WEBSITE EVALUATION RECORD FORMAT
Introduction
The
capacity to critically evaluate information is central within the research
process of locating resources for academic purposes. Apart from being able to
differentiate between fact and fiction, it's important for us to be able to
assess the relevance, accuracy and suitability of information to your
particular purpose. Using poor quality information sources or worse still -
citing misinformation - will degrade the quality of our work. While evaluation
of information sources has always been important, this step is particularly
important when using information found on the Internet.
Need
to Evaluate
There
is no central governing body for Internet publishing. It's extremely easy,
cheap and fast to publish on the Internet. There is no system of quality
control; there are no editors; and documents can be easily falsified and/or
copied. This is the fundamental nature of the World Wide Web! One of the most positive aspects of the Web
is that it provides a means for people to express themselves; it allows for
freedom of speech and ideas; and allows people to meet and communicate who
would not ordinarily ever have met. As long as the Web retains these qualities
of freedom, it will also remain unmonitored and unregulated. This, therefore,
leaves a large responsibility on us, the user, to carefully and critically
evaluate the Web sites we use as information sources.
Internet
The Internet is an international network
of computers linked to exchange information. The word is a contraction of “international” and “network.” Every computer that people use, gets
registered and people have to pay to get an address for that computer; called a
Uniform Resource Locator = URL.
Search Engines
Search
Engines are World Wide Web sites that use computers to
catalog millions of web pages, which one can use to search for specific
text. Most people tend to use their favorite
“engine”. Some of the most popular are:
Google, Ask, Alta Vista, Excite, Yahoo, Hot Bot and Cuil.
Google
Google is the “Big Daddy” of all search engines. It is a metasearch engine that conducts the
search across many different search engines at once. It delivers results that
pay attention to the proximity of the search terms you enter. Google also ranks its results based on the
amount of “hits” (and links from other sites) per URL. You can also go to Google and type in New
Search Engines and get a list of what’s new out there in “air” land!
Search Tips
If we are using a search engine and are
either getting too much or too little, here are some search tips. Be as specific as possible; check our
spelling, change pluralization or “put a phrase” in “quotes”. Searching with a broad keyword like “Algebra”
will return a number of irrelevant results.
Narrow the keyword, such as, “Algebraic identity” or “Quadratic
Equations”. This will result in more
specific information.
How
to Evaluate a Website
Although
many people evaluate Web sites (particularly commercial sites) based purely on
their look and feel, for academic purposes it is far more important to evaluate
the content of a site. Don't be put off a site because it is unattractive -
much of the quality information resides on sites that are unadorned by flashy
graphics and images. On the flip side of the coin, many sites that look great
have little real substance. If you are citing information for assessment
purposes, the reader (or the marker) will be unimpressed by the attractiveness
of your source, more that you have been able to verify the accuracy and
objectivity of the content it contains.
When using a Web site for research purposes, in the first instance look
for sites that contain at least the author's name, title or position, organisational
affiliation, contact details and the date of creation. Sometimes you'll be
tipped off by the general tone or style of a site, or the apparent competence
of the writer. However, some authors go to great lengths to disguise the main
objective of a site and you will need to look much harder and further for clues
about the overall integrity and accuracy of the information provided. You
should then go on to test for some further indicators of quality in the areas
of credibility, accuracy, objectivity and support as outlined below:
Credibility
Before
acting on or making any decision based on information most people take into
account the credibility of the source. Assessing the credibility of a page
involves working out who is responsible for the information, if they are who
they say they are and whether or not they are a qualified authority. Regardless
of how professional a site looks, we must investigate it's credibility if we
want to use information contained on the site.
Author
Details
If
we find information on a Web site we wish to use or quote we must first attempt
to find the author's or authoring institution's details.
• Look
for the author's name and/or email address on the Web page (try the top and
bottom of the page, side bars, menu bars or About Us sections)
• Is
the author qualified in the field? Are they a reliable authority on the
subject?
