WebQuests

Another popular and powerful web-based teaching and learning tool is WebQuests, which was created by Bernie Dodge and Tom March of San Diego State University. Today the term WebQuest registers 664,000 page hits on Google. Dodge listed approximately 2000 WebQuests on his site (webquest.sdsu.edu) and he believes that there are tens of thousands of others on the Internet. Tom March discussed how WebQuest supports scaffolded learning, uses Internet resources, and supports authentic tasks. According to March, WebQuests are not a tool to develop technology-enhanced products by students, rather a real WebQuest should help students to acquire knowledge through “transformative learning” and authentic learning. WebQuest uses Internet resources, scaffolded learning, and authentic tasks to motivate students to investigate an open-ended question, develop individual expertise, and work in a group environment. The entire process transforms acquired knowledge through these activities into “sophisticated understanding,” helping students to see “thematic relationships,” “(inspiring) them to contribute to the real world of learning, and reflect on their own metacognitive process.” WebQuest integrates learning strategies with effective use of the Internet to provide constructivist approaches such as differentiated learning, situated learning, thematic instruction and authentic assessment. Relevant and compelling authentic tasks and real world feedback from professional people from the industry motivate students, and inspire confidence. Open ended questions help students to make connections between their prior knowledge and curiosity to investigate and find a better understanding of the material.

Introduction, task, process, resources, and evaluation are the critical attributes of a WebQuest. Introduction section prepares and hooks the student, creates the learning situation, and engages them through a compelling and relevant question or problem. The task section describes the learning activities and what students have to do; the process section describes how the task needs to be accomplished, and includes steps and tools. The resource section provides relevant links to websites that would help accomplish the task; and the evaluation section provides the criteria and standards students need to meet and demonstrate. There are usually two different kind of WebQuests: short-term and long-term. Short-term WebQuests may take one to three sessions and long-term WebQuests may take one week to one month. Short-term WebQuests mainly involve students in knowledge acquisition and focuses on the integration of new knowledge with prior knowledge, whereas long-term WebQuests help the learner extend and refine their knowledge and information through analysis and demonstration.