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Is Nursing Ready for WebQuests?
Abstract
Based on an inquiry-oriented framework, WebQuests facilitate the construction of effective learning activities. Developed by Bernie Dodge and Tom March in 1995 at the San Diego State University, WebQuests have gained worldwide popularity among educators in the kindergarten through grade 12 educational sector. However, their application at the college and university levels is not well documented. WebQuests enhance and promote higher order-thinking skills, are consistent with Bloom's Taxonomy, and reflect a learner-centered instructional methodology (constructivism). They are based on solid theoretical foundations and promote critical thinking, inquiry, and problem solving. There is a role for WebQuests in nursing education. A WebQuest example is described in this article.
... WebQuests are web-based, inquiry-focused teaching/learning activities that use higher-order learning skills (Dodge, 1995) in which learners use the Internet to search for information to discover answers to questions, such as a real-life problem (Halat, 2008a;Russell et al., 2008). The WebQuest is a learner-centered strategy for engaging learners in the new development of knowledge or meaning (Lahaie, 2007;Lahaie, 2008). Although K-12 education and university disciplines other than nursing have widely used (Zheng, Perez, Williamson, & Flygare, 2008) and studied WebQuests (Abbit & Ophus, 2008;Kurt, 2012;Alias et al., 2013) there is a gap in the research literature regarding the use of WebQuests as a teaching strategy in nursing education. ...
... Further, Mastrian, McGonigle, Mahan, and Bixler (2011) identify a gap in the research literature in nursing education related to WebQuests. Lahaie (2008) calls for research on WebQuest implementation and evaluation at the college and university level in nursing education. This research study examined the learner's perspective of WebQuests as an instructional and learning tool for family nursing content. ...
... Felder and Brent (1996) explain that by using student-centered instruction, such as role-plays, cooperative learning, and open-ended problem solving, that students are more active and engaged in their learning. WebQuests are an active learning strategy, focus on the higher order thinking skills of creating, analysis, reflection, synthesis, and evaluation (Dodge, Molebash, Bell, Mason, & Irving, 2002), so that learners develop their own new knowledge and meaning, which is consistent with the philosophy of constructivism (Lahaie, 2008). Thus, one critical attribute of active learning is that the learner is at the center of learning and is active in discovering information. ...
WebQuests are an interactive teaching strategy that uses faculty-designed Internet web pages to develop higher-order thinking skills, such as analysis, application, and reflection. The WebQuest activity engages learners to build knowledge in authentic contexts. However, there is limited educational research in nursing on the use of WebQuests. This mixed-methods study used a qualitative and quantitative survey approach to evaluate WebQuests as a teaching/learning strategy related to family nursing education from the learner's perspective. The constructs of focus used were active learning, facilitation, and family nursing. A descriptive quantitative and descriptive qualitative with content analysis design was used in the study. This research study examined the nursing learner's perspective of WebQuests for teaching/learning family nursing content. A majority of participants reported active engagement in learning, the use of analysis, reflection, discovery, and that the WebQuest included helpful sources. Additionally, the WebQuest activity prompted learners to think of ways to interact with patients and families. Overall, participants reported an enjoyable experience with using the WebQuest activity.
... This method is used to develop knowledge and create creativity in students in important subjects (11). The WebQuest educational model was invented and developed in early 1995 by Bernie Dodge and Tom March, who were professors at San Diego State University. ...
Background: In conventional educational programs, learners are passive during instruction and are rarely given the opportunity to think. One of the student-centered educational methods that causes deep learning in students is the WebQuest method. which can create an important transformation in learners. Considering the limited studies in this field, the present study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of lecture and web quest methods on the knowledge of nursing students in patient triage at Saveh University of Medical Sciences.
Method: This research is an interventional and semi-experimental study. The present study was conducted in Saveh University of Medical Sciences between 2021 and 2022. The participants included Sixty-eight nursing students of the fifth semester who were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The control group was trained by the instructor and the intervention group was trained by the 6-step web quest method. The triage Knowledge questionnaire was taken as a pre-test and post-test. Then the scores were analyzed using the Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney and independent t-tests.
Results: The average score of students' knowledge about triage in the control and intervention groups, before the intervention, did not have a statistically significant difference (P=0.89). But after the intervention, the average score of students' knowledge about triage in the control and intervention groups had a statistically significant difference (P<0.001).
Conclusion: The results of this research showed that teaching triage using the web quest method causes enables students to learn more than the lecture method. Therefore, it is recommended to use the WebQuest method as one of the effective methods in triage training.
