Definition of a WebQuest
lAn inquiry-oriented activity
in which some or all of the
information that students
interact with comes from
resources on the Internet
© 1996-2002 Kathy Schrock
Two types of WebQuests
Short term
* Designed to be
completed in one to
three class periods
Longer term
* Designed to take
between one week
and one month
Short Term WebQuest
l Instructional goal is knowledge acquisition
and integration
l Learner deals with a significant amount
of new information and makes sense of it
© 1996-2002 Kathy Schrock
Longer Term WebQuest
l Instructional goal is extending and
refining knowledge
l Learner deeply analyzes a body of
knowledge, transforms it, and
demonstrates understanding by
presenting it in some way
Longer Term WebQuest
l Various thinking skills that may be
required to meet Marzano’s goal
– Comparing
– Classifying
– Inducing
– Deducing
– Analyzing errors
– Constructing support
– Abstraction
– Analyzing perspectives
© 1996-2002 Kathy Schrock
Critical Attributes of a WebQuest
1. Introduction
2. Task
3. Process
4. Information sources
5. Evaluation
6. Conclusion
Non-critical Attributes
l Most likely to be group activities
l Include role-playing for learners
l Single discipline or interdisciplinary
© 1996-2002 Kathy Schrock
Critical Attribute #1 :
Introduction
l Should orient the learner as to what is
coming
l Should raise some interest in the learner
through a variety of means
Critical Attribute #2 :
Task
l A description of what the learner will
have done at the end of the exercise
l Could be a product or a verbal
presentation
© 1996-2002 Kathy Schrock
Critical Attribute #3 :
Description of the Process
l Clearly described steps
l Lets the learners know the process to go
through to accomplish the task
l Can also provide learning advice
Critical Attribute #4 :
Set of Information Sources
l A list of Web pages which the
instructor has located to help the
learner accomplish the task
l Should also include resources not on
the Web
l All resources may not be used by all
© 1996-2002 Kathy Schrock
Critical Attribute #5 :
Evaluation
l Need to be able to measure results
l Evaluation rubrics designed by the
teacher are the most authentic
assessment
l Evaluation rubrics take different forms
Critical Attribute #6 :
Conclusion
l Bring closure to the quest
l Remind the learners about what
they have learned
l Encourage them to extend the
experience into other domains
© 1996-2002 Kathy Schrock
Design Steps for Teachers
l Become familiar with resources online
in your content area
l Organize the resources into categories
like databases, reference material, etc.
l Identify topics that fit in with the
curriculum and which there are
materials online
Definition of a WebQuest
lAn inquiry-oriented activity
in which some or all of the
information that students
interact with comes from
resources on the Internet
© 1996-2002 Kathy Schrock
Two types of WebQuests
Short term
* Designed to be
completed in one to
three class periods
Longer term
* Designed to take
between one week
and one month
Short Term WebQuest
l Instructional goal is knowledge acquisition
and integration
l Learner deals with a significant amount
of new information and makes sense of it
© 1996-2002 Kathy Schrock
Longer Term WebQuest
l Instructional goal is extending and
refining knowledge
l Learner deeply analyzes a body of
knowledge, transforms it, and
demonstrates understanding by
presenting it in some way
Longer Term WebQuest
l Various thinking skills that may be
required to meet Marzano’s goal
– Comparing
– Classifying
– Inducing
– Deducing
– Analyzing errors
– Constructing support
– Abstraction
– Analyzing perspectives
© 1996-2002 Kathy Schrock
Critical Attributes of a WebQuest
1. Introduction
2. Task
3. Process
4. Information sources
5. Evaluation
6. Conclusion
Non-critical Attributes
l Most likely to be group activities
l Include role-playing for learners
l Single discipline or interdisciplinary
© 1996-2002 Kathy Schrock
Critical Attribute #1 :
Introduction
l Should orient the learner as to what is
coming
l Should raise some interest in the learner
through a variety of means
Critical Attribute #2 :
Task
l A description of what the learner will
have done at the end of the exercise
l Could be a product or a verbal
presentation
© 1996-2002 Kathy Schrock
Critical Attribute #3 :
Description of the Process
l Clearly described steps
l Lets the learners know the process to go
through to accomplish the task
l Can also provide learning advice
Critical Attribute #4 :
Set of Information Sources
l A list of Web pages which the
instructor has located to help the
learner accomplish the task
l Should also include resources not on
the Web
l All resources may not be used by all
© 1996-2002 Kathy Schrock
Critical Attribute #5 :
Evaluation
l Need to be able to measure results
l Evaluation rubrics designed by the
teacher are the most authentic
assessment
l Evaluation rubrics take different forms
Critical Attribute #6 :
Conclusion
l Bring closure to the quest
l Remind the learners about what
they have learned
l Encourage them to extend the
experience into other domains
© 1996-2002 Kathy Schrock
Design Steps for Teachers
l Become familiar with resources online
in your content area
l Organize the resources into categories
like databases, reference material, etc.
l Identify topics that fit in with the
curriculum and which there are
materials online
