Definitions

A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet, optionally supplemented with videoconferencing. There are at least two levels of WebQuests that should be distinguished from one another.

Short Term WebQuests

The instructional goal of a short term WebQuest is knowledge acquisition and integration. At the end of a short term WebQuest, a learner will have grappled with a significant amount of new information and made sense of it. A short-term WebQuest is designed to be completed in one to three class periods.

Longer Term WebQuest

The instructional goal of a longer term WebQuest is extending and refining knowledge. After completing a longer term WebQuest, a learner would have analysed a body of knowledge deeply, transformed it in some way, and demonstrated an understanding of the material by creating something that others can respond to, on-line or off. A longer term WebQuest will typically take between one week and a month in a classroom setting.

Critical Attributes

WebQuests of either short or long duration are deliberately designed to make the best use of a learner's time. There is questionable educational benefit in having learners surfing the net without a clear task in mind, and most schools must ration student connect time severely. To achieve that efficiency and clarity of purpose, WebQuests should contain at least the following parts:

• An introduction that sets the stage and provides some background information.

• A task that is doable and interesting.

• A set of information sources needed to complete the task. Many (though not necessarily all) of the resources are embedded in the WebQuest document itself as anchors pointing to information on the World Wide Web. Information sources might include web documents, experts available via e-mail or real-time conferencing, searchable databases on the net, and books and other documents physically available in the learner's setting. Because pointers to resources are included, the learner is not left to wander through webspace completely adrift.

• A description of the process the learners should go through in accomplishing the task. The process should be broken out into clearly described steps.

• Some guidance on how to organize the information acquired. This can take the form of guiding questions, or directions to complete organizational frameworks such as timelines, concept maps, or cause-and-effect diagrams.

• A conclusion that brings closure to the quest, reminds the learners about what they've learned, and perhaps encourages them to extend the experience into other domains.

Some other non-critical attributes of a WebQuest include these:

• WebQuests are most likely to be group activities, although one could imagine solo quests that might be applicable in distance education or library settings.

• WebQuests might be enhanced by wrapping motivational elements around the basic structure by giving the learners a role to play (e.g., scientist, detective, reporter), simulated personae to interact with via e-mail, and a scenario to work within (e.g., you've been asked by the President of the USA to brief him on what's happening in sub-Saharan Africa this week.)

• WebQuests can be designed within a single discipline or they can be interdisciplinary.

The forms that a longer term WebQuest might take are open to the imagination. Some ideas:

• A searchable database in which the categories in each field were created by the learners.

• A microworld that users can navigate through that represents a physical space.

• An interactive story or case study created by learners.

• A simulated person who can be interviewed on-line. The questions and answers would be generated by learners who have deeply studied the person being simulated.

Putting the results of their thinking process back out onto the internet serves three purposes:

• It focuses the learners on a tangible and hi-tech task.

• It gives them an audience to create for.

• It opens up the possibility of getting feedback from that distant audience via an embedded e-mail form.