The WebQuest site is designed to serve as a resource to those who are using the WebQuest model to teach with the web. By pointing to excellent examples and collecting materials developed to communicate the idea, all of us experimenting with WebQuests will be able to learn from each other.

A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The model was developed in early 1995 at San Diego State University by Bernie Dodge with Tom March, and was outlined then in Some Thoughts About WebQuests (available on the website).

Since then, scores of workshops have been offered to teachers on the format, by instructors who made use of the resources on this site. If WebQuests are new to you, visit the site at http://webquest.sdsu.edu.


Interview with the Equity Online LearnScope Team:

1. What was the "problem" you were trying to solve when you decided to use WebQuest?

As facilitators of a group who hadn't yet met F2F, we wanted an efficient way to get people motivated, involved and thinking about the issues - also to give some direction for the project, so that when we did meet, we'd have 'meat' to discuss.

2. Why did you choose WebQuest? What were the criteria for selecting it rather than other processes?

We chose a WebQuest to help us facilitators focus on likely directions for the project. Also because we knew participants were busy and might appreciate someone else doing some preliminary culling for them. It also meant that people were being asked to use the technology and our communication hub straight away in the project and we thought it might throw up any initial problems. As it happened nobody had any problems with it.

3. What have you done with WebQuest so far?

We posted it, encouraged people to do it, used it as a focus for discussions at the first F2F meeting. It will stay on the home page as a useful overview of sites for visitors and for reference for us.

4. What were the initial reactions of the team when they began to use this process?

The team were glad for the direction and time saving. Not everyone could do all of it - that was OK. Team members reported being pleased to have an exercise to do before we met as a group to get everyone thinking.

5. Have there been any "aha" moments when one or more members of the team have made the transition from "novice" to "comfortable user"? Can you describe that/those moments?

Not so much about being a comfortable user because it was accessing technology everyone was already familiar with but just using it slightly differently. Really it was a way of giving people pre-reading that had an added benefit of being able to follow links to other interesting sites for further information and helped some to get started on research for the project.

6. What aspects of WebQuest have you found particularly useful?

"focused me - I needed some discipline here"
"well chosen readings"
"good to get started on the project early"

7. What aspects have been frustrating?

"Lack of time and energy to read as widely as I should have" (This really summed up the reported frustrations)

8. If you were to give an overall rating out of 10, what would WebQuest receive?

"I didn't think it was a fun one! But is was a good place to start - 7/10?" (From the facilitator, Liz Roarty, who has done other WebQuests before).