Finding Quality Websites

The Web is a resource so vast that finding what you're looking for can seem akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. And the Web continues to grow daily, not only in volume, but in diversity. The Web is not "for" any one thing anymore: you can use it for purposes as diverse as sending a greeting card to submitting a hospital preadmission questionnaire. Part of developing content for your site is locating Web resources that are relevant to your course and gathering the information you'll need to make them available from your course Web site.

Many instructors assign Web sites as either primary texts or supplementary readings. The most convenient way to point students at online resources is to create a Web page with links to the sites. In fact, many course sites start out as lists of pointers to other online resources.

Using Web sites in the curriculum raises a number of concerns. One worry is that you will adopt a Web site as a primary reading only to discover that the site has moved or changed. Another concern is the accuracy and authenticity of Web-based content. But with the glut of information on the Web, perhaps the biggest concern is how an instructor can separate t