For my in-depth website review, I chose to analyze the University of Dayton’s History of Psychology Web Site (http://elvers.udayton.edu/history/welcome.htm). At first glance I thought I had found a wall-laid out and interactive archive of information that ranged all throughout the ages from ancient Greek philosophers to modern psychologists. However, after further review I was left with mixed feelings about a website that serves as little more than an index to other websites. However, in the grand scheme of legitimate internet research we must keep in mind that, while some researchers may have been disappointed by the lack of on-site original resources, someone who is just beginning their research and is hoping to be pointed in the right direction can find a litany of beginner resources to help them form ideas on their own research. The site can serve as a cross between a teaching resource, and a conglomeration of outside Electronic Essay/Exhibit’s.
From a pure content standpoint it’s difficult to truly gauge the strength of the content of the site because for the most part all the site really does is link to other sites that actually have the content. That being said, the majority of the links go to sites of other universities and scholarly sites that have good reputations. The Dayton site remains very neutral in its essentially non-existing opinion on the matters it focuses on. The only part of the website which really reflects their opinion is the division and grouping of topics by categories. Some of the links do not function correctly but these were few and far between. Even the interpretations taken by the sites linked to by the page maintain a relatively neutral, biographical stance on the people the site is focused on
The web site itself is very clearly laid out and easy to navigate as should hopefully be expected from a website that navigates researchers from their site to a site with the information they are searching for. The design of the site is nothing groundbreaking or particularly beautiful, but it is effective and to the point, which plays strong to those who want more focus on content then just the look and feel of the site. While the site claims that some sections of the site are only available to Ohio LINK member institutions, the majority of the sites are accessible to all users. The structure of the website is organized into 5 index schemes of people by birth date, people by birth date; people alphabetically, categories, library resources, and trivia.
The website is quite clear on who its audience is, to the point where it even states on its homepage that it is “a gateway for teachers and students to over 1000 World Wide Web resources related to the history of psychology”. If viewed from a standpoint of whether it will serve this audience, it most likely will. I base that opinion on the website meaning high school teachers and students (predominantly AP/IB classes). Judging by the difficulty of the content of the website, it would not be sufficient for most college and post graduate studies research, but it would suit most high school research efforts.
In terms of new media, The History of Psychology Web Site doesn’t do a whole lot out of the ordinary that couldn’t be accomplished in other media. However, I don’t believe the point of this particular website is display history through innovative methods of technology. Boiled down to its basis, the website is a gathering of links, organized by a person or topic, to facilitate beginning research on more advanced topics. When looking at the site through this lens, it is very difficult to find any area in which it is appropriate, or even possible to use new media. This website saves researchers a trip to a cumbersome library filled with dead ends and a weak filing system.
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