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New Mexico State University

WebQuests

What is a Webquest?

webquest ppt

WebQuests: An introduction to WebQuests, PowerPoint presentation by Karin Wiburg

A WebQuest, as defined by Bernie Dodge at San Diego State University, is "an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the Internet."

WebQuests offer an ideal model for teachers who are searching for ways to integrate the Internet into their classroom. Each WebQuest has a clear task or problem assigned with rich links related to a topic or curriculum content area.They are designed to make good use of the student's time while online. There are two kinds of WebQuests, short term and long term.

Definitions

The attributes of a short term WebQuest are:

  • knowledge acquisition and integration
  • making sense of large amounts of information
  • typically completed in one to three class periods.

The attributes of a long term WebQuest are:

  • extending and refining knowledge
  • analyzing a body of knowledge thoroughly and transforming it
  • creating a product that others can respond to
  • typically completed in one week to a month.

Critical Attributes

  • An introduction that sets the stage.
  • A task that is interesting.
  • A set of information resources, available on and offline.
  • A description of the process that needs to be done to accomplish the task. The process should be broken down into clearly defined steps.
  • An evaluation of the WebQuest. The WebQuest developer could design a rubric.
  • A conclusion that brings closure to the quest which reminds learners of what they have learned and encourages them to extend the experience to other domains.

WebQuest Links

Exemplary WebQuests designed by students in the Learning Technologies Program at New Mexico State University. Note: These webquests were built several years ago. The files to which the links in this webquest were connected may no longer exist, and the links no longer function. Because we get requests for this and other webquests we have left them up for now, but hey may not remain up much longer unless we get a volunteer to maintain the work.

The WebQuest Page
Home of the WebQuest model developed by Bernie Dodge with Tom March, among other resources, it includes the WebQuest Collections page, a set templates for creating webquests, and WebQuests: A Strategy for Scaffolding Higher Level Learning as well as some excellent examples:

See also WebQuests & more
Resources by Tom March, includes an overview article, Working the Web for Education, an introductory article, Why WebQuests? a WebQuest rubric and much more.