... Understanding knowledge and applying them in daily life situations help create positive attitudes toward learning and enhance learners' environments or future experiences (Abbitt and Ophus, 2008). As a task-based and content-based oriented model, WebQuest allows performing research-based activities (Torres, 2007); it also enables students to practice, improving their high thinking ability (Lahaie, 2008). Additionally, it is effective for developing problem-solving skills, high-level thinking skills, and creativity, which leads to an increase in the learners' motivation to learn (Barros and Carvalho, 2007;Lim and Hernández, 2007;Aydin, 2016). ...
WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented learning tool in which the majority of the information learners interact with, comes from Internet resources, according to Bernie Dodge, who conceived and named the concept ( Dodge, 1997 ). Students are given a job and instructed to do it using Web resources. The current study explores the impact of learning in a sheltered Internet environment, “WebQuest,” on improving the academic writing skills of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) non-native English speakers. It also investigates the impact of using sheltered online instruction on improving the soft skills of EAP language learners. In addition, the study assesses the impact of sheltered online instruction on reducing the writing anxiety levels of writers in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS; Writing Task 1 and 2). To reach such end, three groups of EAP learners were selected to participate in the study adopting three learning styles: sheltered online instruction (the experimental group, 15 ESP university students), unsheltered online instruction (free Google search) (the first control group, 19 students), and sheltered offline instruction (the second control group, 20 students). Instruments used included a sample of the IELTS writing test, Brookings Soft Skills Rating Card, and Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI). Sequential exploratory mixed method was used as it consists of both quantitative and qualitative data analyses for the elaborate explanation of results. Successive rounds of data analyses showed the plentiful gains of the EAP students in their academic writing skills and the level of their soft skills. It is also revealed that EAP students are not as anxious and reluctant to write as before. In addition, the analysis of the students’ responses to the semi-structured interview revealed that learning in sheltered Internet environments represents an interesting as well as motivating learning experience. Therefore, it is necessary for WebQuest to be implemented as a sheltered online instruction strategy in language learning and to design sheltered Internet environments other than WebQuest to improve the quality of the teaching process.
... Web quests, as one of the foundations of the constructivist method, allow for the success of research-based tasks and encourages students to practice, resulting in high thinking abilities (Lahaie, 2008). ...
... Web quests, as one of the foundations of the constructivist method, allow for the success of research-based tasks and encourages students to practice, resulting in high thinking abilities (Lahaie, 2008). Many studies, such as Abu-Elwan, 2007;Lim and Hernandez, 2007, show that webquest is highly efficient in developing problem-solving capacity, high level thinking and creativity, increasing motivation, critical thinking, and correlating with the content. ...
... Además, se ha demostrado su validez para la adquisición de competencias en el ámbito de enfermería, tanto en nuestro estudio como en otros anteriores, por lo que pensamos que tiene un papel importante en la educación en enfermería(Lahaie, 2008). Nuestros resultados muestran, tal como señalaronDrozd y O´Donoghue (2007), que un modelo de aprendizaje mixto, a medio camino entre la enseñanza tradicional y el aprendizaje autónomos, parece ser el más adecuado. ...
WebQuest may be defined as an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used
by learners is drawn from the Internet (Dodge, 1995; March, 2004). The WebQuest methodology is
based on a collaborative and cooperative learning process (Dodge, 1995), research-oriented and studentcentred
(Russell et al, 2008), which uses the World Wibe Web (Lahaie, 2007), and has the potential to
improve the learning skills when used properly (Drozd y O´Donoghue, 2007).
The aim of this study is to analyse the perception of the nursing students related to the WebQuest efficacy
in terms of developing competences as well as to determine the acceptance level of students towards
this new methodology
128 first-year nursing students participated in the study. They were divided in two groups where the
autonomous learning was prioritized in group A while blended learning was the priority used in group B
In both groups, their degree of satisfaction was high. The competences most developed were “acquiring
knowledge and putting it into practice” (92.4%), “planning and organising” (84.9%), “teamwork” (80.7%)
and “use of IT tools” (63.6%). Group A students improved their “ability to gather information”(p=0.003)
while Group B students improved their “oral communication” (p=0.001), “creativity” (p=0.008) and
“leadership” (p=0.001). 94% stated having difficulties working in a collaborative fashion. 21% of the
students experience difficulty to integrate different points of view. The students have considered the
WebQuest as a useful and valid tool in order to improve their competences. Among the negative aspects,
students emphasised the difficulty to carry out the activity. It was proven that there were difficulties
when analysing the quality of healthcare-related websites and when performing scientific searches in
electronic database. We think that the methodology used in Group B has been more effective.
