CAELA Web Site Selection Criteria
The CAELA Web site provides annotated links to a variety of other Web sites and documents that may be useful to adult ESL practitioners. These links are divided into four general categories:
Instructional links (including a subset of sites for adult English language learners)
CRITERIA
Audience
CAELA’s priority audience is teachers, program administrators, and government officials who help adults learning English. Links focus on providing information to these users. Adult English language learners are a secondary audience. Links for them will reflect CAELA’s knowledge about what language, format, and Instructional practices are most useful for adults learning English.
Relevance
In general, CAELA favors linking to sites that focus specifically on adult ESL. The connection between the linked site and CAELA’s mission to help practitioners build capacity to promote English language learning in adults needs to be transparent. CAELA will also include seminal documents from adult education, K-12, higher education, the workforce, and government will be included because of their relevance to adult ESL, particularly in certain areas (e.g., learning disabilities, second language acquisition). Likewise, except in the case of older, seminal documents, CAELA links to sites that are current and regularly updated.
Quality
CAELA links to Web sites and online documents that provide credible, content-rich, reasoned, and balanced information to adult ESL practitioners (e.g., CAELA links to the U.S. Census Bureau for information on immigrant demographics) Evidence-based and research-based resources will be highlighted, particularly in the Research section.
Format
CAELA aims to link with sites that are clear and easy to use, even for users who don’t have access to the latest computer technology.
Reference
CAELA links to sites and documents that are clearly identifiable and which clearly and appropriately cite documents and links on the site. CAELA looks for Web sites with careful, responsible, and scholarly referencing.
Availability
Linked sites must include free or low-cost materials, and not be primarily or overtly commercial. This is particularly true in regard to sites for adult English language learners. With few exceptions for excellent or seminal sites (e.g., Dave’s ESL café), CAELA will link to organizations (.org), educational institutions (.edu), and governments (.gov), rather than for profit companies (.com).
Using the selection criteria as a guide, CAELA staff members will review and update links quarterly.
References
Blue Web’n Site Evaluation Rubric www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/rubric.html
LINCS Selection Criteria www.nifl.gov/lincs/selection_criteria.html
NIFL LINCS Technology Training Special Collection Web Site Review Rubric
www.altn.org/techtraining/rubric_web.htm
