Is the presentation cluttered with ads, too many font changes, strident colors, a poor balance regarding spatial organization?
As the course’s learning objectives include familiarity with the Internet when conducting research and the application of critical thinking skills to the analysis of US politics, there is a relevant assignment based on Internet research that is required of all students. It consists of a student evaluation of four web sites clearly pertinent to the topics covered in this course.
Choice of which web sites to review is yours, but typical choices in the past have included:
Candidates (especially if there is an election taking place soon – you can choose state, local or national races to cover) Political parties (Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, etc.)
Interest groups (Sierra Club, National Rifle Association, American Associate of Retired Persons, etc.), Media covering politics or government such as the Washington Post, CNN, and New York Times.
You must include a comparison of at least two political parties, interest groups, or candidates’ site among the four you are reviewing.
Thus, if you choose a candidate such as Republican Jeb Bush, you must include at least one other candidate – either a Democrat, Republican or third party candidate. There is no limit on the number of these types of sites you can include: If you would like all four sites to be focused on candidates (or interest groups, or political parties) that is fine. The only exception is that you should not compare four media sources – such as the Washington Post, MSNBC, FoxNews, and CNN. Do no more than two of these – this will ensure that you are familiar with at least some parties, candidates or interest groups.
Assignment Goal: Review at least four appropriate Web sites and rate them using the six criteria noted below. Make at least one recommendation for improvement.
Six criteria to be used include:
Ease of Use: It is well organized? Are the different sections clearly distinguished from one another? Are the various tools used to access certain functions (videos, simulations, documents) clearly set out? Would a novice get lost in it?
Visual Appearance: How effectively does it use graphics? Is the screen display appealing? Is the presentation cluttered with ads, too many font changes, strident colors, a poor balance regarding spatial organization? Is the design sophisticated or amateurish?
Usefulness of Content: How could a student of American government benefit from the material presented? To whom is the information on the site directed average citizens, strong partisans, policy makers, those with especially high levels of interest in a single issue? How credible are the sources for the points raised – are points raised those offered by recognized experts, party representatives, candidates, strongly ideological individuals, etc.?
Usefulness of Hyperlinks: Does the site use both internal and external hyperlinks. How relevant and accurate do they seem? Are the links current (or even active)? Should others have been included?
Originality: Does it offer anything distinct or special – does it appeal to specific audiences by including sections for particular groups – age, ethnicity, gender, and the like?
Overall Grade: What is your overall appraisal? Would you recommend this site to others?
You should also include at least one recommendation for each site (e.g., make it shorter, fewer graphics, more hyperlinks, better method of searching out information, etc. This is a vital element of building and demonstrating your critical thinking skills.