Key words: WebQuest, educational technology, competences, European Higher Education Area.
... (Dodge, 2007;Teacher Web, 2010) A WebQuest is ideal for online learning as the learner is given a task and educator selected online websites to visit during the Quest. Therefore, it blends itself well to distance education and the philosophy of constructivism (Lahaie, 2008). In addition, WebQuests encourage active learning which is a good fit for self-directed learning and are time effective because the learner focuses on the web sources provided by the teacher and so does not spend time looking for sources. ...
WebQuests are an online learning strategy that includes inquiry and active learning by learners as a specific task is accomplished (Dodge, 1995). Constructivism is the foundation for WebQuests and learners acquire new knowledge via WebQuests (Lahaie, 2008). Learning activities through a “quest,” coupled with resources engage the learner to discover new knowledge or perspectives.
http://nursescholarcafe.com/webquests.php
... WebQuest as a pedagogical tool to promote student engagement, higher order thinking, and accommodating individual difference WebQuest, rooted in Constructivism, is an inquiry-based activity. WebQuest applies a constructivism learning approach that allows learners to engage in higher order thinking skills and to build meaningful learning experiences in meaning making (Lahaie, 2008). As Bennett (2001) asserted, "With the inclusion of technology into learning environments, the role of the teacher changes from instructor to guide. ...
Under the current trend of globalization and economic dynamics, the accountability of our educational systems is being seriously tested. In response to the demands of the future, the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Singapore has wisely proposed several initiatives to promote the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education, and to increase the competitiveness of the workforce by emphasizing inquiry-based learning, higher order thinking, and problem solving (i.e., Thinking Schools Learning Nation, Students Effective Engagement and Development). This study asserts that these two goals, rather than being mutually exclusive, are highly related. Research has shown that integrating technology in teaching and learning can have positive influences on higher order thinking, students motivation, inquiry-based learning, attitudes, achievement, and peer interactions in the classrooms (Bennett, 2001; Schofield, 1995).
... WebQuest, rooted in Constructivism, is an inquiry-based activity. WebQuest applies a constructivism learning approach that allows learners to engage in higher order thinking skills and to build meaningful learning experiences in meaning making (Lahaie, 2008). As Bennett (2001) asserted, "With the inclusion of technology into learning environments, the role of the teacher changes from instructor to guide. ...
Developed by Dodge (1995), WebQuest is an inquiry-based teaching tool, in which students of all ages and levels participate in an authentic task that use pre-designed, pre-defined internet resources, though other print resources can also be used. Learners will put the focus on gathering, summarizing, synthesizing, and evaluating the information within clearly defined parameters in order to accomplish an authentic task set by the instructor. WebQuest takes a problem-solving approach and exhibits a clear structure that guides the learning processes and interactions (Dodge, 2001), and can be used for different subject areas across age levels, from young children to adult learners (Ezell, Klein, Hines, & Hall, 2003). In teacher preparation, research has shown that WebQuest enhanced problem-solving skills, higher order thinking, motivation, creativity, critical thinking, active learning, connection to authentic contexts (Abu-Elwan, 2007; Allan & Street, 2007; Lim & Hernandez, 2007) and assisted in bridging the theory to practice gap (Lim & Hernandez, 2007). It should be noted that most studies were conducted on the subject areas of Math, literacy, or science. In Singapore context, many local teachers still havent heard of WebQuest and learned about using WebQuest in their teaching. Further, few research studies have focused on establishing WebQuest as an evidence-based practice in enhancing teaching and learning or a pedagogy promoting Universal Design for Learning and inquiry based learning. This research project intends to introduce WebQuest, to be modelled and integrated in a course training special education pre-service teachers (allied educators) in Singapore. Specifically, the following research questions were posed: (1) Does the use of WebQuest in teacher preparation promote special education teachers understanding on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in accommodating students with diverse learning needs? (2) Does WebQuest a useful tool to enhance teachers higher order thinking, engagement, creativity, and collaborative learning skills? (3) Does the use of WebQuest in teacher preparation foster stronger desires for teachers to integrate ICT in teaching and learn more about WebQuest? Forty one teacher responded to a survey questionnaire after experiencing WebQuest developed by the course instructor in teacher preparation program. Teachers also learned about WebQuest as an Universal Design for Learning tool for students with diverse learning needs. The majoirty of teachers indicated strong favors over WebQuest activities over traditional teacher-directed learning methods. All participants found WebQuest helpful in accommodating individual differences and learning styles (Agree: 68.3%; Strongly agree: 31.7%). Forty teachers (N=41) reflected that they used more critical thinking and problem solving skills when they engaged in the WebQuest activities developed by the instructor (39% strongly agree and 56.1% agree). Thirty nine teachers agreed that they were required to use more creativity when they engaged in the WebQuest activities (24.4% of teachers stronly agree and 68.3% agree). The majority of teachers (26.8% strongly agree and 68.3% agree) felt that they know more about ways to incorporate technology for teaching and learning after experiencing WebQuest in this class. They also indicated that they would like to use more technology and web resources in teaching in the future after learning about WebQuest (41.5% strongly agree and 53.7% agree).
