The WebQuest format can be applied to a variety of teaching situations. If you take advantage of all the possibilities inherent in the format, your students will have a rich and powerful experience. This rubric will help you pinpoint the ways in which your WebQuest isn't doing everything it could do. If a page seems to fall between categories, feel free to score it with in-between points.
Overall
Aesthetics (This
refers to the WebQuest page itself, not the external resources linked
to it.) Overall
Visual Appeal 0 points There are few or no graphic
elements. No variation in layout or typography. OR Color is garish and/or
typographic variations are overused and legibility suffers. Background
interferes with the readability. 2 points Graphic elements sometimes,
but not always, contribute to the understanding of concepts, ideas and
relationships. There is some variation in type size, color, and layout. 4 points Appropriate and thematic
graphic elements are used to make visual connections that contribute to
the understanding of concepts, ideas and relationships. Differences in
type size and/or color are used well and consistently. 0 points Getting
through the lesson is confusing and unconventional. Pages can't be found
easily and/or the way back isn't clear. 2 points There are
a few places where the learner can get lost and not know where to go next. 4 points Navigation
is seamless. It is always clear to the learner what all the pieces are
and how to get to them. 0 points There are
more than 5 broken links, misplaced or missing images, badly sized tables,
misspellings and/or grammatical errors. 1 point There are
some broken links, misplaced or missing images, badly sized tables, misspellings
and/or grammatical errors. 2 points No mechanical
problems noted. Introduction Motivational
Effectiveness of Introduction 0 points The introduction is purely
factual, with no appeal to relevance or social importance OR The scenario posed is
transparently bogus and doesn't respect the media literacy of today's
learners. 1 point The introduction relates
somewhat to the learner's interests and/or describes a compelling question
or problem. 2 points The introduction draws
the reader into the lesson by relating to the learner's interests or goals
and/or engagingly describing a compelling question or problem. Cognitive
Effectiveness of the Introduction 0 points The introduction doesn't
prepare the reader for what is to come, or build on what the learner already
knows. 1 point The introduction makes
some reference to learner's prior knowledge and previews to some extent
what the lesson is about. 2 points The introduction builds
on learner's prior knowledge and effectively prepares the learner by foreshadowing
what the lesson is about. Task
(The task is
the end result of student efforts... not the steps involved in getting
there.) Connection
of Task to Standards 0 points The task is not related
to standards. 2 point The task is referenced
to standards but is not clearly connected to what students must know and
be able to do to achieve proficiency of those standards. 4 points The task is referenced
to standards and is clearly connected to what students must know and be
able to do to achieve proficiency of those standards. Cognitive
Level of the Task 0 points Task requires simply comprehending
or retelling of information found on web pages and answering factual questions. 3 points Task is doable but is
limited in its significance to students' lives. The task requires analysis
of information and/or putting together information from several sources. 6 points Task is doable and engaging,
and elicits thinking that goes beyond rote comprehension. The task requires
synthesis of multiple sources of information, and/or taking a position,
and/or going beyond the data given and making a generalization or creative
product. See WebQuest
Taskonomy. Process
(The process
is the step-by-step description of how students will accomplish the task.) Clarity
of Process 0 points Process is not clearly
stated. Students would not know exactly what they were supposed to do
just from reading this. 2 points Some directions are given,
but there is missing information. Students might be confused. 4 points Every step is clearly
stated. Most students would know exactly where they are at each step of
the process and know what to do next. Scaffolding
of Process 0 points The process lacks strategies
and organizational tools needed for students to gain the knowledge needed
to complete the task. Activities are of little
significance to one another and/or to the accomplishment of the task. 3 points Strategies and organizational
tools embedded in the process are insufficient to ensure that all students
will gain the knowledge needed to complete the task. Some of the activities
do not relate specifically to the accomplishment of the task. 6 points The process provides students
coming in at different entry levels with strategies and organizational
tools to access and gain the knowledge needed to complete the task. Activities are clearly
related and designed to take the students from basic knowledge to higher
level thinking. Checks for understanding
are built in to assess whether students are getting it. See: Richness
of Process 0 points Few steps, no separate
roles assigned. 1 points Some separate tasks or
roles assigned. More complex activities required. 2 points Different roles are assigned
to help students understand different perspectives and/or share responsibility
in accomplishing the task. Resources
(Note: you should
evaluate all resources linked to the page, even if they are in sections
other than the Process block. Also note that books, video and other off-line
resources can and should be used where appropriate.) Relevance
& Quantity of Resources 0 points Resources provided are
not sufficient for students to accomplish the task. OR There are too many resources
for learners to look at in a reasonable time. 2 point There is some connection
between the resources and the information needed for students to accomplish
the task. Some resources don't add anything new. 4 points There is a clear and meaningful
connection between all the resources and the information needed for students
to accomplish the task. Every resource carries its weight. Quality
of 0 points Links are mundane. They
lead to information that could be found in a classroom encyclopedia. 2 points Some links carry information
not ordinarily found in a classroom. 4 points Links make excellent use
of the Web's timeliness and colorfulness. Varied resources provide
enough meaningful information for students to think deeply. Evaluation Clarity
of Evaluation Criteria 0 points Criteria for success are
not described. 3 points Criteria for success are
at least partially described. 6 points Criteria for success are
clearly stated in the form of a rubric. Criteria include qualitative as
well as quantitative descriptors. The evaluation instrument
clearly measures what students must know and be able to do to accomplish
the task. See Creating
a Rubric. Total
Score /50
Resources