Healthy use of internet for personal knowledge management: An interventionist approach in tertiary education

Abstract

Recent studies on use of Internet among youngsters suggest problematic behaviour and adverse impacts on overall health as there are uncharted boundaries of information and media through Internet. Such related problems include Internet addiction, shyness, alienation, psychological distress and academic performance decrement over time. As a consequence, the ability of students in tertiary education to communicate effectively and interact humanly could deteriorate as they become more accustomed to networking via Internet. However, students nowadays do increasingly rely on the Internet to perform research under the knowledge-based economy despite concerns over reliability and truthfulness of information available from Internet. Against such a background, we construct a framework for an optimal use of Internet with the main purpose of Personal Knowledge Management (PKM). We argue for an interventionist approach to orient students in tertiary education to develop a strategic mindset that utilizes Internet as a source for developing knowledge about learning outcomes while mitigating the risks associated with over-reliance and inadequate uses. There are specific skills of PKM for an optimal use of Internet. These skills can be learned in the initiation of a study programme and reinforced in course delivery, which include course assessments and assignments provided. Students are advised on the validated sources, such as electronic databases and e-libraries that are well-recognized as knowledge bases for studying and learning. PKM aims to orient students in tertiary education to develop a strategic mindset that exploits Internet as a source for developing knowledge about learning outcomes while mitigating the risks associated with over-reliance and inadequate uses. The importance of orientation, on-going monitoring and reinforcing position habits through pedagogies should be emphasized. A key potential benefit of this approach is to prevent students from adopting habits of using Internet that could cause health-related problems and develop into behaviours that inhibit their future developments.