Web Evaluation Checklist
Step
1: What kind of site is it?
·
Look at the URL
o
.com is commercial; they may be trying to sell you
something. There may be good information
but be aware of possible bias.
o
.edu is an educational
website generally affiliated with a school or university. Information on these site is of a education nature
and is more reliable
o
.org is a non-profit organization, generally
reliable information but be aware of bias
o
.gov, .mil, .us are government
run websites
·
Look at the Domain name; does it match the web page
name?
Step2:
Scan the site?
·
Look for author’s name, author’s credentials,
publishers name, date published, physical mailing address
·
Does the site appear to be low quality, are there
obvious errors?
Step
3: What is the sites purpose?
·
Is it trying to sell you something?
·
Persuade you?
·
Is the site affiliated with any groups (political,
special interest)
I put two challenge course sites to the test:
Association of
Challenge Course Technology
o
First the site is .org, which means it is a non
profit organization.
o
The domain name matches the webpage name
o
The site does not offer an author, but it does give
a physical address and several contact name
o
The site was last update today
o
The site is a high quality and offer recognizable
journal links to support information found on the site
o
The site does not appear to be affiliated with any
other groups
o
It does offer a membership to the organization for
a fee
o
The site is .com which mean it is commercial site and may be trying to sell me
something
o
The Domain name matches the webpage name
o
The site offer an author name and extensive credentials,
date last updated, but on physical address or contact information
o
The page is very high in quality and offers a
wealth of information
o
The site does appear to have some political
leanings but the affiliation don’t appear to effect the quality of the material
o
The does have materials for sale but the bulk of
the site appear to be informational
Conclusion
Both sites offer a great deal of information. ACCT is very cut and dry, it is a non profit
organization that set standards for challenge course usage, and I feel it is reliable. Wilderdom, even though it is a commercial site
I feel that it is positive on many of the criteria, making it a reliable source
for information on outdoor education.