Evaluation CheckList

EVALUATE A WEB SITE CHECKLIST
National-Louis University; Professor Craig A. Cunningham

URL of site:__________________________________________________________

Type of Site: __________________________________________________________

AUTHORSHIP/SPONSORSHIP Yes No Comments

1. Is author/manager clearly stated?

2. Is information source in site?

3. Is feedback to author/manager available?

4. Is author/manager responsive to questions regarding copyright, trademark, or ownership of all material
on site?

PURPOSE OF SITE

1. Is site's purpose clear?

2. Is the content the primary focus of the site and not overshadowed by advertising?

3. Does the site avoid social bias (gender, racial, religious, or other types)?

4. Does site enrich and expand users imagination?

DESIGN AND STABILITY

1. Is information easy to use and find?

2. Is site design appealing for intended audience?

3. Is the text easy to read and not cluttered?

4. Are users able to move around the site easily?

5. Are the links pages well-organized and appealing?

6. Are the collected links well-chosen and useful to
children exploring the subject?

7. Is the site design appropriate for intended audience?

8. If the site is for games or recreation, are playing instructions present?

9. Does the page load in reasonable amount of time?

10. Is the page consistently available and does it load
without problems?

11. Are required plug-ins clearly identified?

12. Do the design elements and features (searchable databases, animations, graphics, sound files,
introductory and transitional pages, and so on)
enhance the site?

13. Are interactive features clearly explained?

14. Is the site free of fees and requests for personal information?

CONTENT

1. Is the title appropriate to the site's purpose?

2. Is the content easy to read and understand by its
intended audience?

3. Is there enough information to make visiting the site worthwhile?

4. If there is a large amount of information on the site, is there a search function provided?

5. Is an outline of topics provided allowing users to find topics and move among them easily?

6. Is the spelling and grammar always correct?

7. Is the information current and accurate?

8. Is the information updated regularly?

9. Is there a "last updated" date?

10. Are more links to information on the topic provided?

11. Are graphics relevant and appropriate to the content?

12. Is the subject matter relevant to and appropriate for the intended audience?

13. Is the presented viewpoint comprehensible to the
intended audience?

14. Are the skills required to use the site's features and structure appropriate and/or appropriately challenging for the intended audience?

15. Is the highest quality of content available on
informational sites?

16. Is the material on the site developmentally appropriate for the intended audience? (Health and life-education sites may include mature content.)

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

1. Is the information on the site as good as a book on
the same topic?

2. Is the site interactive and engaging?

This checklist is modified from criteria taken from http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/criteria.html

Additional Notes and Comments:

AUTHORSHIP/SPONSORSHIP	Yes	No	Comments
1. Is author/manager clearly stated?
2. Is information source in site?
3. Is feedback to author/manager available?
4. Is author/manager responsive to questions regarding copyright, trademark, or ownership of all material on site?
PURPOSE OF SITE
1. Is site's purpose clear?
2. Is the content the primary focus of the site and not overshadowed by advertising?
3. Does the site avoid social bias (gender, racial, religious, or other types)?
4. Does site enrich and expand users imagination?
DESIGN AND STABILITY
1. Is information easy to use and find?
2. Is site design appealing for intended audience?
3. Is the text easy to read and not cluttered?
4. Are users able to move around the site easily?
5. Are the links pages well-organized and appealing?
6. Are the collected links well-chosen and useful to children exploring the subject?
7. Is the site design appropriate for intended audience?
8. If the site is for games or recreation, are playing instructions present?
9. Does the page load in reasonable amount of time?
10. Is the page consistently available and does it load without problems?
11. Are required plug-ins clearly identified?
12. Do the design elements and features (searchable databases, animations, graphics, sound files, introductory and transitional pages, and so on) enhance the site?
13. Are interactive features clearly explained?
14. Is the site free of fees and requests for personal information?
CONTENT
1. Is the title appropriate to the site's purpose?
2. Is the content easy to read and understand by its intended audience?
3. Is there enough information to make visiting the site worthwhile?
4. If there is a large amount of information on the site, is there a search function provided?
5. Is an outline of topics provided allowing users to find topics and move among them easily?
6. Is the spelling and grammar always correct?
7. Is the information current and accurate?
8. Is the information updated regularly?
9. Is there a "last updated" date?
10. Are more links to information on the topic provided?
11. Are graphics relevant and appropriate to the content?
12. Is the subject matter relevant to and appropriate for the intended audience?
13. Is the presented viewpoint comprehensible to the intended audience?
14. Are the skills required to use the site's features and structure appropriate and/or appropriately challenging for the intended audience?
15. Is the highest quality of content available on informational sites?
16. Is the material on the site developmentally appropriate for the intended audience? (Health and life-education sites may include mature content.)
ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. Is the information on the site as good as a book on the same topic?
2. Is the site interactive and engaging?