Assessing Research Readiness of Graduate Students in Distance Programs

SUMMARY The aim of this descriptive research study was to assess the skill level, confidence, and overall research readiness of selected groups of graduate students (on and off campus) within two divisions housed in the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary. The researchers expected participants to overestimate the value of the Internet as a source of academically reputable information, and to have a limited understanding of the complex nature of online academic research. These expectations were not validated by the conclusions of the assessment.