Page 217 - Foundations of Learning, 4th Edition (Revised)

Discussion of the Information Processing Methodology

Step 1—Needs Analysis: Identify the Need for Information

As you begin any process, it is important to first identify the purpose for the process and understand
why it is necessary. In your work as a student, the need for information often comes from an assignment
or an engaging problem. In this context, you need to know what the parameters of the assignment are
and how the process and the product will be evaluated.

One of the most challenging aspects of the research process is the analysis of the problem and the
related need for information. In the case of information processing, you should analyze who needs the
information, why it is needed, where and when it is needed, and what the user will do with the information
once it is received. By asking these questions, you can clarify the type of information needed and what
you will do to obtain the appropriate information.

Step 2—Collection Plan

Having a plan for gathering and obtaining information before you start searching makes the information
retrieval step of the methodology far more efficient. A collection plan should identify what information
is needed, when it is needed, and identify possible options for finding it.

A common question is, “Where can I find the information I need?” Knowing which sources are available
and where to find them is a key part of a good collection plan. Main sources of information available
to you are textbooks, the Internet and the library.

Step 3—Resource Evaluation

The information you collect, later in the methodology, is not all of equal value based on your needs
analysis. The credibility and reliability of the sources also varies. For these reasons, it is important to
develop a set of standards or criteria for evaluating the quality of the information you obtain. These
standards serve as the basis for determining which information you choose to use and how to use it. In
essence, this step allows you to filter sources against the criteria or standards you developed.

As you locate potentially useful bits of information, a screening process takes place. First, the information
must pass the test of relevance and then it can be scrutinized in terms of how current, objective, thorough,
consistent, and clearly understood it is. The level of understanding depends on your personal learning
style and familiarity with the subject.

A somewhat simple example might help make this more clear. Let’s say you’re a bit hungry, but don’t
want a full meal. You want something salty and something that you can eat relatively quickly. You also
don’t want to have to leave your house to get it. All of those “conditions” are actually filtering criteria.
Note that you have not yet decided what you do want to eat, but you have put filters in place that make
it easier for you to decide what your snack will be.

A piece of information that is useful to one person may be of limited value to another working on the
same question. There can be no understanding of information that does not relate to what is already
known. As you progress, you gain skills in applying these and other tests of usefulness.

Every source needs your personal evaluation as to its value and its validity. In many cases, you make
evaluations just in the physical handling of the source. For example, the following give you a sense
of validity for a source: a familiar author is noted, the publisher is well-known to you, the source was
reviewed in The New York Times, or a work is in its 5th printing. Chapter 10 will discuss evaluating the
quality of Internet sources in detail.

Chapter 8 — Living in the Information Age 211