• Does
the authoring organisation or person match the URL?
Uniqueness
Uniqueness
refers to the amount of original material on a site that cannot be obtained
elsewhere. If we have spent any time searching the Web, we will know that we
often end up at the same site, or else different sites containing the same or
very similar information and links. When evaluating a site, be clear about
whether the information contained is primary or secondary information. Primary
information is original material produced by the owners of the site with mainly
internal links i.e. links to other parts of the site on the same server.
Secondary information is very common on the Web and is typified by lists of
links to other sites.
Completeness
A
clue in the credibility of a site is its completeness. This can be due to the
site being unfinished and still a work in progress or because it is only meant
to serve as a taster to material that can be accessed or purchased elsewhere.
• Check
that there are no dead links
• Are
all links live (not greyed out)
• There
should be no 'under construction signs’
• Does
the site include all the necessary information or just an abstract, table of
contents or review?
Audience
This
area will be touched on again under objectivity, but it also applies in this,
the area of Web site credibility. Before using information from a Web site, do
take into account the intended audience. For example, a site about volcanoes
for primary school children will probably not provide the depth or complexity
of information necessary for a university geology paper.
Accuracy
Once
you have checked the overall credibility of a Web site, you should move on to
evaluate the accuracy of the information presented. Information from even the
most respected source is useless if it's wrong or outdated!
Currency
of information
Some
information is timeless- it remains static regardless of how long ago it was
published. This applies to works such as novels. However, much information
today has a very limited shelf life - technology news dates extremely quickly.
Advances in medical research makes things of fantasy ten years ago a reality
today. Web sites that contain information such as news, weather, timetables,
prices, statistics or latest research obviously need to be updated on a regular
basis or they may provide misinformation.
This is not to say that all older information is useless - information
written some time ago can be useful for comparing current information with
(e.g. the growth in a population or comparisons between treatment of disease)
but it must always be obvious how old information is.
• Look
for the date of creation on any information you wish to use
• Check
for the date of last update
• Check
for statements regarding the frequency of updates
• Be
sure as to whether you are viewing current or archived information.
Typographical
errors/spelling mistakes
In
addition to lowering the tone and taking away from the overall integrity of a
site, typographical, spelling and grammatical errors can affect the accuracy of
the information provided. Be wary of a site that includes many of these errors
as it is difficult to tell whether the errors are due to carelessness or an
intent to mislead.
Factual
Look
for supporting evidence of information supplied in the way of references or
bibliographies. While some sites claim to be presenting 'the facts' further
investigation may reveal they are presenting either a biased view or completely
inaccurate information. This point will be elaborated on in the Objectivity
section.
Objectivity
Objectivity
refers to how balanced and fair the information is. While it should obviously
be truthful, the information presented should be balanced, cover all sides of
the story and should be presented without bias.
To help gauge the objectivity of a site, you should first ascertain the
original goal of the site and whether here has been any sponsorship associated
with the information. The greatest danger to the objectivity of a site is a
conflict of interest. For example an article on the dangers of babies drinking
soy milk that is sponsored by the dairy association may ring alarm bells. The
information and activity earlier in this topic about different types of Web
sites should help you to recognise any conflict of interests on a Web site.
Support
Support
refers to how well the information presented can be verified and corroborated
if necessary. If we have any questions or reservations about a site or the
information presented, the support offered should assist us in clarifying any
grey areas. Information should be
supported by references and/or bibliographies. This is especially important
when presenting statistics. If we are unable to find any other source that
corroborates the information presented be wary. We should be able to
triangulate the information (find two other sources that support the
information).
