Digital knowledge hierarchy
| In this activity the student's ability to distinguish between knowledge at different levels is trained; the communicating, the professional and the scholarly level. The student is presented with different digital sources (blogs, web pages, articles from databases, news sites etc.), and must then place them in a knowledge hierarchy. This sharpens the student's ability to select relevant sources critically, and to assess how and when a digital source is relevant to use in an academic context. All links for running the activities are at the bottom. |
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CONTEXT
With the quantity of knowledge available online, it is necessary to be able to distinguish and choose between different types of digital sources.
Students can be inclined to use sources at too low an academic level uncritically, and this can be a contributing factor to the quality of the content produced on the basis of the sources not meeting the academic requirements to a sufficiently high degree.
In this activity an analytical division of source types (communicating, professional and scholarly) is used to help the student more easily assess a given source's relevance in a particular context. The activity is primarily intended as something that can be used in connection with assignments and projects, e.g. for obtaining and using sources in a research situation.
OUTCOME
- The student gains knowledge of particular characteristics of certain types of digital sources. For example that scholarly articles often have abstracts, and that communicating articles often have fact boxes, while professional articles often use subject language without further explanation.
- The student gains skills to be able to divide sources critically by level, so that the student understands the difference between knowledge at communicating, professional and scholarly level.
- The student gains knowledge of the context in which the different levels can be useful, e.g. in connection with the literature used in projects.
CONTENT AND STEPS OF THE ACTIVITY
The students have to place digital sources (blogs, web pages, articles from databases, news sites) in a knowledge hierarchy (in the form of a triangle) and learn how and when a given digital source is relevant to use. The teacher selects relevant sources themselves and produces a simple document with a levelled triangle as described under preparation. These can either be printed or used in a digital collaboration tool.
BEFORE THE ACTIVITY
Have the students read about source criticism and source evaluation before the class, for example at: httphttps://mit.ek.dk/studieviden/kildekritiks
THE ACTIVITY STEP BY STEP
1. The teacher briefly explains to the students the principles behind the knowledge hierarchy, and the particular characteristics of the different levels. Including communicating, professional and scholarly level. Also cover the fact that it applies to both digital and analogue sources, but that the focus here is on sources found online. See for example a walkthrough of the hierarchy here: https://mit.ek.dk/studieviden/kildekritik
2. The teacher presents examples of the different levels in the hierarchy. A couple of examples of sources from the different levels can be seen in the video under point 1.
3. The teacher shows the exercise to the students and places a couple of sources correctly in the digital tool/document/triangle, with an explanation of why they should be placed that way.
4. Divide the students into groups of 2-4.
5. Hand out the exercise (which the teacher has produced themselves) via a link to a digital tool/document or a printed knowledge hierarchy where the sources can be placed.
6. Let the students place the sources in the hierarchy, with the option of guidance.
7. Take the sources one at a time and discuss where the different groups have placed them, and why. In the round-up, keep the focus on the fact that the knowledge hierarchy is a guiding model, and that some sources may perhaps be placed ”between” levels.
AFTER THE ACTIVITY
Use discussion and feedback from the students about completing the task going forward in connection with other modules/exercises, and/or share knowledge with relevant teachers that the students have been introduced to the topic.
MATERIALS AND PREPARATION
| Preparation | Materials |
|---|---|
| In a document, make a triangle with communicating at the bottom, professional in the middle, and scholarly at the top (like the food pyramid). | A document with a knowledge triangle, in a digital collaboration tool, e.g. Google Docs, Word, Padlet or other digital tools. The teacher produces the document with the triangle themselves, as described under preparation. |
| Find examples of digital sources that can be placed at the different levels in the knowledge hierarchy. Put them in the same document as the triangle in e.g. Google Docs, Word, Padlet or other digital tools. Use sources that are relatively easy to place, and possibly just use the first page of the source, so that there is not so much to read/skim. | Examples of sources. It can be one or more articles within the topic, which can easily be found in e.g. newspapers/blogs (communicating), trade journals, textbooks (professional) and scholarly articles (scholarly). |
| Set the document up so that the students have the opportunity to assess and place the chosen sources in the hierarchy. |
CREATED BY
KEA Bibliotek together with information specialists and students.
EXTERNAL RESOURCES
https://mit.ek.dk/studieviden/kildekritik
THE STAK PROJECT
This learning element is an edited version of a learning pattern from the research project STAK (Studerendes Akademiske Digitale Kompetencer).
Through a particular method, the project developed a number of learning patterns/paths, especially within information literacy. The elements are aimed
primarily at teachers, either as inspiration or to be integrated directly into teaching.
If you are curious about the method, you can see the original research website at: https://web.archive.org/web/20251118005249/https://www.stak.dk/