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The Big Picture
A WebQuest focuses on big ideas or lynchpin concepts that transcend a specific topic or theme. "These are the important understandings that we want students to get inside of and retain after they have forgotten many of the details." ( Understanding by Design ,Wiggins and McTighe)
DESIGN PROCESS
The following links may assist you as a springboard for defining your WebQuest concept.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Questioning is a crucial factor in all successful learning environments. Web-based activities that value stimulating thoughtful questions avoid cutting and pasting information transfer and foster enduring learning. Essential questions boil down to Tom Marsh's view "What's up with this?" The Questioning toolkit and the Jaimie McKenzie article may be valuable for the broad landscape of instructional settings.
PROBLEM-SOLVING TASKS
The success of tasks rests with how relevant they are to uncovering issues and concepts.
ANALYZING AND DESIGNING THE PROCESS
The WebQuest process format helps ensure that students stay focused on tasks and learning goals. Merely giving students fun activities to do may keep them busy, but is it clear what learning is taking place? Also a teacher cannot assume that students understand how to engage in collaborative tasks. The teacher as a facilitator may have to provide opportunities and guidance for students to develop group processing skills.
ASSESSMENT ISSUES
Tasks and assessment are interrelated. Students should understand how they will be evaluated before and during their involvement in the process. A teacher may want to consider evaluating the collaborative qualities of group members also. Involving the students in the assessment process is another issue to consider, (see Negotiable Assessment article below) While rubrics have gained popularity as assessment tools, they have pros and cons associated with their effectiveness. Select an assessment format that you are most comfortable with and not necessarily the easiest to implement online.