1. Introduction to Website Evaluation Patricia Heeter EME6415

2. Learner Audience and Learning Objectives Learning Objectives: At the end of the tutorial, you will be able to: –Name criteria used to evaluate a website. –Review a website and identify elements that meet the criteria for evaluating a website. –Develop your own website evaluation checklist. –Evaluate a website using a website evaluation checklist they you developed.

3. Website Evaluation INTRODUCTION DEMONSTRATION EVALUATION CRITERIA EVALUATION CRITERIA EVALUATING A WEBSITE EVALUATING A WEBSITE DEVELOPING AN EVALUATION FORM DEVELOPING AN EVALUATION FORM USING YOUR EVALUATION FORM USING YOUR EVALUATION FORM Select INTRODUCTION to learn how to evaluate a website.

4. Why do we need to evaluate web resources? Next Page Introduction

5. We need to evaluate web resources because: Not all information has been placed on the web by reliable sources. Unlike books, content on websites may not be reviewed prior to placing it on the World Wide Web. Let’s first visit a demonstration on how to evaluate a website using a Website Evaluation Form. Demonstration Introduction

6. Demonstration Karen Jones teaches sixth grade History. She has decided to use a website to augment her lesson on the Civil War. Karen chose The United States Civil War Center website to evaluate. Next Page

7. Currency Karen first looks to see if the website is current. She notices the site was last updated on March 17, 2006. She also finds no evidence of current content; and, no pages have been updated recently. Demonstration Next Page

8. Authority Karen now looks to see who is responsible for the website or authority. She finds authorship and contact information. Demonstration Next Page

9. Accuracy What is accurate? (of information, measurements, statistics, etc.) correct in all details; exact. How can you make sure? Demonstration Next Page

10. Accuracy Karen next looks to see if there is evidence that the information is accurate. She finds facts are well researched and compare to related print materials. Additional links are provided to quality Web resources. Demonstration Next Page

11. Objectivity Karen reviews the site to determine the purpose of the site or objectivity.  She sees that the purpose of the website is clearly stated.  Information appears to be factual and is backed by the sponsorship of the Louisiana State University. Demonstration Next Page

12. Relevance Karen next looks at whether the website is relevant for her instructional purpose – teaching the civil war. She finds that the site is not logical or easy to navigate for students. Content is also above the grade level of her students. (Target your Audience) In the end, Karen determines that overall the website does not meet her instructional purposes. (You should be able to drive this type of conclusion.) Demonstration Next Page

13. The demonstration showed you how an instructor evaluated a website to determine if it could be used for instruction. Karen used the following criteria to evaluate the Civil War website: –Currency –Authority –Accuracy –Objectivity –Relevancy Are there other criteria out there for evaluating a website you want to ADD? Demonstration Evaluation Criteria

14. Website Evaluation Criteria The Website Evaluation Form Karen used lists the following criteria: 1.Currency 2.Authority 3.Accuracy 4.Objectivity 5.Relevance Evaluation Criteria Next Page

15. Website Evaluation Form WEBSITE EVALUATION FORM WEB URL: ________________________________________________________ CURRENCY – Is the information current?  Evidence of current content  Pages updated recently AUTHORITY – Who is responsible for the site?  Author (individual/institutional affiliation, organization)  Credentials, expertise, experience  Contact information (name, address, e-mail) ACCURACY – Is the information accurate?  Facts documented or well-researched  Facts compare to related print or other online sources  Links provided to quality Web resources OBJECTIVITY – Is the purpose of the site clear?  Purpose of site  Information presented as factual or opinion, primary or secondary in origin  Criteria for inclusion of information  Disclosure of sponsorship or underwriting RELEVANCE – Is the site relevant for instructional purposes?  Site organization logical and easy to maneuver for students  Content readable by grade level of students  Information presented is error-free (spelling, punctuation)  Readily identifiable link back to the institution or organization’s home page Karen’s Website Evaluation Form Evaluation Criteria Next Page

16. What is Currency? Currency is determined by whether the information on the website is current. –Is there evidence of current content? –Have the pages been updated recently? Evaluation Criteria Next Page

