  • Students will be able accurately and effectively create an online presentation of an evaluation of a website
Notes:

All students are expected to be familiar with web editing software, such as Dreamweaver, Frontpage, or NVU.  If students need a refresher, a tutorial on Dreamweaver is provided under the "Assignment" section.

Created by Rebecca Blakiston, University of Arizona Libraries.
Last Updated November 25, 2007.