Assuring integrity of information utility in cyber‐learning formats

Abstract

Electronic networks are changing business operations worldwide. Universities must prepare students to handle the rapidly expanding range of commercial information in cyber formats. Although students can teach themselves to use technology, critical thinking skills are best acquired in a learning environment that encourages discussion and collaborative work. Faculty and librarians at the University of Delaware designed a cyber-learning project that combined discovery learning with problem-based learning. Teams of undergraduate students were challenged to present the best proposal for an Internet marketing strategy in a competition judged by local business people. Although the students were enthusiastic and produced sophisticated presentations using library databases, the Internet and presentation software, they failed to apply quality measures to evaluate their data. The mixed results of this interdisciplinary instructional project indicate that faculty and librarians should collaborate to create a cyber-learning environment that will both stimulate critical thinking and emphasize the use of quality measures for information.

Information Seeking Behaviour of Law Students in the Changing Digital Environment

“…2 The new gadgets like the kindle, smart phones have become more popular for reading e-books. This has encouraged the availability of information in digital format in large scale 3 . The growing importance of ICT's, the internet, and the web has given a new dimension to the library and information centers 4 .…”

Business Information Literacy: A Synthesis for Best Practices

“…Observations of the final reports showed that the assignment increased their ability to interpret the purpose of the data and articulate what they needed, and formed a strategy to collect the data better than they had when the data was already provided to them through course reserves. Discovery learning and problem-based learning in teams was the context for Morrison and Stein's (1999) interdisciplinary marketing class. They used a compare and contrast instruction activity to teach critical thinking about different modes of information sources.…”

“…He calls for replication in other courses and investigation into the effectiveness of a dedicated course in business information research. Morrison and Stein's (1999) assessment results of problem-based learning noted that the reliance on the single orientation instruction method cannot elicit the deep learning needed for critical evaluation of sources. In their instructional method they included team consultation with librarians as follow-up to the orientation sessions, yet students still rated ease of use as their primary criteria choice of tools.…”

Information Pollution, a Mounting Threat: Internet a Major Causality

“…The worrying aspect is, consumers of information hardly look for the authenticity of the information they consume, which otherwise may be polluted to a greater degree and in many ways. Morrison & Stein (1999) in their study, while viewing their concerns about the information pollution, observed that more than 20% of all the future jobs will be involved in locating, assessing and checking the authenticity of the information to be consumed, and thereafter same shall be provided for consumption. Harris (1999) while highlighting the role and importance of information argues that information serves as the foundation in our lookout in understanding the world, be it by thinking, judgment or through our belief system.…”