17. Identifying Currency Let’s go to The President’s House website and identify whether it is current. Evaluation Criteria Next Page

18. Currency Currency on The President’s House website is identified by the date of the copyright. Evaluation Criteria Next Page

19. What is Authority? Authority is determined by who is responsible for the website. –Is an author, individual/institutional affiliation, or, organization identified? –Are credentials, expertise, or experience listed on the website? –Is there contact information (name, address, e-mail) on the website? Evaluation Criteria Next Page

20. Identifying Authority Let’s go to in The President’s House website and determine if there is authority. Evaluation Criteria Next Page

21. Authority On The President’s House website, authority is indicated by an institutional affiliation -- the Independence Hall Association. Authority is also indicated by the Contact Us link. Evaluation Criteria Next Page

22. What is Accuracy? Accuracy is determined by evaluating whether the information on the website is accurate. –Are facts documented or well-researched? –Do facts compare to related print or other online sources? –Are links provided to quality Web resources? Evaluation Criteria Next Page

23. Identifying Accuracy Locate an example of Accuracy on The President’s House website. Evaluation Criteria Next Page

24. Accuracy This page indicates that facts are well researched and compare to related print materials. Evaluation Criteria Next Page

25. What is Objectivity? Determine objectivity by finding the purpose of the site. –Is the information presented as factual or opinion? –Is the information primary or secondary in origin? –Does the website indicate that it has sponsorship or underwriting? Evaluation Criteria Next Page

26. Identifying Objectivity Locate an example of Objectivity in The President’s House website. Evaluation Criteria Next Page

27. Objectivity On The President’s House website, the sponsorship disclosure details the history of the Independence Hall Association. Evaluation Criteria Next Page

28. What is Relevance? Relevance is determined by evaluating if the site can be used for instructional purposes. –Is the site organization logical and easy to maneuver for students? –Is the content readable by grade level of students? –Is the information error-free (spelling, punctuation)? –Is there a readily identifiable link back to the institution or organization’s home page? Evaluation Criteria Next Page

29. Identifying Relevance Locate an example of relevance in The President’s House website. Evaluation Criteria Next Page

30. Relevance The President’s House website is relevant and can be used for instructional purposes. –It is logical and easy to maneuver –Content is error free and readable by a variety of grade levels –There are links to the sponsor of the site – the Independence Hall Association Evaluation Criteria Next Page

31. WEBSITE EVALUATION FORM WEB URL: The President’s House in Philadelphia ( http://www.ushistory.org/presidentshouse/index.htm) ( http://www.ushistory.org/presidentshouse/index.htm) http://www.ushistory.org/presidentshouse/index.htm CURRENCY – Is the information current?  Evidence of current content  Pages updated recently AUTHORITY – Who is responsible for the site?  Author (individual/institutional affiliation, organization)  Credentials, expertise, experience  Contact information (name, address, e-mail) ACCURACY – Is the information accurate?  Facts documented or well-researched  Facts compare to related print or other online sources  Links provided to quality Web resources OBJECTIVITY – Is the purpose of the site clear?  Purpose of site  Information presented as factual or opinion, primary or secondary in origin  Criteria for inclusion of information  Disclosure of sponsorship or underwriting RELEVANCE – Is the site relevant for instructional purposes?  Site organization logical and easy to maneuver for students  Content readable by grade level of students  Information presented is error-free (spelling, punctuation)  Readily identifiable link back to the institution or organization’s home page This is the completed evaluation form for The President’s House website. Evaluation Criteria Next Page

32. Developing a Website Evaluation Form Develop a form by answering these questions: How will the Web resource be used? What subject are you teaching? What is the age of the students? Will the students or teacher use the website? What is the grade level of students? Using your answers as a guide, review the website on the next page to receive additional information on website evaluation criteria. Developing an Evaluation Form Next Page

33. Review “Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial” for additional guidance on developing a website evaluation. form. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html Developing an Evaluation Form Next Page

34. Creating the Form Choose at least four criteria for your website evaluation form Specify requirements for each of the criterion – how can you determine if this has been found? Develop a form WITH the help of your group mates. Upload all your resources in your group wiki Developing an Evaluation Form Using Your Evaluation Form

35. Questions?