Speed-dating Search Engines

Title

Speed-dating Search Engines
Description This activity presents students with a variety of different search engines (web and library) on a worksheet and prompts them to do rapid research on a topic in order to compare features and scope of search engines relevant to the course topic.
Steps
  1.  Give students a worksheet, on which you direct them to several different databases which you’ve selected. Select relevant databases. Leave room for students’ notes.
  2. Explain the worksheet, let students know when the exercise will end. Tell them to start.
  3. At the end of the time, discuss results:
    • Invite students to talk about their discoveries
    • As they describe the usefulness (or not) of a database, write criteria on the board
    • If there are any criteria missing, add them to your list and explain them to students.
Tags  In-class
Time  20 minutes
Attachments noun_229116Speed-dating Worksheet