An Iowa extension survey of 869 farming clients who received one-on-one consultations showed that nearly half made operational changes and/or saved money using on consultants' recommendations. Only 2% were not satisfied with the information received. Although extension largely uses group methods, the substantial effectiveness of individual…

Discusses asserting and assessing authenticity of digital information sources and why authenticity is an issue now. Describes three types of technical and social strategies (public, secret, and functionally dependent) for asserting authenticity. Cites examples of requirements for authenticity from the various stages in the research process. (AEF)

Explores the receptivity of career practitioners toward career development resources on the Internet. Results demonstrate that career practitioners are generally receptive toward Internet resources; they reacted somewhat positively toward the Internet; and are beginning to utilize it. However, there remain a number of concerns, most of which can…

Agricultural producers in Nevada who enrolled in a tax management program (n=33) rated their knowledge of 6 business management tools higher than 36 nonparticipants. Although nonparticipants reported lower financial management knowledge, they were not interested in attending Extension classes nor in home study or the Internet. (SK)

In this paper, the author argues that the quantity, superabundance of information, easy availability, and quick access to information in cyberspace may engender critical thinking and the optimization of reasonableness. This point is different from, but presupposes, the commonplace view that critical thinking abilities, criteria, processes, and…

Colleagues, legislative staff, interest groups, administrative agencies, universities and think tanks, the media, and constituents are some of the more commonly recognized sources of information for state legislators. Results of a survey of 507 legislators in 12 U.S. states reveal that ethnic associations, grassroots organizations, the Internet,…

Data limitations severe enough to undermine the validity of findings discomfort evaluators whenever they occur. Unfortunately, such occurrences are not infrequent, faced not only by a "freshly minted graduate of a respected doctoral program in evaluation" but also by seasoned professionals (Bamberger, Rugh, & Mabry, forthcoming). Data may be…

The present study has three purposes: (a) to determine who disseminates information on cochlear implants on the Web; (b) to describe a representative sample of Web sites that disseminate information on cochlear implants, with a focus on the content topics and their relevance to parents of deaf children; and (c) to discuss the practical issues of…

The Information Center (IC) evolved to take control of technology, to integrate the library's growing collection of networked resources with its service mission, to build a team of personnel committed to the success of the IC, and to integrate assessment into the cycle of change at the Mansfield Library.

Many instruction librarians teach students that the URL extension .gov is one sign of a reliable, authoritative Internet source. This is true in many cases, but there are other very important reasons that government information deserves a larger place in information literacy sessions. It offers a clear example of several concepts students must…

This guide provides brief descriptions of the ever-increasing number of data and information resources available to those who work in the child and youth indicators field. It is a resource useful to the novice and the veteran, to those who work in governance, advocacy, research, and the media. Items covered include: books, journals, and other…

Factors inhibiting Hispanic parental involvement in non-metropolitan area schools were studied. With the mandates of No Child Left Behind intensifying the need to improve the academic achievement of all at-risk groups of students in American schools, and with the relatively new phenomenon of large numbers of Hispanics settling in non-metropolitan…

In this paper, we examine how students discuss and interpret data and whether these actions vary depending on the type of data they analyse. More specifically, we are interested in whether students perform differently when analysing first-hand data, which they collect themselves, compared with second-hand data provided to them. Our data analysis…

Although most college faculty expect their students to analyze Internet and scholarly sources in a critical and responsible manner, recent research suggests that many undergraduates are unable to discriminate between credible and noncredible sources, in part because they lack the proper training and relevant experiences. The authors describe two…

Universities often lack a detailed understanding of the environmental backgrounds of their students. One way to improve understanding is through segmentation, which breaks down a population into groups of people with similar characteristics. This study aims to use segmentation to determine groups within the student population, based on…