As students become more comfortable, they can gather more information quickly. It is very important, however, that curricular goals are clearly identified and that a time line is established so that students avoid becoming overwhelmed by the volume of information available. As with the first visit to a library, instructors should accompany students to the computer lab. Beginning with a search engine, students should look for information on their topic. In order to allow for this partially structured approach, the instructor must be flexible and open to student discovery.
Students are likely to find sites that even the instructor never knew existed.
In the meantime, students will learn how to work with the Internet software as they develop their research skills. Some guidance with respect to linking to related documents, going to specific locations if students have an Internet address, and narrowing or broadening a search to be most useful will make the job much less time consuming and intimidating. But rather than teaching the technology itself, instructors should focus on guiding students in exploring the subject matter through the utilization of technology. Content is the students' goal, and software questions should be addressed to the group only as they occur. Anti-glitch insurance .