Be clear and specific.

• Put assignments in writing. Many students are still new to computers, networks and the Internet, and this will help lessen their confusion. (It also helps the reference librarians troubleshoot when students aren't really clear about what their assignment is.)
• If you want students to visit a specific web site, provide the URL. This will lower frustration and make it more likely that students spend their time productively on the content of the site rather than on trying to find the site.
• Always put URLs in writing, on paper. When students have to hand copy URLs from the board or from your verbal instructions, they often copy them incorrectly, making it impossible for them to find the site you mentioned in class.

Keep assignments current.

• On the web, things change in the blink of an eye. Check the URLs in your assignment frequently to make sure the documents or sites you list still exist and are kept up-to-date.
• When possible, provide more than one site to visit in case one vanishes by the time students receive your assignment in class.

Teach critical thinking

• Since information quality is such a critcial issue on the Web, discuss the decentralized and ungoverned nature of the Web and the importance of evaluating the "information" they find there. Discuss criteria to think about when evaluating web documents and sites. Consider having students look at more than one site on a topic and compare the quality of the information they find.
• Be aware that, as search engine advertisers become more crafty, students often cannot distinguish advertising from real information on a web page. Discuss the fact that some of what appears on a web search results page is targeted advertising based on the topic the student searched.
• Students often look no further than the first ten items in their search results list. Emphasize the importance of learning to search effectively so that results at the top of the list are truly relevant.

Don't assume that :

• "Students know how to use web browsers and search engines."
  • Many students don't know how; or they think they know, but they are unable to do an effective search. They waste hours looking at unsuitable web sites, never really finding the information they need for your assignment.
• "Surfing the net will teach students to search effectively."
  • The Web is a huge and unorganized world. Bumbling around the net with no guidance is not the most effective way to locate information on a particular topic.
  • Search engines don't all work the same way. Students are rarely aware of the finer points of using a particular search engine. Encourage them to read a search engine's HELP screens.
  • Most students are not aware that subject directories are another valuable search tool. Consider pointing them to subject directories that specialize in your discipline or suggest that they start with the SRJC Library's Internet Reference Collection. or another directory such as the Librarians' Internet Index
• "Doing research on the Web is easier than traditional research."
  • Remember that some of our students are not yet even computer literate, let alone information competent. Doing research on the web requires all the cognitive skills required in traditional research (ability to identify what information is needed, pick out key concepts or words in the topic, combine them in ways that make an effective search statement, etc.), PLUS
    • a new vocabulary
    • basic computer skills (how to use a mouse, how to open and close software, etc.)
    • knowledge of browser mechanics (how to follow a link, how to enter a specific URL, how to go forward and back, etc.)
    • knowledge of what types of information are/are not available on the web
    • an understanding of what search engines are actually looking at when they search
    • an even more sophisticated ability to evaluate the quality of "information" found with Internet search tools
    • and much more.
• "Most information students need is on the Web."
  • Although the Web is a wonderfully rich source of current information, there is an entire body of scholarly literature which is not on the Web. (Due to the costs of digital conversion, some of it never will be.)
  • Print reference tools available in the library are sometimes better sources of information on a particular topic. Even in cases where the Web might be the best source on a particular topic, librarians can generally help students locate reliable information more quickly than many of them would have on their own.

Be aware of logistical issues in the library:

• While the new Doyle Library has computers for students to use throughout the building, the Mahoney Library has far fewer. If you plan to bring your entire class to the library to do Internet research, please let the Reference staff know ahead of time so that we'll be prepared. In the Mahoney Library , please plan your assignment so that your students will be using only some of the computers, leaving some stations free for other students and faculty who are using the library at that time.
• Let students know that printing costs $.10 per sheet of paper in the library. Color prints cost $1.00 per sheet. If students intend to print articles or web pages, they'll need to purchase a print card. The card itself costs $1.00, then they will need to add money to the card to do any printing or copying with it.