Thanks very much for bringing this important subject into the open, Leanne. I don't think that it is as much a problem with the internet as with the people who taught the first years before they got to your class. If their previous lecturers let them get away with incomplete sentences and paragraphs, improper style, etc this is a failing of the university system, as you say. We are lucky that you are there to give them poor / failing grades and explain clearly what they did wrong so that they won't do it again (at least in your class). If your students learn that education is about understanding ideas, not about getting through to get a job they have learned the most important thing they can learn at University. They should also know that employers will interview them and test them to see how well they understand ideas, how well they critically reason and how well they get information from every possible source not just the internet. Maybe your internet ace friend can do a search to see if there is a survey among business managers regarding the qualities they look for in employees. It is unlikely that they will say "good internet skills" as opposed to good reasoning skills.

Thanks very much and well done.

Thanks for your article Leanne but the problem may also have a lot to do with the rationalisation of education and work. I am a casual academic at a large metropolitan university and have a full time teaching load but with very casual pay/conditions and large classes. I have also had extensive experience teaching adult literacy and ESL. Although I try to give my students some help with writing skills there is not time for anything other than minimal help. Furthermore I refuse to be exploited any more than I and many other casual teachers are at present. Another aspect is that in what is referred to as the "postwork" society I have found that an increasing number of students are at university solely for obtaining a degree which they consider will increase their chances of a job. I recently asked one first year class how many of them would be at university if they had the security of a job with reasonable pay etc. Close to half of them said they would take the job. It is very difficult to create a critical thinker out of some one who is really not interested in the main thoughts of any academic discipline.

karl