Wednesday, September 3, 2008 9:17 PM CDT
The pros and cons of Wikipedia
By NATHANIEL WEST, Staff Writer
nwest@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — Compared to those convoluted days when the Internet was still in its infancy, Web users certainly are warier about the accuracy of information gleaned from certain sites.
Yeah, right. The vast sea of Internet data has been murky from the get-go, and it’s not getting any clearer, thanks to seemingly reliable sites that continue to muddy the waters with sometimes-questionable facts.
Perhaps the most notorious culprit is Wikipedia. Equal parts online encyclopedia, almanac and tabloid, it is exhaustively comprehensive but also corruptible because its content can be submitted and edited by users who are not always qualified or objective. And the temptation to abandon the long quest for multiple, accurate sources and settle down in a monogamous relationship with Wikipedia can prove almost overwhelming — especially to the busy college student.
Therein lies the challenge for local institutions of higher education: Training students to think critically about their research without discouraging them from following the trail of breadcrumbs that so often begins with sites like Wikipedia. Instructors say the solution, if it can be called that, is to allow students to use Wikipedia as a springboard for greater discovery.
“It’s a perfectly good place for them to begin understanding a topic, and it often presents other, more reliable links they can access,” said Matthew Landrus, English instructor at Lake Land College.
In fact, issues associated with Wikipedia relate to the core goals of smaller colleges and universities, said educators.
“Part of what we hope to develop in school are the critical thinking skills to make sure (students’) information is accurate and reliable,” said Jocelyn Tipton, acting head of reference at Eastern Illinois University’s Booth Library.
Landrus said, “If students understand why there are serious problems associated with (Wikipedia), like disputes over editing, no special recognition for experts in the field and concerns over accuracy, then its benefits — more entries on a variety of subjects, diverse contributors and the current nature of the information — can be used properly.”
Many teachers at Lake Land and Eastern prohibit students from citing Wikipedia as a source. That said, neither are they quick to condemn it.
Tipton said Wikipedia could serve as “a quick stop to get background information,” after which students “go on to do in-depth research.”
Among Wikipedia’s attributes are the Internet hyperlinks included in the various citations and bibliographies. But Tipton said the EIU library’s magazine and journal databases are even more powerful.
Lake Land history instructor David Seiler actually assigns projects in which students are required to use Wikipedia, but not for the reasons you would think. “The assignment calls for students to compare the coverage of particular topics in the textbook with Wikipedia,” he said.
“The concern over Wikipedia is legitimate, but I have found through the writing assignment that (Wikipedia) is, in most cases, an accurate source.”
He said Wikipedia is particularly valuable for students because of its “Web site structure and readability.”
Other educators said there is reason to worry, at least a little, about Wikipedia’s influence on students.
“It is important that students understand the difference between an open-content source, like Wikipedia, and a peer-reviewed source,” said Maria Boerngen, agriculture business instructor and director of the Honors Program at Lake Land.
“Wikipedia makes for interesting reading, and it can lead the reader to reliable sources. However, the ease with which submissions are made and changed makes me a bit uncomfortable.”
Overall, instructors believe Wikipedia’s inherent flaws are not necessarily enough to undermine the whole enterprise.
“I think it is important that students become educated about what Wikipedia is and what it isn’t,” said Seiler. “It can be a valuable source of background information, but it is not the final source for academic writing.”
Or as Landrus put it: “A student using Wikipedia really is the least of my worries as an English instructor. Applying critical thinking skills to difficult problems, not relying too heavily on sources and understanding the appropriate way to cite sources are certainly more persistent challenges I face with students.”
Contact Nathaniel West at nwest@jg-tc.com or 238-6860.
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