Critical evaluation of online information :

the Internet for Economics

Paul Ayres

Economics Editor, Intute

http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/tutorial/economics/

The Google Generation?

“Students rely on the most basic search tools and do not possess the critical and analytical skills to asses the information that they find on the web”

Information behaviour of the researcher of the future / CIBER http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/resourcediscovery/googlegen.aspx

Student Use of Online Content

"The internet is used but also distrusted, many students are aware that sites such as Wikipedia are not respected by their tutors"

"Students have a tendency to be reactive and passive users of research content and their use is driven by their assessment needs"

Students’ Use of Research Content in Teaching and Learning / Centre for Research-informed Teaching

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/aboutus/workinggroups/studentsuseresearchcontent.pdf

Exercise 1 : Your issues

What are the key issues / problems you encounter with student use of online content?– Quality of citations– Authority of sources– Lack of awareness of academic processes

Key trends

• Proliferation of online content - Web 2.0, Social Media, blogs, podcasts, etc.

• Academic trends - Google Scholar, open access, electronic journals, ebooks, integrated library services

• Information literacy gap - plagiarism, citation practices, copy and paste culture

Specific issues

• Quality of citations from students declining• Search being mistaken for research• Use of sources that aren't authoritative• Lack of awareness of peer review process• Students lack a mental map of the subject• Web 2.0 makes these problems more acute• Poor evaluation of sources that are cited

What’s needed

• Focus on academic Internet resources• Help students understand academic research

process• Explain difference between academic

publishing and Web 2.0 user generated content

• Teach search and evaluation skills• Is it fair to criticise students if they haven't

been taught these skills?

Tutorial structure

• Tour - the key websites for your subject

• Discover - search tools and search strategies

• Judge - critical evaluation of results

• Success - how people are using the Internet for their work

The approach

• Student centred and HE focus

• To help with coursework and assignments

• Focus on academic sources online

• Includes Web 2.0 but in academic context

Exercise 2 :

Spend a few minutes looking at the Internet for Economics tutorial

http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/tutorial/economics/

Then discuss• How could it be used in your teaching?• Where is the most appropriate place for it in

the curriculum?

Possible use / places

• Where in the curriculum?

– Internet research methods

– Information literacy

– As part of subject work

Possible use / places

• Place to mention it?

– In the student handbook

– Linked from course webpage / VLE

– Within policy on Internet resources

– In advice on plagiarism

Possible use / places

• How to use it?

– Handbook for reviewing websites

– Assessed web review of subject

– Completion of tutorial in class

There's more …

• Intute: Economicshttp://www.intute.ac.uk/economics/More Economics Internet resources

• Critical thinking and the webhttp://www.intute.ac.uk/criticalthinking.htmlMore teaching materials on this issue

• Virtual Training Suitehttp://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/More tutorials with over 60 titles

Contacts

Paul Ayres

Economics Editor, Intute

Paul.Ayres@Bristol.ac.uk

http://twitter.com/intuteeconomics

Thanks for listening