WebQuests

WebQuests

Colin McNeil, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Definitions and background

A WebQuest, as defined by Dodge (2001), is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources found on the Internet. These activities must be based on a compelling topic around which teachers and instructors can build a learning task (Alshumaimeri & Almasri, 2012). The concept of the WebQuest itself was originally designed by Bernie Dodge and Tom Marchin in 1995 in an attempt to effectively integrate the World Wide Web into classrooms (Alshumaimeri & Almasri). The standard structure of a WebQuest includes the introduction, a task, information sources, a description of the process, guidance on how to organize the information, and the conclusion (Kurt, 2012). Typically a collaborative venture, a WebQuest requires students to work in groups, often with particular assigned roles (Allan & Street, 2007). WebQuests can be short-term projects, lasting one to three class periods, or long term, ranging from one week up to one month (Kurt).

Affordances

When properly designed, a WebQuest affords students an opportunity to complete a task or solve a problem by applying judgment, synthesizing information and eliciting higher-order thinking rather than basic information searching and recall (Gülbahar, Madran & Kaleliolu, 2010). By virtue of being well-structured web-based activities, WebQuests provide teachers with an activity they can adapt to suit the needs of their students and the curriculum outcomes as well (Alshumaimeri & Almasri, 2012). Compared to other traditional instruction methods, teaching with WebQuests allows for students to use and develop critical thinking and problem solving skills on a regular basis (Feng & Hannafin, 2008). The research results of Feng and Hannafin fall in line with Dodge (2001), who concluded that WebQuests foster the students' ability to analyze, integrate, evaluate and solve problems in his research.

Students, by their participation in WebQuests, are able to develop skills in evaluating websites, enabling them to differentiate between what is useful and what is misinformation, which it turn helps develop their critical thinking skills (Perkins & McKnight, 2005). Vidoni and Maddux (2002) observed that "WebQuests challenge students’ intellectual and academic ability rather than Web searching skills” (p. 104). Additionally, WebQuests provide an opportunity for participants to be exposed to wider perspectives of relevant issues, giving students a chance for further discovery (Allan & Street, 2007). By working with WebQuests, students realize that different solutions are possible as a result of the members' research, discussions and conclusions (Gülbahar, Madran, & Kalelioglu, 2010).

Students working in WebQuests are able to participate in meaningful discussions, acquire knowledge in an autonomous and self-regulated way and generate explanations for fellow group members (Zacharia, Xenofontos, & Manoli, 2011). By participating in WebQuests, students' learning abilities can be improved by the allocation of individual roles to students, requiring them to share various results within a smaller group (Chang, Chen & Hsu, 2011). Yang (2014) reports the very nature of the WebQuest design lends itself to a change in teaching patterns, often converting teacher-led learning to student self-directed learning. WebQuest activities also afford learners an opportunity to discuss, share and assist each other during the project, which in turn provides the conditions for collaborative learning and a shift toward student-centered learning (Yang).

Teachers in Peterson and Koeck (2001) report that designing and delivering WebQuests allow them to discover new resources, improve technology skills and gain new ideas by collaborating with colleagues. The process of designing and implementing can also help teachers understand and promote student-centered pedagogy (Feng & Hannafin, 2008). As Perkins and McKnight (2005) have described, when teachers increase their use of WebQuests in the classroom practice, they also increase their ability to integrate inquiry into the classrooms. Lin and Hsieh's (2001) research also concludes that teachers who utilize and design WebQuests reflect on their own teaching practices, develop design and critical thinking skills, and become better inquirers of the learning process in general.