Providing Learning Resources: Evaluating and selecting existing resources

3. Evaluating and selecting existing resources

Online resources for training can be found in numerous ways, from searching specialized collections to wide-ranging Google searches. Another great source of ideas are your colleagues teaching the same subjects. Asking them what they use might save a lot of time and effort.

Choosing resources to use requires that you examine them and weigh many criteria. These are all related to the quality of the resource, but quality is actually a complex of many factors. It includes things such as:

Accuracy -- Is the resource free of misconceptions? Is it free of bias?
Clarity -- Is the resource well presented and clear enough for students? Does it contain useful and relevant examples?
Teaching quality -- In addition to clarity, does the resource present its content in a coherent and logical way that supports learning? Does it challenge learners to think about the content through questions or exercises?
Level -- Do you need basic level material, intermediate, or advanced? Will you need to supplement the resource by explaining terminology or building background knowledge?
Scope -- Is the resource longer than you need? If so, can you either trim it or assign just a portion? Does it lack treatment of key content? If so, can you supplement it with additional resources or new ones you develop yourself?
Language -- Is the resource available in a language learners can use? Is a translation available? Do you have time to make your own translation if necessary?
Technical factors -- Will students have the software to view the resource? Is the resource in a format that is easy to use? Will bandwidth be a factor if the file size is large?

Once you have chosen a resource, you still need to decide where and how it will be used. Just sending learners to a resource does not ensure that they will learn what you hope they learn. Will you organize discussion around it or Q & A? Will you create another activity that utilizes information from the resource? Will you include assessment items or activities that reference the resource?