An old television game show from the 1950s, Name that Tune, pitted 2 contestants
against each other. The objective was for one contestant to name the tune the
orchestra would play in fewer notes than could the other contestant. In this
exercise, the objective is similar; it’s to find reliable information most
efficiently, in as few mouse clicks or in as short a time as possible. For example, you might
count the number of mouse clicks (or touches of a touch screen) as one point
each. [Typing words into a search engine would be free and wouldn’t cost any
points.] The more clicks you use, the less efficient your search. Another
measure of research efficiency and one that would be easier to use in the
classroom would be the time it takes to find the answer.
The learning objective here is for
students to acquire efficient research strategies to find reliable information in
an interesting and active way, in a way that will engage them rather than put
them to sleep—as most discussions of research do. The exercise objectives are
(1) to find a reliable answer to the question in as few clicks or in as short a
time as possible and (2) to evaluate the source of the information.
