New Test Would Measure Students' Web Wisdom
July 4, 2005
By Michelle Locke, The Associated Press

Cal State and other colleges are working with the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to create a test used to evaluated student's Internet intelligence. Basically it will be testing to whether students can find, evaluate, and verfy reliable online infomation. It will also determine whether student know how to properly use and cite or credit the information.

Educators are worried that students are comming to college with minimal Internet research skills. Lorie Roth, assistant vice chancellor of academic programs at California State University says, "Every single one (student) that comes through the door thinks that if you just go to Google and get some hits--you've got material for your research paper right there.''

A preliminary version of the test will be given to 3,300 Cal State students this spring and the final version will be available next year.

I can't wait for the result of these tests. Of course these results also effect all librarians too, not just academic. Medical librarians will eventually get these students who choose to go into medicine. Perhaps the results will give us an indication of how good or bad students are at conducting Internet research. Regardless, if they are good or bad, we will need to alter our research teaching methods accordingly.