A Survey of Currently Implemented WebQuests in Computer Science and Computer Technology

Cecil P. Schmidt

A WebQuest is a learning strategy developed by Professor Bernie Dodge in 1995 (March & Ozline.com, 1998). WebQuests utilizes technologies associated with the World Wide Web and the Internet to support cooperative and active learning methods. According to Kenton Letkeman, creator of Canada's National Water Crisis WebQuest, a WebQuest learning strategy is a super learning tool. "WebQuests allow students to explore issues and find their own answers" (Star, 2002). WebQuests follow a particular pattern that can be found at Bernie Dodge's WebQuest Page (Dodge, 2001). This formula includes:

1. An introduction to the problem.

2. The task description.

3. The process used to perform the task.

4. The required resources.

5. The evaluation measures.

6. The conclusion which sums up the activities.

This process is summarized as well in (Star, 2002), (Grabe & Grabe, 1998), and (Seamon, 2001). WebQuests can be use in support of various subject areas. They can range from short-term lessons that can be implemented in approximately one week, to long-term lessons that might run an entire semester. However, the goal of all WebQuests is to support active and cooperative learning using a "Knowledge as Design" (Grabe & Grabe, 1998) approach.

In the following sections I focus on WebQuests in the computer science discipline. Six alternative computer science WebQuests were surveyed. In the survey I provide a brief analysis of each site along with an analyst of the subject area covered. Following the survey, I point out some basic findings including possible alternatives for future WebQuests.

Survey

The following is a list of the sites that were surveyed along with a description of the content of each site, authentic learning implications, and related subject areas covered.

1. Web Design Page (Keach, 1999).

This WebQuest provides an authentic lesson in the development of a web site for a business or organization. It assist students in finding the required resources for building a web site using a web authoring software program. It incorporates authentic learning by requiring students to apply their business, marketing, and communication skills in the development of a real world web site. In addition, students also learn the skills of how to design and construct a web site. The primary subject area covered is in Business Computer Information Systems with secondary emphasis in Marketing, Communication, Management, and Computer Applications.

2. Basic Network Design (Plunkett, 1999).

This WebQuest provides an authentic lesson in computer network design. It assist the students in building a design by pointing out sites relating to the fundamentals of networks, servers, and networking products. Expert advice can be obtained from two different sites. Additionally a computer vendor list is provided. The Quest incorporates authentic learning by requiring the student to create and present a presentation to a school board who has made a network analysis request. Alternatives and options must be part of this presentation. Additionally, the capability to ask an expert's opinion adds a sense of reality to this WebQuest. The primary subject areas covered are networking and telecommunications.

3. Software Evaluation Web Quest (Gruber, 1999).

This WebQuest provides an authentic lesson in the development of a software evaluation tool. It assist students in identifying the criteria that could be used in the evaluation of software by providing links to resources related to reviewing software. Most of these sites are educational in nature. The WebQuest incorporates authentic learning by requiring students to use their software evaluation tool in the evaluation of multiple software programs. Additionally, it asks the students to take on alternative stakeholder roles in the evaluation process. The primary subject covered is software engineering.

4. Visual Basic WebQuest (Bellacera, 2000).

This WebQuest provides a lesson in the introduction of Visual Basic as a computer programming language. It assist students by providing alternative resources that explain the basic features of this language and suggests the goal of learning how to create a simple Visual Basic application that incorporates the learned features. In my opinion this WebQuest lacks an authentic learning perspective, however. In particular, this site does not support a particular project or reason for learning Visual Basic. The primary subject covered is computer programming.

5. How to Evaluate Websites WebQuest (Botha, 2002).

This WebQuest provides a lesson in how to evaluate a website that can be used as a high school science research information source. It assist students by providing a list of resources that can be used to create criteria for a website evaluation. It incorporates active learning, in that it requires students to create an evaluation criteria list in the study of website evaluation. Additionally, it is to be used by others who will be posting new resources to this website. The primary subject covered is web page design with alternative subject areas of graphics design and science.

