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TechnographStudents use Wikipedia, Google instead of University resources
By Erika Strebel
Posted: 3/16/07 Section: News
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In fact, the library system at the University receives approximately 230,000 questions every year.
Yet for some students, doing academic research isn't a concern.
Ameen Abdulrasool, sophomore in Business, said his coursework so far does not require him to do much research.
"In my experience, I think students have a good grasp," Abdulrasool said. "My roommates are in Engineering and they're all doing plenty of research with no problem."
Despite Abdulrasool's confidence in students' research skills, an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education said that college students may seem tech savvy but the reality is they cannot do simple academic research and rely too much on non-academic sources such as Wikipedia.
"I think (students) just aren't aware of what the library has to offer," said Lisa Hinchliffe, Coordinator for Information Literacy Services and Instruction. "They use things that are familiar. This is the typical problem: How do you know what you don't know?"
Christina Freitag, freshman in Education, said part of the reason students use informal sources like Wikipedia and Google is to hasten the research process.
"I think since students wait until the last minute ... they go to Wikipedia," she said.
However, Freitag does not think that students have difficulties doing research for their college classes.
"I doubt they really lack the skills," she said. "It's either time or motivation they lack."
However, Abdulrasool said he feels that students do not lack the skills to do research, they simply lack the desire to do the extra work.
"It's not that fact that they don't know how to do it," he said. "It's just not as interesting, so it's not on their priority list. If they put in some effort, they could do it."
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