Undergraduate Students’ Use of Online Information in World Geography: Source Types and Selection Criteria

Abstract

Offering up-to-date information and diverse perspectives on issues, online information can be a
valuable resource that supplements traditional course materials like textbooks. In this paper, the source
types that students’ use for a course assignment and the criteria they apply to determine usefulness of
the online information are examined. Sixty-five undergraduate students enrolled in a world geography
course in fall 2015 were asked to search for 20 sources of online information about recent changes in
oil prices and then to rank the sources based on their usefulness for understanding the topic. The
findings will provide instructors with insights for guiding students’ appropriate use of online
information for academic tasks and lifelong learning.