Look for:
• References
and bibliographies
• Supporting
documents and/or links
• Contact
follow up details supplied
IDENTIFICATION AND CATALOGING WEBSITE - 1
URL
of Website : http://www.imsc.res.in/~rao/ramanujan.html
Title
of article or work : Srinivasa Ramanujan
Author
(Last name) : Srinivasa Rao
Author
(First name) : K
Author
Address : The
Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Madras
Editor : Nil
Publisher
Information : Nil
Date
of Publication : Nil
Date
of Access : 31 December 2014
Font
size of the Website : Normal and Readable Size
Pictures : Only One Image
Videos/Animations : Nil
Background
Colour : White
Font
Colour : Black
External
Links (any) : Nil
References
(if any) : 14 References
Language
and Vocabulary : English and Understandable Vocabulary
Exercise
Details : Nil
Level
of Subject Matter : Seventh and Eight Standard Levels
Subject
Matter of the Site :
Ø Life History
Ø His Mathematical Contribution
Ø His Publication
Ø
The text on the site is easily readable
Ø The
WebPages are not too long.
Ø Background
is subdued and coordinates with text colours and graphics.
Ø The title
of the site is indicative of its content.
Ø The
language is developmentally appropriate for its targeted audience.
Ø The site
is free of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors
Ø Site
is useful to teachers and students.
Ø Can
see meaningful information within 30 seconds.
Ø A
printable version of complete text page is offered.
Ø Site
having references
Ø Site
creates the reflective thinking process
IDENTIFICATION AND CATALOGING WEBSITE - 2
URL of Website : http://thiyagusurimathematicians.blogspot.in//
2012/ 07/module-4-srinivasa-ramanujan-1887-ad.html
Title
of article or work : Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887 AD – 1920
AD)
Author
(Last name) : Thiyagu
Author
(First name) : K
Author Address : Assistant
Professor (c), Department of Education,
Central
University of Tamilnadu, Thiruvarur.
Editor : Nil
Publisher
Information : Blogger
Date
of Publication : July 2012
Date
of Access : 31 December 2014
Font
size of the Website : Normal and Readable Size
Pictures : 24 Images
Videos/Animations : One Video
Background
Colour : Outside: Multicolour. Inside: White Colour
Font
Colour : Black and Blue
External
Links (any) : 8 External Links
References
(if any) : Nil
Language
and Vocabulary : English and Understandable Vocabulary
Exercise
Details : Nil
Level
of Subject Matter : Seventh and Eight Standard Levels
Subject Matter of the Site :
Ø His life
Ø His Mathematical Contribution
Ø His Publication
Ø His Number
Ø Bernoulli Numbers
Overall Vision :- The
text on the site is easily readable (font, size, colour scheme).
- The
graphics on the site serve a purpose and are not too big.
- Graphics are
quickly downloaded and relevant.
- Background is
subdued and coordinates with text colours and graphics.
- The
language is developmentally appropriate for its targeted audience.
- Site offers new material on subject
area.
- Alternative text
page is offered when heavy graphics or frames are used.
- Image links and
image maps have a text alternative.
- Can see
meaningful information within 30 seconds.
- The author of
the site is given and author
institution address is given
- Site
encourages higher order thinking
- Site
provide the platform to collaborate to others
- Site
gives the feedback to the students
CRITERIA FOR Comparative evaluation OF TWO WEBPAGES
TITLE OF WEBSITE
|
Srinivasa Ramanujan
|
Srinivasa
Ramanujan
(1887 AD – 1920 AD)
|
|
ADDRESS OR URL
|
www.imsc.res.in/~rao/ramanujan.html
|
thiyagusurimathematicians.blogspot.in//
2012/
07/module-4-srinivasa-ramanujan-1887-ad.html
|
|
DATE
VISITED
|
31
December 2014
|
31
December 2014
|
|
1
|
DESIGN
|
|
|
2
|
CONTENT
|
· The title of the site is
indicative of its content.
· The language is developmentally
appropriate for its targeted audience.
· The targeted audience has
required skills to comprehend content.
· The site is free of spelling
mistakes, grammatical errors, syntax errors, or typos.
· The site promotes equal and
just representations of racial, gender, and religious issues.
