Evaluating Information

Locating first-rate web sites that supplement adolescent students' learning and understanding can be a major challenge. Although the Internet offers a huge array of resources to choose from, not all may be educationally sound or age-appropriate. Just because a resource can be found on the Internet does not guarantee that the information or web site is reliable. Since anyone with a computer can mount a web site or post documents, it is critical that both teachers and students become proficient in evaluating and deciphering the good sites from the bad ones.

This section provides criteria to think about when evaluating web sites for quality and appropriateness for students, as well as tools to help teachers and students engage in the evaluation process.

Criteria | Tools for Teachers | Tools for Students

Criteria

Listed below are key criteria and questions to consider before sending students to any web site.

1. Navigation, Appearance, and Accessibility: Can students move around the web site with ease? Is locating resources and materials straightforward? Are materials easily accessible? Is the text easy to read? Are the graphics decipherable? Do the links work?
   
   
2. Accuracy and Currency: Is the web site reliable? Is the information complete? Is it error-free? Can the information be validated by other sites? Is the information up-to-date?
   
   
3. Authority, Objectivity, and Credibility: Who are the authors or publishers of the site? Are they recognized experts in their field or on the topic? Does the company, institution, publisher, or organization have a credible reputation? Is the information biased in any way? Is the site trying to persuade or influence the audience in any way? Is the site a .com, .gov, .edu, .net, or .org? What does this tell you about the site's driving force(s)?
   
   
4. Content Appropriateness: Who is the intended audience? Is the content age- and subject-appropriate for your students? Is the language understandable for your students? How well does the content meet the needs of your lesson plan?
   
   
5. Interactivity: In what ways can students interact with the site? What
   type(s) of communication does it provide, if any, i.e., peer collaboration or expert volunteers? What type(s) of learning activities does it offer?
   
   
6. Easy Classroom Management: Will your students use the web site individually or in groups? How much instruction will you need to provide?
   
   
7. Minimal Commercialism: Does the site contain advertisements? What types? How much consumer-driven content is contained on the web site?

Tools for Teachers

Before teachers send students surfing the Internet, it is important that they themselves be able to evaluate a site for appropriateness, authenticity, and quality. While key criteria for evaluating web sites remain mostly the same, authors and evaluators do offer a range of specifics that can vary. Below are sites that contain rubrics, checklists, and guidelines for evaluating online resources and web sites.

Sites That Matter

Evaluate Web Resources
This section of the WebSerch web site offers a list of criteria and questions to help evaluate the integrity, source, content, navigation, and links of a web site.
www.clubi.ie/webserch/resources/index.htm

Yahooligans! Teachers' Guide
The Evaluating Web Sites page of this guide describes the "Four A's" by which teachers should evaluate web sites (Accessible, Accurate, Appropriate, Appealing) before using them with students.
www.yahooligans.com/tg/evaluatingwebsites.html

Great Web Sites for Kids Selection Criteria
This is a set of criteria for determining whether a web site is good or not. It was created by the American Library Association and intended to evaluate sites geared towards students ages 14 and younger. www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/criteria.html

Critical Evaluation Information: Teacher Helpers
This resource by Kathy Schrock provides an extensive array of links to web sites that offer articles and resources for evaluating web sites. The site also includes her own critical evaluation surveys and articles about the topic.
school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html

Judging Quality on the Web
UCLA's Young Research Library provides a clear outline detailing eight important steps for evaluating web sites.
www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/url/referenc/judging.htm

WWW Cyberguide Ratings for Content Evaluation and Web Site Design
This site provides two downloadable guides for rating the content and design of web sites. The guides were reviewed by a panel of experts, as well as 460 Ohio school librarians.
www.cyberbee.com/guides.html

Evaluating Web Resources—Checklist
This is a comprehensive printable checklist for assessing the major components of a web site, including content, publisher/author, integrity/access, navigation, and links. Also available in PDF.
www.clubi.ie/webserch/resources/checklist.htm

Why we need to evaluate what we find on the Internet
This outline contains specific questions to answer when evaluating web resources.
thorplus.lib.purdue.edu/~techman/eval.html

Evaluating Web Sites: Using Internet Search Technologies
This page provides a series of nine "queries" through which teachers can evaluate whether or not a web site will complement their resource list. It also includes links to other sites containing information about evaluating web sites.
enrollmentoptions.sandi.net/workshops/
walklikealibrarian/evaluatesites/evaluatingsites.html

Tools for Students

Students like to be able to make their own choices and really appreciate being given independence online. For this reason, students need to be taught how to evaluate information they find online. The sites listed below contain interactive activities, evaluation forms, and surveys that can help students learn how to evaluate sites they come across when conducting online research.

Sites That Matter

Critical Evaluation of a Web Site: Middle School Level
Kathy Shrock provides an evaluation survey to help students learn how to critically evaluate a page of a web site.
school.discovery.com/schrockguide/evalmidd.html

Student Evidence Analysis Form
Yahooligans provides a printable form to help students determine whether a particular site is reliable.
www.yahooligans.com/tg/studentform.html

QUality Information ChecKlist (QUICK) Quiz
This is an online tutorial for middle school students that helps them assess the quality of information found on web sites.
www.quick.org.uk/menu.htm

Evaluation Worksheet
This worksheet can be used with students to get them thinking critically about the web sites they are visiting.
www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/internet/workshet.htm

Web Evaluation for Intermediate Grades
This printable worksheet can be used with students to help them rate the design, content, technical elements, and credibility of a web site.
www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/edu/rubric2.htm

Website Evaluation Tool for Grades 7-9 Students
This online form enables students to fill in vital information about a web site in order to assess the quality and credibility of the site. Once the form is completed, students can print the information to show their teachers.
www.2learn.ca/evaluating/div3netscheck2.html