... Webbased training has been shown to be an effective tool for nurse educators. 16 By providing visual and auditory stimulation while the user is holding the mouse or touching the keypad, Web-based learning can draw on all three types of instruction (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic) at once. ...
Developing processes to create a culture of safety.
It's estimated that as many as 98,000 hospitalized patients lose their lives each year in the United States because of medical errors that could have been prevented. While standardized reporting and safety checklists have been shown to improve communication and patient safety, implementation of these tools in hospitals remains challenging.
To implement standardized nurse-to-nurse reporting along with safety checklists at Mission Hospital, a 522-bed facility in Mission Viejo, California, using Lewin's change theory and Knowles's adult learning theory.
Nurses were tested to assess their knowledge of the standardized nurse-to-physician reporting method called SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation), their understanding of the concept of the nurse-to-nurse reporting method called SBAP (Situation, Background, Assessment, Plan), and the use of safety checklists. Then, after viewing a 22-minute educational video, they were retested.
A total of 482 nurses completed the pretest and posttest. On the pretest, the nurses' mean score was 15.935 points (SD, 3.529) out of 20. On the posttest, the mean score was 18.94 (SD, 1.53) out of 20. A Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test was performed; the two-tailed P value was < 0.001.
The application of Lewin's change theory and Knowles's adult learning theory was successful in the process of implementing standardized nurse-to-nurse reporting and safety checklists at Mission Hospital.
medical errors, nurse-to-nurse reporting, nursing handoffs, safety checklists, SBAR, standardized report.
... Webbased training has been shown to be an effective tool for nurse educators. 16 By providing visual and auditory stimulation while the user is holding the mouse or touching the keypad, Web-based learning can draw on all three types of instruction (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic) at once. ...
Developing processes to create a culture of safety. BACKGROUND: It's estimated that as many as 98,000 hospitalized patients lose their lives each year in the United States because of medical errors that could have been prevented. While standardized reporting and safety checklists have been shown to improve communication and patient safety, implementation of these tools in hospitals remains challenging. OBJECTIVE: To implement standardized nurse-to-nurse reporting along with safety checklists at Mission Hospital, a 522-bed facility in Mission Viejo, California, using Lewin's change theory and Knowles's adult learning theory. METHODS: Nurses were tested to assess their knowledge of the standardized nurse-to-physician reporting method called SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation), their understanding of the concept of the nurse-to-nurse reporting method called SBAP (Situation, Background, Assessment, Plan), and the use of safety checklists. Then, after viewing a 22-minute educational video, they were retested. RESULTS: A total of 482 nurses completed the pretest and posttest. On the pretest, the nurses' mean score was 15.935 points (SD, 3.529) out of 20. On the posttest, the mean score was 18.94 (SD, 1.53) out of 20. A Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test was performed; the two-tailed P value was < 0.001. CONCLUSION: The application of Lewin's change theory and Knowles's adult learning theory was successful in the process of implementing standardized nurse-to-nurse reporting and safety checklists at Mission Hospital. KEYWORDS: medical errors, nurse-to-nurse reporting, nursing handoffs, safety checklists, SBAR, standardized report.
... based Internet activities that prompt students individually or collaboratively to search, analyse and synthesise information found on the web (Lahaie, 2008). The written narrative will test students' ability to interrogate source, analyse and synthesise information to produce an oral history. ...
Nursing's history is an important, yet overlooked component of the nursing curriculum. History learning offers an opportunity to develop nursing graduates as critical and constructive thinkers with a positive professional identity. An Australian national study of nursing academics conducted in 2008 found that even though participants valued history of nursing teaching, educators have difficulty finding a place for history in the crowded curriculum, due to an over-emphasis on technical skills. The study also found that history of nursing pedagogy is inconsistent and poorly developed, and teaching expertise is unevenly distributed and difficult to access. This paper is an attempt to advance nursing history pedagogy relevant to Australia, by promoting a transformative approach to curriculum design in history learning, considering issues of significance to Australian nursing, and creating exemplar activities.
