Policy Brief: Accuracy and Validity of Information

Policy Brief: Accuracy and Validity:
Kathleen Nugent

When the internet first became a popular information source, many history teachers were confounded when students, given a brief research assignment on the Holocaust, returned with cited paragraphs stating the event never took place1. For the first time, students were turning to the internet before reviewed, accredited sources for educational information. It is now commonplace for students to turn to the internet for any problem, great or small. The majority of research completed for English and History classes is largely through online databases. For its part, the internet is now a vast and overwhelming source of information. It is the job of educators to instruct students in weighing the accuracy and validity of websites as source information.

Though accuracy and validity are often grouped together, they are separate issues that often interact or build off one another. Accuracy of information refers only to the correctness of the information presented. The statements are correct and supported by appropriate, verifiable sources. Validity focuses on the context of the material as a whole. The idea that meaning can change based on how it is presented must be explained to emerging learners2.

Option 1:To combat the issue of student misconceptions of internet website intentions, a brief internet awareness class could be created. The school would mandate that all incoming freshman would be required to complete the course. The course would focus on general assignments that forced students to weigh the accuracy and validity of the website used for research. Additional projects would focus on utilizing access to school research databases and learning how to navigate and search for sources appropriately. Time would also be allotted in helping students differentiate between sources that need to be thoroughly examined for formal research and sources that needed to provide a reasonably accurate and valid account of the information.
Pros: All students would be ensured as having received quality instruction on how to evaluate and apply web-based research. Students would formally learn the need for these skills and apply them directly to a project topic of their choice, increasing student interest.
Cons: It may take several years before all students are covered by the mandatory freshman course. Additionally, transfer students may require remediation. Also, teachers who require research from internet sources may need to adjust the task requirements in order to intertwine with the school approved class.

Option 2:
The school could enact a mandatory “research” month. During this time, all classes in the school would assign a project, whether large or small, that required appropriate appraisal of research sources. Departments would create level by level implementation of the research project to ensure continuity throughout the school. Time would be allotted in class to review research techniques and the application of accuracy and validity of resources as needed.
Pros: Students would witness the power of the internet in acquiring information for all subjects. In addition, that realization would incorporate the need to weigh information based on accuracy and validity from all subjects. Further, students would hear both the importance and the means of performing unbiased internet searches from multiple perspectives.
Cons: There is little regulation regarding the research topic regarding the teacher’s task. Additionally, some teachers may require training in correct research methods. A survey of prior knowledge or a description of the individualized plans may need to be submitted and reviewed by an administrator.

Regardless of which option is chosen, each instructional method should focus topical concepts regarding internet-based research on3:
AuthorshipPublishing bodyPoint of view or biasReferral to other sourcesVerifiabilityCurrencyHow to distinguish propaganda, misinformation and disinformationThe mechanics of determining authorship, publishing body, and currency on the Internet


1: http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/02/circuits/articles/18hate.html
2: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
3: http://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/