Internet training: implications of an international study

Laurel A Clyde and Jane E Klobas
anne@rhi.hi.is, jklobas@ecel.uwa.edu.au

This article describes international research which drew on the PBiC model of networked information resource use to study reasons for learning to use the internet. Implications for internet training include: take account of differences in trainees' prior knowledge of the internet; recognise different reasons for wanting to use the internet; focus on the purpose of use, not just tools; concentrate on developing positive attitudes to outcomes of use rather than on ways to reduce negative impressions; introduce quality characteristics - briefly; acknowledge social influences on internet use and attitudes; and adopt norms associated with the education of highly motivated adults. Suggestions for course design to meet these objectives are included.