Webquests
A definition or overview of educational purposes of this application
Developed by Bernie Dodge and Tom March of San Diego State University in 1995 as a means of facilitating inquiry-based learning, webquests are based on a quest or a challenge that students undertake by conducting research. Webquests have a structure: introduction, task, process, resources, evaluation and conclusion.
Classroom examples
- Education Channel’s list of Victorian webquests – including those in its sponsored Webquest of the year
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/teacher/Global/webquests.htm - Victorian Webquests (from DEECD)
- Oetzi the Iceman, Alida Bonotto, Vince Antonetti, Heather Wilson, Reservoir District Secondary College.
- Globalisation - what does it mean for me? a webquest by Lisa Hayman , Bendigo Senior Secondary College.
- Student Restaurant Rules, Claire Bloom and Judy Steel, Warrandyte High School.
- The Way Things Work, Emma Chiera, Ali Warton, Kerrie Opray, Cinzia Angelico, Sarah Cooper, Kim Bride&Susan Grigg, Boroondara Park Primary School.
- To Kill a Mockingbird, Rosalind Kentwell, Dianne Ruffles, Marie Buckland, Lisa Andersen, Melbourne High School.
- Did the Punishment Fit the Crime? Dianne Ruffles with Josie Belvedere&Marie Buckland, Melbourne High School.
- Catering for Camp, Naomi Pankotsch, Sarah Warren, Kieran McCrohan & Jen Cole, Southmoor Primary School.
- Ancient Greeks, Peter Cattapan, Liz McLaren, Alida Bonotto, Andree Poulter, Reservoir District Secondary College.
- The overall winner for 2007
Africa's Child What responsibility do we have to the children of Africa?
Pam Macdonald and Melinda FitzGerald, Lyndhurst Secondary College - Great storage house of webquests – searchable by learning area and year level.
- Kathy Schrock's has a slide show with guidelines for the development of WebQuests
Hint sheets on how to use the application
From these sites you can find lots of webquests – useful resources – how to make, etc:
- http://www.education.vic.gov.au/teacher/Global/webquests.htm
- http://webquest.org/index.php
- http://bestwebquests.com/
- Tom March outlines “The 3 R’s of Webquests” (real, rich and relevant):
Some readings
[We have focused on articles that are readily available at RMIT, usually via the Library’s databases and e-journals]
- Erdogan, H. (2008). A good teaching technique: WebQuests. The Clearing House, 81 (3), p109-111.
[Useful, short and introductory article, mentions strengths, weaknesses and challenges for teachers of webquests] - Ikpeze, C & Boyd, F. (2007). Web-based inquiry learning: Facilitating thoughtful literacy with webquests. The Reading Teacher, 60 (7), p644-655
[A longer research article, outlining the many positives of webquests, particularly to foster complex thinking skills - among them “thoughtful literacy” - with some attention to potential problems and pitfalls in classroom use] - March, T. (2004). What webquests are (really). (Originally published in ASCD's Educational Leadership). Retrieved 10 November, 2008 from
[Pries apart and discusses the key components of what constitutes a great webquest, and why] - March, T. (2007). Revisiting webquests in a web 2 world. How developments in technology and pedagogy combine to scaffold personal learning. Interactive Educational Multimedia, 15, 1-17. Available from http://www.tommarch.com/writings/ along with other great articles by this author.
[Reiterates the key features of an effective webquest and identifies new dimensions of learning through Web 2 applications] - Molebash, P. & Dodge, B. (2003). Kickstarting inquiry with webquests and web inquiry projects. Social Education, 67 (3) p158-62.
[Discusses the WIP (Web Inquiry Project): a less structured, less scaffolded form of web based research than the webquest, further along the inquiry model continuum, fostering greater student independence]