Scenario

As a college professor you are aware of the many resources on the Internet that could be used to enhance or supplement in-class instruction. You have tried to incorporate web resources into class instruction before, but have been frustrated with the results. When asked to research on their own, students select materials of questionable quality. Class time and lab space are limited, and Internet assignments can be time consuming.

One day you and several of your colleagues were discussing the problems associated with Web-based assignments. A member of the education department mentioned that K-12 educators face similar problems when using Web resources with their students. She stated that a lot of work had been done to address these concerns and promised to share URLs of sites that explained how to use open-ended activity formats designed to provide structure as students explored Web resources.

As you head back to your office, you ask yourself if activity formats designed for K-12 students can be adapted and used in the college classroom to help faculty use high quality Web resources in ways that engage students and use time efficiently.

Explore the following sites that explain various ways of structuring Web activities in K-12 classrooms. As you explore, think of ways the activity could be used in the college classroom. Use the worksheet to help summarize your findings.

1. Tom March has developed several activity structures. Read about his structures in the article below. As you read, look for the name of each format, a brief definition, the type of learning it addresses, and how it might be applied in the college classroom. Record your answers on the activity worksheet.
   • The Six Web-and-Flow Activity Formats <http://www.web-and-flow.com/help/formats.asp>
2. Bernie Dodge of San Diego State University developed the WebQuest strategy mentioned in the article above. There are numerous articles about WebQuests on the Internet as well as a number of collections of WebQuests written by K-12 teachers.
   • Read Bernie Dodge's original article on WebQuests, Some thoughts about WebQuests. <http://edWeb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/about_WebQuests.html> Add any additional insights to the worksheet you started in step one.
   • Visit the WebQuest Page <http://webquest.sdsu.edu/>. Be sure to look at the Training Materials <http://webquest.sdsu.edu/materials.htm> and the Matrix of Examples <http://webquest.sdsu.edu/matrix.html>. Find an example from your discipline. Think of ways this example be adapted for use in one of your classes.
3. The Biopoint.com <http://www.biopoint.com> site is devoted to promoting Inquiry-based learning. Two additional formats are outlined on this site, the MiniQuest and the Project Page. Add information about MiniQuests and Project Pages to your worksheet.
   • MiniQuests <http://www.biopoint.com/miniquests/miniquests.html> are a variation of the WebQuest. They are easier to write and take a shorter amount of time for students to complete than a WebQuest. Be sure to look at some examples <http://www.biopoint.com/miniquests/new_miniquests.htm>.
   • The article, "Using the Internet to Promote Inquiry-based Learning," <http://www.biopoint.com/inquiry/ibr.html> provides background information and a rationale for developing a Project Page. Scroll down to the section, Making Inquiry-base Learning and the Internet happen in your classroom-introducing the Project Page, to read about this format. Be sure to follow the links to the examples in this section.
4. Share the results of your investigation with your colleagues.

Choose one format that you could use in one of your courses. Prepare the activity according to the directions given in its description. Try your completed activity with students the next time you teach your course.

If you need additional help in developing an activity, proceed to part 2, Developing Web-based Activities.