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Technology Integration > The Making of a Good WebQuest
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The Making of a Good WebQuest
"A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation."
Technology Integration
The WebQuest is perhaps the most ubiquitous Web-based activity found in classrooms today. In 1995, San Diego State University professor Bernie Dodge devised an instructional model for a goal-oriented Internet project activity.
Working with Pacific Bell Education Fellow Tom March, the two found a way to make full use of the resources of the Web and its intrinsic appeal to students. Like any instructional practice, it has taken on a life of its own, and today examples of both good and bad WebQuests can be found.
What is a WebQuest?
As defined by Bernie Dodge, "A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation."
With the WebQuest instructional model, students use the Internet as a research tool to
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answer questions
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pose hypotheses
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form opinions
This all typically occurs in the context of a larger project that allows students to explore issues and content from a variety of perspectives.
Complex Webquests can be especially well suited to teams of students, among whom tasks can be divided and information can be shared.
Worthy Goals: Task, Knowledge, and Thought
The goal of the WebQuest is to involve students in a meaningful task that results in knowledge acquisition and higher order thinking. A WebQuest can engage many of the skills listed high on Bloom's taxonomy of skills.
In an assignment that is process oriented, it may sound impossible to utilize divergent thinking patterns. However, a WebQuest can be designed to carefully guide students to processes of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. In fact, it is this very characteristic of the WebQuest that makes it such a powerful tool for educators. Call it open-ended process-driven learning.
Another boon for students is the opportunity to engage in a goal-oriented task that integrates the Web. The activities motivate especially those students who see the Web as a valued part of their culture. These activities can teach them effective strategies for using the information found there.
Creating a WebQuest
Don't expect to sit down and write a good WebQuest in a half hour the night before you want to introduce it. Plan on spending a minimum of three hours preparing a short Web Quest and more time for a longer, more complex one.
Don't expect to sit down and write a good WebQuest in a half hour the night before you want to introduce it. Plan on spending a minimum of three hours preparing a short Web Quest and more time for a longer, more complex one.
It can take years to hone a really good one, as evidenced by Tom March's excellent Searching for China. Note he worked on it continuously for ten years!
The WebQuest has a well-defined lesson plan that is shared with the class. Each part of the WebQuest serves a purpose. It helps to have each part documented either online in a WebQuesting Web page or in a printed document that is distributed to students.
WebQuest Parts
Introduction - This is the area where you introduce students to the topic. Try to avoid dryly reciting facts about the content. Instead, strategically pique their interests without giving too much away. You need to draw students in while orienting them to the task.
Example:
Most scientists agree that global warming exists, but few agree on how quickly it is occurring or what impact it will ultimately have on Earth. Like a scenario from Superman, will it wreak complete and utter havoc on the environment, or will it simply allow us to experience less harsh winters and slightly warmer summers? Some economists feel limiting the industries that contribute to global warming will harm the economy. In this WebQuest, you will need to find out what causes global warming. Can you find evidence to prove that it is getting warmer?
Question/Task - The task includes the overarching question you are posing to students. You should specify the end product you expect from the WebQuest. If you want students to formulate an opinion based on collected facts, clearly describe how that information will arrive on your desk (or In box). Describe to students precisely what you want and in what format they should give it to you.
Example:
You are an advisor to the president on environmental issues. The president is being pressured to sign the Kyoto Accord to limit global warming. You will need to prepare a report advising the president on what he or she should do about it, if anything.
Process - Give students sequential procedures for completing the task. Most likely this will be a multi-tiered process containing several phases of process and product. Every step should be identified here, including group configurations, student roles, research, writing, etc. In each phase, probe students with questions that push them to the next skill level. See Bloom's Taxonomy for an excellent breakdown of skill levels.
Resources- Provide a list of Web addresses (URLs) for students to use in their activities. Rather than spending precious time looking for Web sites that contain pertinent information, students are directed to the sites you've previewed. Some WebQuests now include the URLs within the process section. This is also a good idea because you can contextualize their use. It could also be helpful to create a separate page on which students can easily find the URLs.
Evaluation - Describe to your students what you expect them to learn and do, and how they can expect to be evaluated. If you are using a rubric, display it to your students here. A well-designed rubric helps make your expectations of outcomes transparent.
Conclusion - Summarize what you think students should have learned in the WebQuest. You can offer suggestions for extending learning here and make connections to other disciplines. Depending on the amount of time you have, you may want students to write a reflection about what they've learned.
Design Tips
Think (and Surf) Before You Jump
Spend some time brainstorming ideas for your WebQuest. Surf the Web, gather resources, and jot down ideas for the focus of your WebQuest before committing to an idea. Be certain you have a deep enough question and available Web resources to sustain your WebQuest.
Complicate It
Complex issues and open-ended questions lend themselves particularly well to WebQuests because they allow the student to go beyond fact-finding to an analysis of issues or events. Make the focus of your WebQuest task real. Ask a question that is pertinent beyond the school walls.
Complex issues and open-ended questions lend themselves particularly well to WebQuests because they allow the student to go beyond fact-finding to an analysis of issues or events. Make the focus of your WebQuest task real. Ask a question that is pertinent beyond the school walls.
Focus on goals
Write your objectives for the WebQuest. Most WebQuests are designed to take students to higher levels of thinking. Choose the content that must be mastered and the thinking skills to be engaged. As you research and plan the WebQuest, refer back to the objectives to make sure students will be focused on the required learning.
Write your objectives for the WebQuest. Most WebQuests are designed to take students to higher levels of thinking. Choose the content that must be mastered and the thinking skills to be engaged. As you research and plan the WebQuest, refer back to the objectives to make sure students will be focused on the required learning.
Create Clear Evaluation Rubrics
Using a rubric focuses attention on each part of the WebQuest. Communicate clear evaluation guidelines for student evaluation. A sample rubric can be found at The Webquest Page.
Effective Frameworks
WebQuests have fouind a place in the classroom alongside textbooks and paper and pencil. They provide an effective framework for you to create an original Web project that is both dynamic and engaging. Be a good Netizen and share your best WebQuests with others.
For the slightly less convinced or courageous, a well-established base of teacher-created WebQuests is continually growing and available free on the Internet. Take the time to explore the WebQuest details before using it in your classroom.
Read More About It
Tom March's Learning with the World
http://www.ozline.com/learning/workshop.html
An excellent primer on the pros and cons of the Web, this essay attempts to first dispel some commonly held beliefs about the Web and then goes on to unabashedly extol its many virtues beneficial to the classroom. Explore the entire site to read Tom March's many useful insights into the WebQuesting process.
Tom March's Learning with the World
http://www.ozline.com/learning/workshop.html
An excellent primer on the pros and cons of the Web, this essay attempts to first dispel some commonly held beliefs about the Web and then goes on to unabashedly extol its many virtues beneficial to the classroom. Explore the entire site to read Tom March's many useful insights into the WebQuesting process.
The WebQuest Page
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquest.html
This is the original WebQuest site from San Diego State University. Here you will find many resources dedicated to WebQuests, along with hundreds of examples of WebQuests you can use or adapt for most subject areas and grade levels.
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