Helping students develop Internet research skills for a Web 2.0 World Emma Place, Intute ILRT, University of Bristol

“Internet research skills should be a formal part of UK degree courses”

This session: 1. Put the case, with evidence 2. Outline Internet research skills 3. Resources to help develop them

“They already are!” There’s no standard approach: –Research methods modules –Library information literacy –Study skills –Subject teaching

“Students know it all already” National curriculum for schools does not include information literacy Web literacy is distinct from research skills Students can be over-confident in their ability to use the Internet for research

An imperative Some of the QAA Subject Benchmark Statements for degree courses state that students should develop skills such as:QAA Subject Benchmark Statements Finding Internet resources Critical evaluation of information sources Ability to retrieve, manage, and manipulate information by all means, including electronically

Another imperative Some Research Councils now include them in the funding conditions for PG student awards. Eg: “It is expected that students will be given training in web-based research techniques (general web searching, and specific training in using web- based indices) as well as training in the procedures for the evaluation of research …” ESRC Postgraduate Training Guidelines (2005) ngpolicy/

The perils of not acting “Cut and paste” coursework Plagiarism Poor quality assignments Low grades Degradation of academic research Degradation of higher education

The benefits of acting Better scholarship Better degrees Students better lifelong learners Students more employable Enhancement of academic research Enhancement of Higher Education

Challenges The Google generation needs a mental map of the information and research environment for their subject The older generation needs a mental map of the Internet!

Challenges in a Web 2.0 World Web 2.0 publisher/consumer model Quantity of information is overwhelming Quality of information is debatable There is endless debate!

Internet Research Skills Netiquette for university work Identifying appropriate online sources Finding the right information Evaluating online information Managing online resources Crediting online resources Maintaining current awareness Scholarly publishing/communication online

Creating a “Web footprint” you won’t regret! Netiquette appropriate for university work Consider your “university online persona” Look at the implications of sharing personal information / photographs / videos / chat with the World on the Web s, online chat, social network sites (Facebook MySpace); personal blogs, Flickr, YouTube – can catch up with you

Internet orientation Guide students to key online sources for their subject discipline Explain how both academic and Web sources are created Give explicit guidance on acceptable sources for your courses

Web search strategies Compare and contrast different search tools (pros and cons) Teach advanced search/browse Compare results from Google, Google Scholar, Intute, library resources, databases, Wikis, blogs

Evaluation of online sources Teach website evaluation And critical thinking Discuss peer review / self- publishing / the wisdom of crowds The onus on Web users to make up their own minds about quality

Managing online resources Keeping records Managing references Relative values of tools such as EndNote, MyIntute, Social Bookmarks, keeping a research blog, using tag clouds

Citing online resources Avoiding plagiarism Adhering to copyright Citation standards for the discipline Explain how the accepted citation standard for your discipline works for online resources.

Maintaining current awareness Look at tools that can help researchers keep up to date – in both the academic sphere and the wider Web Tables of Contents and Journal alerts, Google alerts, rss and blogs

Scholarly Discourse Publishing online Communicating online Communication and publication that is appropriate for university work Netiquette for university , blogs, wikis, online class discussions

Textbooks for students What Every Student Should Know About Researching Online. Munger, D. and Campbell, S. Pearson 2007 Internet Research Skills. O Dochartaigh, N. Sage How to do a Research Project: A guide for undergraduate students. Robson, C. Blackwell Publishing. 2006

Libraries and Librarians Your library will be a key resource for your students, given the access it provides to scholarly online resources Your librarians will be a key resource for you if you are teaching information literacy and Internet research skills

Use Intute to: Guide students to the key Internet resources for their subject Give them a free Internet tutorial for their subject to get them started Create online reading lists (It’s easy to integrate Intute services into your own websites)

“Internet research skills should be a formal part of UK degree courses”