Criteria for Evaluating Websites

Click here for a printer-friendly website evaluation form (PDF Document). Below is a summary of the important points to consider when evaluating an educational website.

Functionality:

Pages load quickly and there are few or no dead links. If registration is required to use material at a site, it's simple, easy, respects privacy issues, and there's no cost.

Design and Organization:

The site is well designed and easy to navigate. There are clear navigation bars, index, and/or site map. Pages are uncluttered, attractive and easy to read and have good use of white space as well as visually pleasing placement of text. The site is well organized with logical categories and clearly labeled content.

Content:

Content is free to educators. (If only part of the site is free, that part has extensive information.) The information is up-to-date - revised and/or updated often. The information is written at the intellectual level of stated audiences. Content and features are created so that the intended audience (primarily students and/or teachers) would really use them. The material is original. The information is authoritative, authentic, and accurate. There is documentation of factual information and or references. The site contains information about authorship and displays a page with credentials/information about the author and/or editor (not just the Webmaster). The site is robust and has a deep level of information. There is clear evidence of site's purpose. It is free of bias or there is an explanation of point of view, perspective, or bias if any exists. The site contains links to related sites for additional authoritative information on the topic.

Criteria Collected from TechLearning.Com 10/14/03