Produced by the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Clearinghouse on Information and Technology at Syracuse University, AskERIC is a World Wide Web site that provides access to a number of important educational tools. These resources include: the ERIC database, a subject specific question and answer service, and a virtual library for education resources.
Following a K‐12 theme, AskERIC is full of bold colors and icons that evoke memories of school days. With a fast, powerful computer, T1 network connection, and Netscape 3.01, AskERIC and its attractive graphics come up nicely. However, connecting to AskERIC with a slow, memory deficient computer, 14.4 modem, PPP connection, and Netscape 3.0, is very slow and frustrating during the day.
Although the site is difficult to use with a slow connection, it is still worth visiting, if only to use the ERIC database. ERIC, a highly respected database which focuses on education, is made up of two indexes, the Resources in Education (RIE) and Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE). The complete database covers 1966 to the present and includes citations to education journals and research reports. Through AskERIC, the full ERIC database is available for the years 1989 to the present and offers free, unlimited searching.
Utilizing the PLWeb (Personal Librarian Software) search engine, ERIC is easy to use allowing field specific searches to visitors with graphical Web browsers. Fields include: keyword (default), author, title, ERIC number, descriptor, identifier, publication type, publication date. Three search lines are available and nesting is allowed on each line. Boolean operators available are: and, not, or. Truncation of search terms is allowed; but there is no option for advanced searching. An item absent from AskERIC, which would be helpful to users, is the ERIC Thesaurus.
Up to 100 article titles are initially retrieved with links leading to full citations. Results may be printed or downloaded using web browser options. Journal articles and ERIC documents may be ordered from commercial vendors and ERIC through the ERIC database Web page.
To further assist educators, AskERIC offers a subject specific question and answer service. Through this service, a question may be posed through e‐mail (a link is provided) or an online form. The form solicits questions on “educational research or the practice of education” for early childhood to higher education topics. The service answers questions within 48 hours by AskERIC information specialists using ERIC database searches and resources.
AskERIC’s Virtual Library for Education Resources contains a wide variety of useful material including: AskERIC Toolbox, links to education Web sites; AskERIC InfoGuides, bibliographies on topics of interest; AskERIC Lesson Plans, lesson plans on a wide variety of subject areas for K‐12 educators; Special Projects, projects AskERIC is working on in coordination with other organizations; Education Listserv Archive, a searchable database of education listserv archives; ERIC Resources, access to ERIC produced resources; ERIC Conference Calendar, a searchable database of regional, national, and international education‐related conferences; Television Series Companion Materials, links to selected educational television programs with a presence on the Web; More Educational Resources, additional links to education Web sites; and Professional and Commercial Announcements, a link which is no longer in service.
Of particular usefulness are the AskERIC InfoGuides and AskERIC Lesson Plans. The InfoGuides are searchable with a Personal Library Software search engine that is basic, but allows boolean searches. The valuable bibliographies retrieved include citations and links, as available, to electronic and print materials. Compiled by AskERIC information specialists, these helpful tools are produced as a result of questions posed by AskERIC users.
The AskERIC Lesson Plans are written on a wide variety of K‐12 topics by educators across the country. The quality of the lesson plans is monitored by AskERIC; and the lesson plans are available for (approximately) the past two years. Organized by date, only the oldest entries, located on their Gopher site, are searchable.
Overall, I highly recommend this site to any higher educational institution with programs in education, individuals with research interests in education, and K‐12 educators in search of high quality lesson plans and educational information resources. Although there are other Web sites that supply an overview of educational Web materials, this site is important in that it provides official access to ERIC, the Educational Resources Information Center, resources. Included in its offering of high quality educational materials is free access to the well respected educational database, ERIC, which truly makes AskERIC a gem of a Web site.