... In scaffolded learning, learners hold a body of knowledge, described as knowledge-in-waiting, but require support and guidance from a more experienced colleague in order to progress to the next stage, knowledge-in-action (Spouse, 2001). Although well accepted as a framework for on-line learning (Lahaie, 2008;Hughes et al., 2004), constructivist theory offers opportunities for academics and clinicians to collaboratively engage in real-life practice problems and issues in graduate education. ...
Within nursing education, graduate pedagogies are relatively unexplored, with research commonly focused upon undergraduate and continuing education. In order to address the increasingly complex organisational challenges in the workplace, mid-career nurses and midwives are turning to graduate education. In one graduate course on cultures of learning in the workplace, a constructivist approach to learning was adopted. Post-course analysis of data, from the feedback on the course from students, student choice of assignment topics, and reflections of the course facilitators, revealed three pedagogies unique to graduate education. The pedagogies were labelled 'keeping the space open', 'theoretical concepts as tools', and 'resonance and action as praxis'. The intended outcome of the course is revealed in a fourth theme, 'developing practice in the workplace'. This evaluation suggests that constructivist pedagogies used with graduate students may be different to those pedagogies used with undergraduate and continuing education students. We argue that graduate pedagogies move nursing education beyond strategies that seek integration of theory and practice, towards a dialectic between theory and practice.
A WebQuest is an online learning strategy that includes active learning by learners as a specific task is accomplished. WebQuests have been used commonly in K-12 education, but less in higher education including nursing programs. During this Lightning Session, the who, what, where, when, why and how a WebQuest can be used in the online education format is presented.
During this Lightning Session, information about WebQuests as a teaching/learning are presented for educators.
Who: Educators design WebQuests for learners
What: WebQuests were first described in the 1990s by Dodge (1995). Since then, WebQuests have been used commonly in K-12 education. The use of WebQuests is less common in higher education and even less in nursing education. A WebQuest is an online teaching/learning strategy that includes active learning, inquiry, and higher order thinking by learners as they explore an educator designed activity to learn and accomplish a specific task. There are six main components to a WebQuest: introduction, task, process, conclusion, resources and credits.
Where: online
When: Learners are able to complete WebQuests at any time and on any day once the educator has developed the WebQuest.
Why: To learn by active learning and inquiry using a constructivist philosophy.
How: Educators can use a number of resources to program the WebQuest for the learner to complete online. Helpful resources to guide interested educators learn more information about WebQuests and incorporate WebQuests into their teaching practice are provided in this Lightning Session.
This content is important for distance educators and trainers to add another teaching/learning tool to their teaching strategy repertoire. A WebQuest is ideal for online learning as the learner is given a task and educator chosen online websites to visit during the Quest. Therefore, it blends itself well to distance education. In addition, WebQuests encourage independent thinking which is a good fit for self-directed learning and are time effective because the learner focuses on the web sources provided by the teacher and so does not spend time looking for sources. A WebQuest can be designed to be short, such as for one unit or long such as for several units or to be the set up for a final course project.
Reference
Dodge, B. (1995). WebQuests: A technique for Internet-based learning. Distance Educator, 1(2), 10-13.
Introduction:
In this study, the authors aimed to examine the effects of cooperative learning methods using Web Quest and team-based learning on students' self-direction, self-regulation, and academic achievement.
Method:
This is a comparative study of students taking a course in mental health and psychiatric disorders. In two consecutive years, a group of students were trained using the WebQuest approach as a teaching strategy (n = 38), while the other group was taught using team-based learning (n=39). Data gathering was based on Guglielmino's self-directed learning readiness scale (SDLRS) and Buford's self-regulation questionnaire. The data were analyzed by descriptive test using M (IQR), Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and the Mann-Whitney U-test in SPSS software, version 13. p<0.05 was considered as the significance level.
Results:
The results of the Mann-Whitney U test showed that the participants' self- directed (self-management) and self-regulated learning differed between the two groups (p=0.04 and p=0.01, respectively). Wilcoxon test revealed that self-directed learning indices (self-control and self-management) were differed between the two strategies before and after the intervention. However, the scores related to learning (students' final scores) were higher in the WebQuest approach than in team-based learning.
