Information Literacy Workshop
Everything You Wanted To Know About Teaching Information
Literacy but Were Too Afraid To Ask
Critical Evaluation
of Resources
June 7, 2010
Nancy Madacsi, Centenary College
Ma Lei Hsieh, Moore Library, Rider University
Pat Dawson, Moore Library, Rider University
What are the Existing
Evaluation Models?
• ACRL – Standard 3, Number 2
• Robert Harris - Virtual Salt
• 5 W’s and a How
• Big 6 or REACT- Evaluation embedded in information
literacy frameworks
• Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators
Discussion Points and Activities
• Comprehend the complexity of evaluation
• Introduce some evaluation models
• Use a sample checklist to evaluate a website
• Considerations for evaluating various sources
• Discuss methods of assessment including rubrics
• Applications/Questions
ACRL Criteria
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm
• Reliability
• Validity
• Accuracy
• Authority
• Timeliness
• Point of View
Robert Harris Virtual Salt
http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm
• Information exists on a continuum of reliability and
quality
• “Reliable – Information is Power”
• CARS Checklist
•
•
•
•
Credibility
Accuracy
Reasonable
Support
Journalism’s FIVE W’s
and How
Other
REACTS – Taxonomies of Thoughtful Research and
Thoughtful Reactions
Level 4 of the research model is: Evaluating and
Deliberating
Outcome: Judging information on the basis of authority,
significance and bias
Cognitive Task: Challenging
Kathy Schrock’s Criteria
Evaluation
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/evalhigh.html
• Technical/Visual
• Content
• Authority
Lots of Criteria But Problematic
• Evaluating is a very nuanced process
• Issues evaluating within disciplines
• Different disciplines have different levels of criteria
• Challenges evaluating across media
• Information validity between disciplines
• Information validity at appropriate skill level
Within Discipline
New Historicism
Formalism
Feminism
Marxism
Structuralism
Literature
Classicism
Psychoanalytic
Post-Colonialism
Between Disciplines
Which point of view is valid, authoritative and/or objective?
Ethical
Environmental
Business
Offshore
Drilling
Political
Engineering
Criteria of Various Disciplines
• The level and type of information needed varies
•
•
•
•
Fashion – Trends and Techniques
Literature – Criticism
Science – Research Studies
Accounting – Standards
Across Media
• Television
• Radio
• Print Resources
• Vendor produced
digital formats
• Internet and all of its
variations
Skill Levels
• The skills used at
various levels meet the
criteria for appropriate
evaluation
• Need continued
instruction at various skill
levels
• Need to understand that
the educational process
is progressive
Consider
• Quality is more important than quantity
• The majority of material found will be excluded
• The Internet complicates evaluation
• GOAL: To develop a more discerning, critical user of
information
Discussion
• What difficulties do you
have in teaching
evaluation of sources?
• What solutions have you
developed to meet the
challenges?
UC Berkley Criteria
For Website Evaluation
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
• Careful evaluation of the URL
• Careful evaluation of the domain
• Who is the publisher?
• Check About Us, philosophy, background, biography
• Who links to the page?
• Quality indicators
• Does the information make sense?
Web Page Evaluation
Checklist (U.C. Berkeley)
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/evaluation_c
hecklist_2009_spring.rtf
Alexa.com
Use the Berkeley Checklist
To Evaluate
Pop! The First Male Pregnancy
http://www.malepregnancy.com/
You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiU-KZ_KADY
Your Turn
Use the Berkeley Checklist to evaluate a website
Select one site to evaluate
• http://www.brainyquote.com/
• http://www.thekingcenter.org/
• http://martinlutherking.org/
• http://sourcewatch.org/
• http://snopes.com
• http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
Differences in Evaluating
Other Sources
• Journal articles
• Magazine articles
• Blog
• Wiki
• Email legends
• FaceBook (social networking tools)
• Twitter
Fact-Checking Websites
 Quackwatch - Health information
http://www.quackwatch.org/
 Fact checking of political information - West Hempstead
Public Library
http://www.whplibrary.org/newandnoteworthy/2008/09/fact_ch
ecking_websites_1.html
 Muckety: Mapping the paths of power and influence
http://news.muckety.com/
Assessment Tools
• Rubrics
• One-Minute Paper
• Test
• Survey
• Focus group
Rubrics for Assessing
Students’ Work
 LOBO Tutorial Website
www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/index.php?option=content&task=view&id
=78&Itemid=123
 Centenary College Rubric and Alternative
Assessment Tool (handout)
Rubric Pros and Cons
PROS
• Provides a performance
standard for students
• Offers a standard method for
evaluation by more than one
instructor
• Easier to use
CONS
• Rubrics are rigid and don’t
allow for latitude in
evaluation
• Time consuming
• Student should receive
personal, specific comments
on their work
Questions/Discussions
• How can you apply what you
learned today?
• Questions
Annotated Bibliography
Handout