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The Framework
Transferring information into knowledge with Web-based lessons can be a challenging endeavor. The flexibility of copying and pasting information can bypass students' thought processes. The WebQuest strategy provides a format to foster the synthesis of information and to apply it to developing multidisciplinary solutions to problems and issues.
INTRODUCTION
The introduction is the hook that piques the students' curiosity. Framing your title in the form a question may also help set the stage for engagement.
TASKS
Tasks are activities that facilitate understanding of problems and themes. A problem-solving task challenges groups of students to collaboratively analyze resources. Activities should be solutions to learning needs. A worthwhile task allows students to bring their experiences and thoughts into meaningful conclusions. Engaging WebQuests' introductions and activities strive for intriguing scenarios and authentic tasks which have pedagogical value.
PROCESS
In the process section, the teacher provides a step-by-step guide. It may be helpful to suggest ways to manage time, assign roles, or organize data. Some teachers lay out a timeline with deadlines, strategies for working together in a group, or directions for writing a storyboard. These suggestions can be kept separately and identified as learning advice.
RESOURCES
After you decide on your topic and have written the introduction and the task, you must identify the resources your students will use. Remember to cite texts, reference books, videotapes, places, and people who may be essential resources. You might ask students to interview their peers, teachers, and parents, or you might have them go to the library, a museum, or a local store to gather information. Some sites will have conflicting views and incomplete and inaccurate information. You can use these diverse views as a starting point for discussion, particularly with older students: "How do you decide which author is credible?" "What makes a good Web site?"
EVALUATION
Many WebQuests result in products such as paper or oral reports, multimedia presentations, dramatic performances, artwork, or musical compositions. The most appropriate evaluation tool for all of these forms often, but not necessarily, a rubric. A rubric can provide an assessment guide for teachers and students. The most effective rubrics include a variety of criteria and benchmarks for accomplishment in each category.
CONCLUSION
The conclusion brings closure to the WebQuest, summing up the project and reviewing what the students have learned. Students are asked to continue reflecting on and exploring their topic. This may also be a time when a teacher gets feedback from students.