Conclusion:
By employing modern educational approaches, students are not only more successful in their studies but also acquire the necessary professional skills for future performance. Further research to compare the effects of new methods of teaching is required.
This study presents a review of the literature that examines WebQuests as tools for second-language acquisition and foreign language-learning processes to guide teachers in their teaching activities and researchers in further research on the issue. The study first introduces the theoretical background behind WebQuest use in the mentioned processes. It then reviews studies that examine WebQuests as tools used in second-language acquisition and foreign language-learning processes. The study concludes that WebQuest use improves interaction, communication, critical thinking, knowledge application, social skills, scaffolded learning, higher order thinking skills and problem-solving skills. Moreover, WebQuests help learners to acquire and learn linguistic and extra-linguistic knowledge in a secure atmosphere in the processes of second-language acquisition and foreign language learning. Second, the results of the reviewed studies show that WebQuests have positive effects on reading skills and vocabulary knowledge. The paper ends with practical recommendations for teachers and researchers.
Web Quest is one of the new ways of teaching and learning that is based on research, and includes the principles of learning and cognitive activities, such as collaborative learning, social and cognitive learning, and active learning, and increases motivation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the Web Quest influence on students' learning behaviors.
In this quasi-experimental study, which was performed on undergraduates taking a psychiatric course at Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, simple sampling was used to select the cases to be studied; the students entered the study through census and were trained according toWeb Quest methodology. The procedure was to present the course as a case study and team work. Each topic included discussing concepts and then patient's treatment and the communicative principles for two weeks. Active participation of the students in response to the scenario and introduced problem was equal to preparing scientific videos about the disease and collecting the latest medical treatment for the disease from the Internet.Three questionnaires, including the self-directed learning Questionnaire, teamwork evaluation Questionnaire (value of team), and Buffard self-regulated Questionnaire, were the data gathering tools.
The results showed that the average of self-regulated learning and self-directed learning (SDL) increased after the educational intervention. However, the increase was not significant. On the other hand, problem solving (P=0.001) and the value of teamwork (P=0.002), apart from increasing the average, had significant statistical values.
In view of Web Quest's positive impacts on students' learning behaviors, problem solving and teamwork, the effective use of active learning and teaching practices and use of technology in medical education are recommended.
Introduction: Today modern teaching and learning approaches in medical education have received
considerable attention. This paper aims to introduce WebQuest as a new method of inquiry-based learning
through the use of Internet. Also its application in medical sciences education in general, and especially
nursing education is explained.
Methods: To find articles related to the WebQuest topic, the popular databases including PubMed, Google
Scholar, Science Direct, Nursing Consult, CINAHL, Web of Knowledge were searched using WebQuest
related keywords. Very few medical articles were found, and there was no research article published in Iran.
Results: WebQuest is a new method of student-centered, inquiry-based learning which uses computer
technology to engage and motivate students individually or collaboratively in exploring, analyzing, and
synthesizing data to construct a new understanding or meaning. WebQuests, as a student-centered activity,
enhance and facilitate higher order cognitive skills, including analysis, synthesis, evaluation and judgment,
critical thinking. They also cultivate students’ exploratory and problem solving mentality.
Based on constructivist learning theory and inquiry learning, WebQuests involve learners in collaborative
learning process and group projects. There is a strong link between WebQuests and multi-media techniques
which provide significant opportunity for utilizing internet resources in teaching and learning experiences.
Conclusion: It seems the concept of WebQuest is still less known both general and higher education, and
particularly in medical education in Iran. Introducing this method in medical education which is based on
new approaches of teaching and learning processes can provide a different view and encourage students to
learn more effectively, deeply, and indelibly.
This research project aimed to introduce WebQuests to train special education preservice teachers in Singapore. The following research questions were posed: (1) Does the use of WebQuests in teacher preparation promote special education teacher understanding on Universal Design for Learning in accommodating students with diverse learning needs? (2) Are WebQuests useful tools that can enhance teacher’s higher-order thinking, engagement, creativity, and collaborative learning skills? (3) Does the use of WebQuests in teacher preparation foster stronger desires for teachers to integrate Information and Communication Technology in teaching and learning? Seventy-five preservice special education teachers responded to a survey questionnaire after experiencing WebQuest developed by the course instructor in teacher preparation program in Singapore. The majority of teachers indicated strong preference for WebQuest activities over traditional teacher-directed learning methods.
