How to determine quality sources?
How does the instructor monitor quality sources. Too many social media sites exist in order for the instructor to monitor each one. What are some mechanisms for monitoring the quality and reliability of a site?
Eileen,
It is not the only place to look. It is the first place to go to help with words and phrases to start the search. I NEVER tell my students to site it. I find it useful to use with students to kickstart their search.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Hi Candace,
I have a such a disclaimer in my syllabus and assignments about using About.com, Google and Wikipedia, among others, as well as a 5% penalty on papers that cite them. (I always marvel at students who think Google is an academic source.) So I was a little taken aback when the first EL110 lesson suggested using Wikipedia to synthesize information. I know students use it -- I do my best to discourage it.
Trude,
I agree with you totally. We have to give them tools to use. This is one. You don't want to make the call because students will do that and not learn anything.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Candace ,
Yes, you have to teach students to evaluate sources and monitor that. You can spot check; that works. They have to be able to determine quality. You don't want them to depend on someone else to decide. They will do that.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
All,
Shouldn't we be teaching our students how to judge quality sources? We do that with print sources (scholarly, peer-reviewed, etc.). I think that one category on the grading rubric should be whether or not the student selected an appropriate quality site (that is after we operationally define what we mean by an appropriate quality site in the rubric).
Trude Fawson
Hello Miriam,
I agree it would be very tedious to monitor each source, but perhaps providing a guideline in the rubric or syllabus about which types of sources are appropriate would help.
denise,
I do like using that type of approach. It teaches students to evaluate items with a critical objective eye if we (instructors) provide them criteria. It is a skill they can use later.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr. Wilkinson,
Would you suggest not only a grade from the instructor on student's performance, but also an evaluation from classmates on other student participation?
Miriam,
Great question, one way is to make the students be the evaluator of the site. There are several activities that will allow students to evaluate with a rubric the integrity of a site. Let me see if I can find them.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
