This module is a website link to a vast collection of information on over 2600 US cities. Data includes demographics, lifestyle factors, economic indicators, housing stats, media, schools, transportation, and local contacts. It is billed as a site for business professionals and casual travelers, and all information is free to the user. The information is easy to navigate with clear links to individual states. Specific data is said to be presented in a variety of forms, i.e. charts, graphs, lists, etc., and additional links to local websites are incorporated whenever possible.
Type of Material:
Reference Material
Recommended Uses:
This would be a good source for any demographic or geographic research. As reference material, this information could be utilized in a variety of ways, from in-class assignments (if computer access was available) to outside of class assignments, individual or team-based efforts.
Technical Requirements:
Internet Access
Identify Major Learning Goals:
This is a repository of demographic data on U.S. cities. The goal of the site is to provide the most complete information possible on any destination. It is purely a source of data for the user, and is informative on many levels.
Target Student Population:
In an academic environment, the data is appropriate for all levels, from elementary school through graduate school. Particularly for the Marketing discipline, the data would be helpful in any course, most especially Market Research. Undergraduate course in Market Research, Consumer Behavior, Principles of Marketing, or marketing capstone.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
None.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
This is an excellent repository of demographic information, local facts and contacts of a large number of U.S. cities. As reference material on US cities, this is a basic, but decent one-stop website. The site provides a large amount of detail on 2600 locations, and would be a helpful starting point for the understanding of local demographics, economic and lifestyle data. For several of the links, the site provides comparison data with neighboring cities or the county, and also allows the user to occasionally go directly to the citys media or government websites. The listed information appears to be up-to-date on those areas that were reviewed, even including timely weather reports.
Concerns:
The information is very basic in what is included, and students needing more comprehensive data would need to look elsewhere. Additionally, the data has been compiled from other sources in many cases, as evidenced by a disclaimer listed on many of the pages. Those copied sources are not listed, therefore leaving the user to wander about the reliability. This site seemingly provides a quick reference guide, but does not immediately appear as respectable as other web sources.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
It would be very easy to incorporate the site as a source of a research assignment. As a reference guide, this module would be best as a basic teaching tool. It is purely a resource for location information, and the easy-to-navigate website makes it ideal for quick, comparative use. The reliability issues with the site would provide an interesting lecture point, particularly if compared for accuracy against traditional sources of this data.
Concerns:
The site appears to only incorporate metropolitan areas, and therefore isnt complete as a reference tool both in place and information within each place. There are no associated learning goals or assignments, so the instructor would need to develop activities around its use. The main page indicates maps and charts are available, but it isnt immediately clear how to tap into those options.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The module is very easy to navigate, with active links on much of the information. There are often additional links to local hotels, restaurants and other sponsoring businesses. The site provides an one-stop location for country-wide data.
Concerns:
It is not an interactive site, but then its not meant to be its reference material. Again, the site is basic, and lacks reliability in the information provided. For a serious classroom project, both the student and instructor would need to be wary of the data given.
Other Issues and Comments:
Excellent and useful site!
Creative Commons:
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