6. Computer Science Project Research and Development WebQuest (Peterson, 2001).

This WebQuest provides a lesson in the dynamics of software development in a team environment. It assist the students by providing a set of resources covering an array of programming standards and styles. Authentic learning is incorporated through the development of a software application by a team of programmers. Feedback from experts is also available to the students. The primary subject area covered is software engineering.

Findings

Of the sites that were reviewed, all contained the six building blocks used to create WebQuests. Most of these sites made use of Bernie Dodge's WebQuest Template (Dodge, n.d.) or one that is based on it. Through the use of this template, these WebQuests followed the same basic pattern and were easy to understand and follow. All but one of the WebQuests defined a real world problem and linked the WebQuest to the solution of that problem. An example solution would be to include a final presentation for expert review or a solution to a problem. In this context, WebQuests promote higher level learning and develop problem-solving skills. Many of the WebQuests tied multiple disciplines together. However, in all of the WebQuests, the activity's end product required students to communicate well. As such, WebQuests by default promoted communication skills in the learner. Finally, it was surprising to see such a breadth of coverage in different areas in computer science. Key areas of the computer science curriculum addressed by these WebQuests included software engineering, network design, information systems, user interface design, and programming languages.

Conclusions

It is easy to see that a WebQuest could be used in support of any topic in the computer science area. Most of the WebQuests found in this survey were built for 11th and 12th graders. However, it would be simple enough to integrate these WebQuests into a college environment. An initial notion concerning WebQuests in computer science might be that it is a very technical discipline that requires many detailed skills that cannot be effectively addressed by this type of learning tool. In my opinion this notion cannot be more false. Computer science can be applied to many alternative disciplines such as bioinformatics, industrial engineering, business, genetics, and others. The multidisciplinary nature of computer science allows a WebQuest a tremendous amount of flexibility. For example a WebQuest addressing an evolutionary programming problem might require background research in genetics and evolutionary design. It could make for an extremely fascinating WebQuest that could be targeted to undergraduate or graduate students in computer science. There is a tremendous opportunity for educators to use WebQuest a beneficial learning approach. The sites that were surveyed bore this out.

References

Bellacera, Carolyn. (December 12, 2000). Visual Basic Webquest [Online]. Available: http://www.ic.sunysb.edu/Stu/cbellace/webquest.html [July 2002]

Botha, Alwyn, (2002). How to Evaluate Websites WebQuest [Online]. Available: http://www.what-is-the-speed-of-light.com/webquests/evaluate-websites-webquest.html [July 2002]

Dodge, Bernie, (October 27, 2001). WebQuest Page [Online]. Available: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/ [July 2002]

Dodge, Bernie (n.d.) WebQuest Template [Online]. Available: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/LessonTemplate.html [July 2002]

Grabe, Cindy and Mark (1998). Integrating Technology for Meaningful Learning, Third Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Gruber, Gail. (April 28, 1999). Software Evaluation WebQuest [Online]. Available: http://education.nmsu.edu/webquest/wq/software/index.html [July 2002]

Keach, Kristy. (1999). Web Design Page [Online]. Available: http://www.esc2.net/TIELevel2/projects/webpage [July 2002]

March, Tom and Ozline.com (1998). Why WebQuests?, an introduction [Online]. Available: http://www.ozline.com/webquests/intro.html [July, 2002]

Peterson, Doug, (June 16, 2001). Computer Science Project Research and Development Webquest [Online]. Available: http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/d&g/cswebquest/t-index.htm [July 2002]

Plunkett, Doug. (June 30, 1999). Basic Network Design [Online]. Available: http://www.yorkville.k12.il.us/webquests/webqplunkett/webqsplunkett.html [July 2002]

Seamon, Mary (2001). Changing instructional practices through technology training, part 2. Book Report v. 19 no5 (Mar./Apr 2001) p. 40-2 ISSN: 4388