When commercial aviation emerged in the first half of the 20th century, it changed the world in a way that no innovation had before. Over the span of just a few decades, transcontinental travel went from a treacherous journey taken only by adventurers and pioneers, to a leisurely plane ride for the average citizen. Every corner of the globe was suddenly within reach, and the world became a much smaller place. On the other hand, the possibilities created by this rapid advancement in technology were endless.

What commercial airlines did for the physical landscape in the mid-20th century, the Internet did for the information landscape at the turn of the 21st century. Information that was once physically printed, published and distributed became instantly accessible to anyone with a computer. In the Information Age, the world as we know it continues to evolve at a rapid pace. News that in past generations was delivered once or twice a day via the newspaper or television news programs is now synced directly to our mobile devices via Tweets and live-streaming videos. Seemingly everything you might want to know is out there, only a few clicks away.

But what are the ramifications of this evolved information environment? How do you keep up with the flood of information that pours into your news feeds every day? When anyone can be a reporter, journalist or author, how do you know who or what to believe?

To become a Master Evaluator, you will explore two content badges: Content Analysis and Perspectives & Responses. To complete Content Analysis you will learn how to develop strategies for finding and evaluating information from a variety of sources. In Perspectives & Responses you will consider author perspectives and your role as both a consumer and creator of information.

The recipient of this badge has mastered competencies required for evaluating information in a dynamic information environment. By developing an effective search strategy to find and evaluate information that meets a particular research need, the recipient has demonstrated his or her ability to navigate an ever evolving world of information.

Learning Objectives:

• Place an information source in its context (for example, author’s purpose, format of information, and delivery mode) in order to ascertain the value of the material for that particular situation

• Distinguish between editorial commentary and information presented from a more research-based perspective, recognizing that values and beliefs are embedded in all information

• Determine the value of formal and informal information from various networked sources (scholarly, user-generated, OERs, etc.)

• Evaluate user response as an active researcher; understand the differing natures of feedback mechanisms and context in traditional and social media platforms

• Appreciate the importance of assessing content from different sources, including dynamic content from social media, critically

Pick a topic that is of interest to you. Pick sources from at least three of the following formats:

• Scholarly Article

• Magazine Article

• Newspaper article

• Book/book chapter (link to a catalog record or Amazon summary)

• Video

• Blog

• Tweet

Include a link or an uploaded attachment for each source, along with a reflection on the value of the information based on the format, mode of delivery and author.

• 1. Enter the title and paste the link or upload the document/screenshot of your first source.

     1. What is the format and mode of delivery of this source (e.g. scholarly or popular? print or digital? audio/text/visual? Social media platform?)?

     2. How do the format and mode of delivery affect the value of the information? Is there room for user feedback? Is the information user generated? Is it current?

     3. Who is the author (or who are the authors) of this information?

     4. What is the author's purpose in providing this information? What bias might the author have? What makes the author an authority on this topic? What unique perspective do they offer?

  2. Enter the title and paste the link or upload the document/screenshot of your second source.

     1. What is the format and mode of delivery of this source (e.g. scholarly or popular? print or digital? audio/text/visual? Social media platform?)?

     2. How do the format and mode of delivery affect the value of the information? Is there room for user feedback? Is the information user generated? Is it current?

     3. Who is the author (or who are the authors) of this information?

     4. What is the author's purpose in providing this information? What bias might the author have? What makes the author an authority on this topic? What unique perspective do they offer?

  3. Enter the title and paste the link or upload the document/screenshot of your third source.

     1. What is the format and mode of delivery of this source (e.g. scholarly or popular? print or digital? audio/text/visual? Social media platform?)?

     2. How do the format and mode of delivery affect the value of the information? Is there room for user feedback? Is the information user generated? Is it current?

     3. Who is the author (or who are the authors) of this information?

     4. What is the author's purpose in providing this information? What bias might the author have? What makes the author an authority on this topic? What unique perspective do they offer?