Users searching the Web have difficulty using search engines and developing queries. Searches tend to be simple, and Boolean operators are used infrequently and incorrectly. Users also are unaware that search engines operate differently from other information retrieval systems. Yet, there is little research on effective instructional methods for teaching users how to search the Web. Research has looked at instructional methods for other types of information retrieval, but these systems differ a great deal from the Web. The purpose of this study was to determine what undergraduate students know about search engines and to examine instructional treatments to aid searchers in using a search engine.esearch has shown that users looking for information on the World Wide Web have a difficult time developing search queries and using a search engine. 16Searches tend to be simple, and Boolean operators are used infrequently and incorrectly. 7,8Users also appear to be unaware that search engines operate differently from other information retrieval systems they may use, such as a library online catalog, and this appears to contribute to inappropriate search queries. 911How to use a search engine has been taught primarily through examples and short procedural descriptions. In instruction by example, a learner is given a series of worked-out problems and then asked to solve a new problem on his or her own. 12A review of the help sections of six search engines (AltaVista, Excite, Go, Google, Hotbot, and Northern Lights; December 2000) showed that instruction by example is used to explain how to use the engine. This method focuses on two types of knowledge: declarative and syntactic. Declarative knowledge refers to understanding facts, in this case, facts about search engines. 13Syntactic knowledge refers to knowledge of the language units and rules when working with a computer system, in this case, how to structure a search query using terminology the search engine can interpret correctly.14 When users understand the appropriate declarative and syntactic knowledge by studying the example and procedural description, they then can develop a query to fit their information need. This may involve incorporating elements described in the help paragraph that were not included in the example or transferring the example to a completely different domain. Instruction by example presumes the learner will be able to match a new problem situation to a formerly en-
Case studies have been used for decades to bridge the gap between classroom learning and practical application [1]. Cases used in the classroom are often seen in two forms: decision cases and historical cases. Decision cases are incomplete narratives that take the student to the point at which a decision must be made and the student is then responsible for solving the problem and justifying that decision. Decision cases are often used to help students develop their analytical and problem-solving skills. But historical cases are also important as they can model the decision process of an experienced professional and provide learners with experiences they haven't yet had [2]. Historical cases are complete narratives that state a problem or problematic situation, the actions taken to solve the problem, and the results obtained. This article discusses the development of a web-based case library that organizes and presents historical cases of professionals involved in turfgrass management. CONCLUSION: The Turfgrass Case Library was developed to provide a structured resource consisting of numerous cases for students to use to learn about problem situations and solutions that, as novices, they have not yet had experience with. The cases were planned to model the thought process learners should follow when confronted with a problem and they represent the ambiguous and multi-facet nature of the problems encountered in turfgrass management. Developing the library on a public page on the Web also increases the reach of the cases. The library serves as a resource to professionals in the field who encounter a problem, read about similar cases, and are provided with “just-in-time” learning geared specifically to the problem they are facing. Both classroom use and professional use are areas of research that will be explored in the future.
The American Library Association (ALA), with its absolutist view ofFirst Amendment rights, is doing a disservice to young library patrons.By insisting on open Internet access, regardless of age, the ALAis sending children into an information abyss that will most likely resultin confusion, frustration, and poor research skills. ALA supports itsposition by saying that it is the parents’ role to monitor their children’sInternet use, but the problem of unaccompanied children in the libraryhas been a concern of librarians for years.
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