· Information is
useful.
·
Information is accurate.
·
Site offers new material on subject area.
·
Site covers topic comprehensively.
·
Site is useful to teachers and students.
|
· The title of the site is
indicative of its content.
· The language is developmentally
appropriate for its targeted audience.
· The use of text and graphics as
links is appropriate to level of understanding of targeted audience.
· The site is free of spelling
mistakes, grammatical errors, syntax errors, or typos.
· The site promotes equal and
just representations of racial, gender, and religious issues.
· Information is
useful and accurate
·
Site offers new material on subject area.
|
3
|
TECHNOLOGY
|
|
|
4
|
CREDIBLE
|
|
|
5
|
PEDAGOGY
|
|
|
END OF COMPARISON
OF TWO WEBPAGES
|
|||
RUBRICS FOR EVALUATING WEBSITES
WEBSITE (A)
|
WEBSITE (B)
|
||||||
Title of Website
|
Srinivasa
Ramanujan
|
Srinivasa Ramanujan
(1887
AD – 1920 AD)
|
|||||
Address or URL
|
www.imsc.res.in/~rao/ramanujan.html
|
thiyagusurimathematicians.blogspot.in//
2012/
07/module-4-srinivasa-ramanujan-1887-ad.html
|
|||||
S.No.
|
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
|
Rating
|
Rating
|
||||
Not So Good
|
Okay
|
Good
|
Not So Good
|
Okay
|
Good
|
||
1
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
||
AUTHORITY / CREDIBILITY
|
|||||||
1
|
The author’s name is given
|
X
|
X
|
||||
2
|
The author’s organisation or institution is
given
|
X
|
X
|
||||
3
|
The author’s qualification and experiences
are given
|
X
|
X
|
||||
4
|
The author’s contact information is given
|
X
|
X
|
||||
ACCURACY / CURRENCY
|
|||||||
5
|
The date that the webpage was last updated
is given
|
X
|
X
|
||||
6
|
The information is up-to-date
|
X
|
X
|
||||
7
|
The information is complete
|
X
|
X
|
||||
8
|
There are no spelling mistakes or
grammatical errors
|
X
|
X
|
||||
9
|
Bibliographies or References are given
|
X
|
X
|
||||
BIAS /OBJECTIVITY
|
|||||||
10
|
Statement
of purpose / scope
|
X
|
X
|
||||
11
|
Site
avoids social bias (gender, racial, religious etc.)
|
X
|
X
|
||||
12
|
Information
presented as factual and primary in origin
|
X
|
X
|
||||
13
|
Site
enrich and expand users imagination
|
X
|
X
|
||||
14
|
The information presented free of advertising
|
X
|
X
|
||||
CONTENT / RELEVANCY
|
|||||||
15
|
Site
has a meaningful title
|
X
|
X
|
||||
16
|
Site offers new material on subject area
|
X
|
X
|
||||
17
|
All
information are very useful
|
X
|
X
|
||||
18
|
Additional
resources links are included.
|
X
|
X
|
||||
19
|
Site
integrates several content areas or disciplines.
|
X
|
X
|
||||
DESIGN / TECHNOLOGY
|
|||||||
20
|
The pictures are relevant and clear
|
X
|
X
|
||||
21
|
The pages are easy to move around
|
X
|
X
|
||||
22
|
All of the links are work
|
X
|
X
|
||||
23
|
The pages load relatively quickly (About 30
Seconds)
|
X
|
X
|
||||
24
|
Text easy to read and not cluttered
|
X
|
X
|
||||
25
|
Design appropriate for intended audience
|
X
|
X
|
||||
Overall – how does
the website rate?
|
X
|
X
|
|||||
Total Score
|
52
|
64
|
|||||
Rating based on the
total number of Scores
|
SECOND
RANK
|
FIRST RANK
|
|||||
&&&&&&&
END &&&&&&&
|
|||||||
