WebQuest

 

As more students gain access to the Internet, teachers are under increasing pressure to assist their students in using this valuable resource as an effective study tool.

WebQuests are just one example of how teachers can assist students.

• Defining a WebQuest.
• Reasons for using WebQuest.
• Structure of a WebQuest.
• Producing a WebQuest.
• Implementing a WebQuest.
• Conclusion.

Defining a WebQuest

One of the first people to attempt to define and structure this type of learning activity was Bernie Dodge of San Diego State University. A WebQuest, he defines, is "an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from Internet resources..."

This definition has evolved over time and has been adapted for use in a variety of disciplines. According to Philip Benz (See Related Reading), a WebQuest is as follows: "A "WebQuest" is a Constructivist learning method (...). Students not only collect and organize information found on the internet, but they also direct their activities toward a specific goal, which is frequently associated with one or more roles modeled after adult professions."

WebQuests are mini-projects in which the Internet provides a large portion of the input and material. WebQuests can be created by the teacher or by the students, depending on the learning activity chosen by the teacher.

Reasons for using WebQuest

There are numerous compelling reasons to use WebQuests in the classroom, such as:

• They are a simple way for teachers to begin incorporating the Internet into the language classroom, both in the short and long term - no specialized technical knowledge is required to create or use them.
• They are often group activities, and as a result, they lend themselves to communication and knowledge sharing, which are two of the primary goals of language teaching.
• They can be used as a linguistic tool only, or they can be interdisciplinary, allowing for crossover into other departments and subject areas.
• They promote critical thinking skills such as comparing, categorizing, inducing, deducing, analyzing errors, constructing support, abstraction, analyzing perspectives, and so on. Learners are not simply able to regurgitate information they find; rather, they are guided toward transforming that information in order to complete a given task.
• They can be both motivating and authentic tasks, encouraging learners to see their activities as 'real' or 'useful.' This inevitably leads to increased effort, increased concentration, and a genuine interest in task completion.

Structure of a WebQuest

WebQuests have now been around long enough to have a distinct structure. However, while this structure is unofficially recognized as the definitive schema for these activities, it should only be used as a basic guideline, and you should tailor your WebQuests to your students' needs and learning styles. A WebQuest typically consists of four major sections:

• The Introduction stage is typically used to introduce the WebQuest's overall theme. It entails providing background information on the topic and, in the context of language learning, frequently introduces key vocabulary and concepts that learners will need to understand in order to complete the tasks at hand.
• The WebQuest's Task section explains clearly and precisely what the learners must do as they progress through the WebQuest. The task should, of course, be highly motivating and intrinsically interesting for the learners, as well as firmly grounded in a real-life situation. This frequently involves the learners in some role-playing within a given scenario (e.g. you are the school social organiser and have to organise a trip for your class to an English-speaking country...).
• A WebQuest's Process stage guides learners through a series of activities and research tasks using a set of predefined resources. In the case of a WebQuest, these resources are mostly web-based and are usually presented in clickable form within the task document (it's important to remember that it's much easier to click on a link than it is to type it in with any degree of accuracy). In the case of a language-based WebQuest, the Process stage may introduce (or recycle) lexical areas or grammatical points that are necessary for the Task. The Process stage of the WebQuest will typically include one (or more) 'products' that the learners are expected to present at the end. These 'products' are frequently the foundation of the Evaluation stage.
• The Evaluation stage may involve learners in self-evaluation, comparing and contrasting their work with that of other learners, and providing feedback on what they believe they have learned, achieved, and so on. It will also include teacher evaluation, and good WebQuests will provide guidance to the teacher for this part of the process.

Producing a WebQuest

Creating a WebQuest does not necessitate extensive technical knowledge. While all of the examples in the additional reading are primarily web-based, it is extremely simple to create a professional-looking and functional design using any modern word processor. The following skillsets could be used to create a WebQuest:

• Research skills

It is critical to be able to search the Internet and find resources quickly and accurately. It is beyond the scope of this article to delve into the finer points of using search engines and subject guides, but a thorough reading of their help pages will significantly improve the accuracy of any search.

• Analytical skills

It is also critical to be able to evaluate the resources that you come across while searching. Before launching any activity based on a website, make sure to thoroughly investigate it.

• Word processing skills

You must also be able to use a word processor to combine text, images, and weblinks into a completed document. This particular set of skills can be learned in about ten minutes.

Before you sit down to plan a WebQuest, it's always a good idea to look around the Internet to see if anyone has created something that might fit your needs. There are numerous WebQuest' repositories' available on the Internet, so there is little point in reinventing the wheel. Use a search engine to look around before doing the hard work yourself.

Essentially, the guidelines below will get you started:

• Define the subject matter and the 'end product' (Introduction and Task phases).

• Locate web resources that are both content and linguistically appropriate (Resources).

• Sort the resources according to the Task's stages.

• Tasks, resources, lexical areas, and grammatical areas should all be structured.

• Create evaluation stages and concepts.

After completing these tasks, the WebQuest can be created as a simple word-processed document (with images and links to all the resources learners will require) or as a webpage.

Implementing a WebQuest

Shorter WebQuests can be used to supplement course book materials over one or a few classes, whereas longer WebQuests may be better suited to longer courses. When breaking down a WebQuest for use over several class sessions, make sure your students understand what they're doing, why they're doing it, and what the benefits are for them. It's all too easy for them to overlook the advantages and dismiss regular visits to the computer lab as a waste of time. The self-evaluation suggested in the model above can help to alleviate this situation. Among the suggested questions for students to consider are:

• How useful was my contribution to the group project?
• What did I discover about the topics we studied?
• How did this project help me improve my English?
• What did I discover about the Internet?

Conclusion

Regardless of how you choose to use WebQuests, you should find that well-chosen and motivating topics, combined with up-to-date websites and access to the wealth of material on the Internet, will provide lively, interesting, and learning-rich classes for you and your students.

Attachment(s)

WebQuest Work (Team Project)

WebQuest Work File Version (Team Project)