Analyzing the WebQuest Process

Analyzing the WebQuest Process

As you can see on the Process page of the Building Blocks of a WebQuest page, it's important to describe to the learners (or to other teachers who might use your WebQuest) the exact steps that are needed to accomplish the task. There are many ways one can do this. The purpose of this page is to give you an opportunity to think about the variety of ways you can orchestrate the efforts of your learners.

Working in groups of 2 or 4, divide up the 4 WebQuests listed at the top of the matrix. Look at the description of the process for each one and determine which characteristics each one has. If a given WebQuest has a characteristic, put a + in the appropriate cell. If it definitely doesn't have that characteristic, put a -. And if you can't tell, put a ?

	Tropical Rainforest	Mexico City Earthquake	Searching for China	Radio Days
Roles are assigned based on conflicting perspectives
Roles are assigned based on jobs or responsibilities
No roles are pre-assigned... groups divide the work as needed.
Roles are the same for everyone
Everyone does essentially the same jobs, but they divide up the content
Resources are provided that are specific to a role
All learners read a common set of resources before reading role-specific resources
Many resources are provided and the learners choose among them based on their role or interest
Guidance for accomplishing specific tasks is provided
Synthesis occurs within a small group
Synthesis occurs when groups report out to the whole class

Compare notes with your teammate(s) in preparation for a whole class debriefing.

This page is by Bernie Dodge. Last updated October 23, 1998.

This page has been modified from the original to include a different set of WebQuests. Unfortunately, three of the WebQuests on the original no longer link.