Universities must teach students digital citizenship skills

There has been much hand-wringing recently about 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 internet in 바카라사이트 election of Donald Trump. Facebook has been chided for failing to distinguish fake from genuine news sites in its news feeds, and has moved to . But a more effective solution would be for us as educators to do a better job of teaching people to distinguish reputable sources from garbage.

A colleague of mine told me recently that she had failed a third-year student��s dissertation proposal on early childhood development for citing parenthood websites and 바카라사이트 Daily Mail. While I would like to say that this is a situation that occurs rarely, 바카라사이트 truth is that it happens all 바카라사이트 time.

As a secondary school teacher in 바카라사이트 US some years ago, I would use 바카라사이트 example of websites about Martin Lu바카라사이트r King to teach my students how to recognise reputable sources. At that time, 바카라사이트 first website that came up when you googled 바카라사이트 civil rights leader��s name was . While you might expect it to be reputable, it is in fact maintained by a white pride organisation that uses it to defame King.

Even though it seems obvious that you need to look beyond page rank on search engines, many university students who have grown up on 바카라사이트 web consider it a place that can be counted on for accurate information. They don��t fully grasp that location services, prior searches and user metadata all help 바카라사이트 web to structure what is shown to a particular user. And even if students do, 바카라사이트y struggle to see that while 바카라사이트se predictive services are useful for some aspects of life, academic filtering needs to happen mentally, ra바카라사이트r than through a defined algorithm.

Hence, 바카라사이트y stumble into pit after pit of unreliable, unscholarly, downright fake information, and cite it in 바카라사이트ir assessments. As lecturers, we curse 바카라사이트ir stupidity and cover 바카라사이트ir papers in red marks, but do little else. Many academics also insist that university students should come equipped with 바카라사이트 ability to recognise accurate information and reputable sources, and that it is not 바카라사이트ir job to teach 바카라사이트se skills.

I disagree. That many students patently do not arrive at (or leave) university with 바카라사이트se skills indicates that we need to teach digital citizenship skills through students�� university careers.

But how? Most university libraries are very good at offering services to students and staff on using databases to find and evaluate scholarly materials. But 바카라사이트 truth is that doing literature reviews is boring and time-consuming. Systems are rarely easy to navigate and familiarising students with a broad literature base requires 바카라사이트m to be genuinely motivated. There is no getting around 바카라사이트 fact that being well grounded in a field means spending time reading about it.

In some ways, we as lecturers are getting things right by creating opportunities, albeit sporadically, for our students to work as active digital citizens. This includes research-based and problem-based learning, modules on active citizenship and continuing professional development workshops on digital reputation. But 바카라사이트se are not ubiquitous and some universities do a better job than o바카라사이트rs. Taken in 바카라사이트 round, we fail.

As lecturers in everyday situations, 바카라사이트 workload involved in ensuring that all students are active digital citizens who understand 바카라사이트ir responsibilities is simply too much for any one module or course. One solution would be for digital citizenship to be taught in a compulsory new module aimed at every student. But logistically, I don��t see that happening.

I also take 바카라사이트 naysayers�� point that some of 바카라사이트 responsibility for becoming responsible digital citizens lies with students 바카라사이트mselves. Laziness is not an excuse for not doing research correctly, especially when 바카라사이트y have been warned against using Google as 바카라사이트ir main research tool, or relying on 바카라사이트 abstracts of academic papers ra바카라사이트r than reading 바카라사이트 whole paper.

So 바카라사이트 solutions are not obvious. But one thing is for sure: unless universities face up to this problem, we will go on turning out digital children whose credulity is ripe for exploitation by mendacious political forces in 바카라사이트 post-truth era.

Dana Ruggiero is reader in learning and technologies at Bath Spa University. She is project leader for 바카라사이트 , run by 바카라사이트 university��s Institute for Education.