As distance education options continue to become available for nursing programs, market competition increases. Nursing faculty are challenged to design online courses based on best practices, and teaching online has implications for faculty role changes. This article presents a Model for Faculty Teaching Online based on faculty wisdom and expertise that evolved inductively from an exploratory study with 18 faculty teaching online. A matrix was developed to explain the dimensions of faculty teaching online. Dimensions of the matrix were confirmed through a follow-up survey to determine their relevance. A national validation study with feedback from 68 faculty teaching online confirmed the major dimensions of the matrix, including antecedent conditions, context, strategies, and outcomes. Implications for educators and for future research are provided.
SUMMARY WebQuests are an innovative teaching activity that promotes students to actively engage in their learning and work cooperatively in small groups. WebQuests have been widely used in K-12 environments in a variety of subjects and are gaining respect in universities. This paper will briefly describe the basic concept of a WebQuest and provide two examples of WebQuests developed for use in an occupational therapy curriculum.
This article describes the use of WebQuests, a computer-facilitated instructional strategy for social work education. Pedagogical constructs relevant to the use of WebQuests as a computer-facilitated instructional strategy are identified and discussed. Examples of the application and integration of WebQuest activities in an undergraduate social work curriculum are presented.
This study examined the influence of scaffolding on the development of critical thinking skills in an online course on Instructional Design. Data were collected through interviews and document artifacts from five participants of the online course. Findings indicated that participants' critical thinking moved through three stages from mirroring, to distortion, to re-construction. Engagement in critical thinking was affected by reflection, feedback, project context, self-perceptions as learners, and prior knowledge.
The WebQuest, an inquiry-oriented, Web-based classroom-learning tool, invented by Dodge (1997), is discussed in terms of its applicability to classroom learning situations. Specifically discussed is its ability to inspire critical thinking in students. The WebQuest format, as defined by Dodge (1997), is compared to a critical thinking framework established by Weinstein (2000). It appears that WebQuests meet all six of Weinstein's key elements in critical thinking and therefore are powerful tools for inspiring critical thinking skills in students. Further research is recommended to affirm this notion.
Emphasizing higher order thinking skills is of primary concern within mathematics. Learning environments emphasizing the learners understanding of the subject matter are constantly under review, with one learner-centered emphasis upon instruction leading the way: WebQuests. The design and development of WebQuests for the mathematical classroom environment offers the integration of mathematical subject matter, higher order thinking skills and a learner-centered emphasis of instruction. This paper discusses Bloom's Taxonomy which can create an appropriate format through which to view the developing levels of higher order thinking skills (HOTS); describes HOTS (by Thomas, Thorne and Small) which can be described as a composition of content thinking, critical thinking, and creating thinking, and each feature of which offers an emphasis towards a separate level featured within Bloom's Taxonomy; reviews eight aspects associated with HOTS; describes learning activities for the World Wide Web; and defines WebQuests, including essential aspects that must be incorporated in the design and development of successful WebQuests for use within a mathematical learning environment. Includes two tables and one figure. (Contains 7 references.) (Author/AEF)
This article examines the pedagogical role of the teacher in online education. Specifically, the transition from in-class room instruction to online instruction is a complex one involving specialized training in the technical aspects of delivering quality educational materials (or environments) to the students, and specialized training in how to foster knowledge acquisition within this new environment. The article focuses on the pedagogical training that an online instructor needs to become an effective teacher. The article investigates a two-week faculty development pedagogical training course aimed at preparing teachers to operate effectively within an online educational environment. In attempting to orient the teacher to the online environment, the course used a constructivist instructional methodology within an online context. Several types of collaborative exercises were employed such as virtual field trips, online evaluations, interactive essays, and group projects. The sample (N=44) represented veteran college teachers with little online teaching or studying experience. Tenured faculty (30%) and Instructors (25%) composed the majority of the class. The group had well over 13 years classroom teaching experience (53%), and over three-quarters are currently teaching in higher education institutions. Hypotheses were tested through online data collection and surveys to find out the effects of the pedagogical training on the participants. One important finding of the study concludes that teachers exposed to the course significantly changed their attitudes toward online instruction seeing it as more participatory, and interactive than face-to-face instruction. Another major finding is that after the course, teachers saw the online medium as more of an extension of their faculty work. That is, faculty were more willing to use the online medium as an extension of their duties.
