EDTEC Pavilion

 

A WebQuest is a inquiry-oriented research activity in which students read, analyze, and synthesize information using the Internet.  Valued as a highly constructivist teaching method, the WebQuest allows students to build their own understanding of a topic, research real-world questions, and work cooperatively to find solutions. Instructors can create a task around Bloom's Taxonomy by varying the level of abstraction of questions. They then direct student to relevant Internet-based resources to complete the task.

 

Usally the Quest is divided into the following sections: Introduction, Task, Process, Resources, Evalution, and Conclusion Page. Introduction sets the stage and provides some background information of the topic to be explored. Task includes research questions, student's role assignments, and collaborative activities. Process includes a description of what the learners should go through in accomplishing the task with step by step guidance. Resources refers to relevant information and tools needed to complete the task, embedded in the WebQuest as anchors pointing to information on the Internet. Evaluation includes clear grading criteria for both individual and collaborative work. Conclusion brings closure to the Quest, reminds the learners about what they've learned, and encourages them to extend the experience into other domains.

 

This learning approch almost covers every category of NETS-S. It's a powerful inquiry tool for both teachers and students.

 

Click here to see a sample of WebQuest.

 

Cook, R. S., Rule, S., & Mariger, H. (2003). Parents’ evaluation of the usability of a web site on recommended practices. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 23, 19-27. Retrieved October 8, 2006, from http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID= 4CC788309A0DD582C28A

Based on the need for an accessible, practical, and parent-friendly curriculum on the Internet, the authors designed the Strategies for Preschool Intervention in Everyday Settings for Parents (SPIES) web site that was intended to provide practical information about recommended practices such as activity-based or embedded instruction to families whose young children had disabilities or were at developmental risk. To determine whether the site was an effective tool for disseminating information about recommended practice to families, the authors launched a parents' evaluation of the site.

After three research questions considering the site’s accessibility, practicality, and appropriateness were raised, twenty-one parents from ten states were recruited to conduct an online evaluation of the SPIES site, judging its content and ease of use. The data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods.

Results indicated that the Internet could be an effective medium for disseminating information about recommended practices to families. The parent group found the Web site to be helpful, useful, and responsive to their needs and time constraints. Although they said that textual information was easy to access, some parents did note that they experienced technological problems in downloading video.

From this evaluation, the authors also suggested that a web site providing procedural guidance could complement the provision of direct early intervention services, with content presented in multiple modes and for different learners.

Stitt, B. G., Leone, M., & Jennings-Clawson, H. (1998). Focus groups and evaluation of criminal justice programs. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 9, 71-80. Retrieved September 30, 2006, from

             http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=UL22137L0684025X

In recent years, higher education was under attack from the stakeholders demanding documentation of accountability. The assessment for producing empirical evidence of accountability was becoming of significant importance. In the light of this increasing demand, the authors came up with an innovative idea for use in evaluating criminal justice programs.

After summarizing some concerns related to the measurement of accountability and the program review process, the authors introduced and discussed the use of focus groups as an assessment tool. The advantages and disadvantages of focus groups as applied to evaluation of criminal justice programs were presented. The authors conducted a self-studying involving focus group while the department was undergoing an external program review. A number of the focus groups’ suggestions for program change were supported by the findings of the criminal justice educators who visited the campus and evaluated the program; thus, the reviewers’ suggestions were supported by students’ observations and opinions. This validation has proved extemely valuable, especially in increasing resources for the criminal justice program.

Based on the findings of the study, the authors concluded that focus groups could be a valuable, viable, cost-effective tool in program evaluation. Therefore, they strongly suggested that many academic departments should use the focus group method in their evaluation processes.

Judd, V. C., Farrow, L. I., & Tims, B. J. (2006). Evaluating public web site information: A

 

process and an instrument. Reference Services Review, 34, 12-32. Retrieved September

 

22, 2006, from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0090-7324.htm

 

In an effort to find an evaluation instrument for undergraduate students to use to evaluate public web sites, the authors analyzed the variety of instruments discovered from an intensive literature review and developed an appropriate instrument and its application in workshops with students.

 

Although a number of diverse evaluation instruments from the literature and from web-based sources were examined, none was deemed suitable for students to use. Based on the literature review and analysis, the authors asserted that the web evaluation instrument should (1) focus exclusively on the information aspect of a web site, (2) have some basis in theory or be based on accepted model, (3) be parsimonious, (4) be quantitative, with both absolute and relative measures, and (5) indicates whether or not the information should be accepted or rejected. Following these criteria, the authors created their own instrument with the goal of focusing on the process rather than the outcome.

 

The instrument, which included five ten-point scaled questions, was tested through three trials. A group of students were taught how to use it through two workshops. Based on their assessment of the learning environment, the authors concurred that the new instrument met the students’ needs and suggested the focus of an instrument should be on evaluation as a process.

Kovalik, C. L., & Dalton, D. W. (1999). The process/outcome evaluation model: A

 

         conceptual framework for assessment. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 27, 183-194.

 

         The adoption of alternative pedagogical philosophies in the classroom had led to an increased use of technology to expand and enhance authentic, contextual learning environments. Correspondingly these new approaches had also led to a growing dissatisfaction with existing evaluation methodologies to evaluate knowledge. Based on the premise that evaluation strategies should reflect the full range of the experiences of learning, the authors proposed the Process/Outcome Evaluation Model (POEM) to guide in the development of more holistic evaluations of both the learning process and the resultant outcomes of that process.

          The POEM framework comprised an evaluation matrix that contained four categories of measurements: hard-outcome, hard-process, soft-outcome, and soft-process. These four components employed multiple evaluation techniques and strategies resulting in a composite assessment of the totality of a learning experience by examining both the learning process and the learning outcome. The POEM expanded and integrated existing evaluation models by providing tools that could help decode, interpret, and assess not only what was learned, but also how the learning occurred.

          The authors suggested that the POEM should be viewed as a continuum, reliability and predictive validity increase as evaluation strategies moved from “soft” to “hard” categories. The POEM stressed equilibrium between objective/quantifiable and subjective/qualitative evaluation approaches. The value of the model was its depiction of a holistic framework for evaluation.