Group Research on a Topic
by Robert J. Gill

Have students work in pairs, each having a computer. Then, for about 25 minutes, both students search for information on one of their topics. During this time they can share finds, offer suggestions for search terms, and consider the strength of the sources. Once the time is up, the two students write a brief "Activity Report" which is then handed in. The report notes successes and problems. The class continues with the pairs of students now searching for sources for the other topic. Again, they will spend 25 minutes on search time with a few minutes afterwards for an "Activity Report" which is handed in.

It is interesting to see how the pairs work. The student whose topic is being searched often tends to be too narrowly focused. The other students tends to be "freer" and often makes a good discovery. The entire activity takes a full class period.

Note: While this exercise is geared toward 200 level classes and above, it could be adapted on a smaller scale (much less time for research) for an expository class. For instance, one could have the pairs do a search on race relations in the 1960's when reading Baldwin's "Down at the Cross," or "shamanism" when reading Abrams. Aside from the background information benefit, expository classes can work on evaluating print/online sources as part of their ongoing dialogue with textual material.

For 200-300 level classes: Reviewing online sources

Since most of the research that students do is now done online, it helps to plan a lab exercise to be done shortly after the library orientation day. The practical experience tends to "cement" what the orienter has told them about evaluating Internet sources of information.

Have the students divide into groups of three or four. Let each group choose a topic currently in the news or related to the class discussion about which there is divided public opinion. [If the opinions depend upon the use of statistical proof, all the better for our purposes!] On the day my last class did this exercise, the topics ranged from using Yucca Mountain as a nuclear storage site to partial birth abortion to stem-cell research pros and cons to litigation involving public cigarette smoking.

Have the group members work at nearby terminals to do some quick Internet searching on the topic. Have them search for sites which they think are either opinionated or objective. For an easy example, one could use the Focus on the Family (James Dobson) site in conjunction with a Planned Parenthood site on the topic of abortion, and then show some sort of objective site that merely lists abortion statistics. Hopefully the groups will find enough interesting sites so that each group member can evaluate one and present it to the class.

To aid them in their evaluation, you may want to tell them to try and identify

• the intended audience for the site
• the means by which the information in conveyed (i.e. statistics, graphics, emotional stories, reference to authorities)
• how well the information is documented
• any overt perspectives that might have influenced the site's creators
• what the site is missing in terms of being a good research source.

They may want to consider ways in which the statistics could be manipulated to convey information in a biased manner, how to deal with the contrasting approaches and statistics used by their research sources, how reliable in general they think the source is, whether or not the "evidence" can be duplicated, and which groups may disagree with this source's interpretation of data (and why).

After they have half an hour or so to search and discuss the various sites within their groups, give each person a few minutes to review his or her site with the rest of the class via the NetOp mechanism on the instructor computer (or your laptop if you are in a smart classroom). They should leave class with a heightened sense of the need to scrutinize their use of Internet sources.