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Unit
Five: E-Learning and the New Nature
of Information in Our World
Unit Overview
This unit addresses the issue
of reliability of information, which is central to the learner's
success, not only in an online course, but in the world at large
as he/she applies lessons learned to achieve life goals.
Unit Objectives
At the end of this unit, one will be able to:
· Develop a set of questions for use in understanding his or her
own responses to information;
· Develop a set of guidelines for use in selecting information
for use in an online course;
· Develop procedures for managing information from the Internet
which is incorporated into an online course;
· Explain procedures for learners to follow as they are guided
in the acquisition of skills in finding information and assessing
its merit.
Negotiating a World of Information
Overload
The purpose
is not simply to transmit knowledge of the subject matter of the
course, but to help the learner negotiate a world of information
overload, where it is just as important to be able to identify
and discredit false information or half-truths as it is to be
able to memorize and master the core course content.
In a university environment, where the development of creative
problem-solving and critical thinking skills is critical, it is
important to keep in mind that times are changing quickly.
In the past, refereed journals were the primary source of information,
and the data, hypotheses, suggestions, and conclusions contained
there were considered to have been subjected to close scrutiny
by experts in the field.
Assessing the Reliability of Information in a Digital World
At this point in time, learners as well as instructors are likely
to go to the Internet, where legitimate information is yielded
up by search engines as readily as opinion, rant, ideology, and
infomercials. Sometimes the most convincing sites are not
the most legitimate, and it is important to develop strategies
for analyzing and assessing the validity of information found
there.
Further, the learners and mentors in a course are likely to post
their own information on the Internet. Additionally, they
are likely to participate in discussion groups and chat rooms,
as well as post to websites under their "screen name" which is
deliberately anonymous in order to protect one's privacy and to
elicit responses that are not mediated by social pressures.
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