Virtual Training Suite – success story continues

With hundreds of thousands of users accessing them in
over 60 subjects since their launch, Intute’s Virtual Training Suite
tutorials have been a major success story. Free to access and taking around
an hour to complete, the tutorials teach Internet research skills to
students and staff in UK universities and colleges, introducing them to the
key Web resources they need for their learning, teaching and
research. 

Now a number of the most popular of the tutorials have
been updated and revised by subject experts from UK universities. This is
the first stage of a major programme to update and revise all the tutorials
over the coming year. Updated tutorials include those in business studies,
economics, law, education andarchaeology.

The Intute tutorials aim to
encourage intelligent and discerning use of the Internet

The recommended lists of key Internet resources – one of
the most important features of the acclaimed tutorials - are being
completely updated. There is also new advice on Internet searching, with
improved interactive exercises, as well as a new section called
"Success Stories" illustrating how the Internet can be used
effectively to support education and research. The tutorials are also being
given a new look and feel to make them more graphical and visually
appealing.

Manager of the Jisc-funded Virtual Training Suite Emma
Place said that Internet research and information skills are increasingly
recognized as core skills for university and college courses: “Students
frequently turn to the Internet to find information for coursework or
assignments but they can be naive in the sources they choose. The press
regularly relates academic horror stories of plagiarism and student
reliance on content of dubious provenance. The Intute tutorials aim to
encourage intelligent and discerning use of the Internet.  We know
that lots of lecturers and librarians are using them in their courses now,
and we’re pleased to be able to update the tutorials in line with their
feedback, and with the help of a national network of authors who are
writing new versions of all our tutorials over the coming year.”

For further information on the new tutorials, please go
to: Virtual Training
Suite