The positive effects of collaborative learning in a face-to-face environment are well known. However, little empirical research
exists to determine if such effects transfer to a computer-mediated environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate
the effect of computer-mediated collaboration on solving ill-defined problems. Participants first worked through a Web-based
instructional program that taught them a four-step problem-solving process. Then they worked in computer-mediated dyads or
alone to apply the steps to solve a realistic problem scenario. Results indicated that participants who worked in computer-mediated
collaborative dyads performed significantly better than did participants who worked alone. The results also indicated that
dyads spent significantly more time than participants in the individual treatment. Both treatment groups had positive attitudes
toward working collaboratively, Internet-based instruction, and transfer of problem-solving skills. Implications for the implementation
of computer-mediated collaboration in distance learning are discussed.
This is the second of three papers in a series describing the design and production of an ‘authentic world’ environment to help students as they learn medication dosage calculation skills. It begins with a brief account of the constructivist view of the role of words as ‘containers of meaning’. This shows that didactic teaching methods may be founded on assumptions which deny the relationship between words and the concepts constructed by each individual as a result of their prior experience. It is suggested that problems experienced by students when taught in this way constitute a very real theory practice divide and may be explained in terms of constructivist learning theory.A fuller explanation of the range of constructivist theories follows and we show how thinking which arose in a number of educational fields, including mathematics education, influenced the adoption of a constructivist approach to the teaching and learning of practical mathematics in nursing.This led to the need to develop a suitable learning environment in which students could acquire medication dosage problem-solving skills. The main body of the paper provides an illustrated account of a prototype computer based ‘authentic world’ environment and the educational theories which informed and shaped its development. The evaluation of this system in both educational and clinical settings is the subject of the third and final paper in this series.
Web-based instruction requires transformation from traditional teaching strategies to directed independent learning. Careful attention must be given to the creation of effective interactive learning experiences that foster student-to-student and student-to-faculty interactions (l). How content is learned, the effects of the use of computers on learning, and perceived barriers to learning must all be evaluated. Students' responses to Web-based education must also be considered. This article describes the response of 58 undergraduate and 13 graduate students to their initial experiences with Web-based instruction (WBI). While the educational levels of the students and the courses in which the transition to WBI took place differed for the two groups, their computer expertise did not, and similar responses to Web-based learning were noted. Differences in the types of courses and the expertise of the two faculty with regard to WBI also contributed to the production of some dissimilar responses.
Course management software (WebCT Lynnfield, MA) can be used to link baccalaureate nursing students, the instructor, and the course content to build professional community and develop clinical knowledge. Communication, collaboration, coaching, and cognitive apprenticeship strategies are integrated into the infrastructure of a clinical nursing course to support the transition from student to novice nursing practitioner
The demand for web-based nursing courses necessitates efficient, effective approaches to course development and implementation. The NursingWeb Framework addresses web-based nursing courses within the context of technological, legal/administrative, and curricular components and infrastructure and course-specific structural features, processes/procedures, and outcomes. Aspects of the framework are illustrated using the web-based undergraduate nursing research course of the University of Maryland Baltimore's School of Nursing.
Using the Internet to deliver nursing courses via distance education can facilitate learning on demand and promote learner-centered instruction. The authors describe 20 graduate nursing students' experiences with online learning. Students learn through reflection, exploration, use of critical thinking, interacting with others, sharing of information, and using resources. Key points of students' experiences with online learning were consistent with the Constructivism Theory. Implications for improving teaching are based upon the Constructivism Theory and include strategies for identifying learning goals and conditions for learning, as well as planning and implementing various methods of instruction.
Critical thinking is integral to nursing practice and education. The introduction of Internet-based and Internet-assisted instruction provides an opportunity to explore critical thinking with nursing students in a new format. The author reports on a hybrid or blended Internet-assisted course structure that incorporates online discussion and a new method for assessing student critical thinking.
Many in nurse education have partially adopted the Internet as a pedagogical approach. This has highlighted serious contentious issues for educators. These include, pedagogical vs. technological approaches to teaching, face-to-face vs. online communication and classroom vs. online teaching. This paper attempts to reassure educators about this new Internet-based pedagogy, by applying traditional educational theories and discussions on curriculum to web-based teaching. In particular, cognitive learning theories such as constructivism and the process model of curriculum development are discussed. These provide a solid theoretical framework from which to expand the Internet-based pedagogical approach among those whose interest is the promotion of learning. The paper concludes with the implications of web-based teaching for the personal and professional development of nurse educators.
The advent of technology has had a profound influence on nursing education. As an example, use of the Internet is continually gaining importance. The Internet allows students to learn in a classroom, via distance education, or at home. Many nurse educators now adapt traditional content with ease, using alternative teaching methods that integrate Internet technology. In this article, a variety of alternative adaptations are considered. Focused on baccalaureate nursing education, this article presents a limited review and critique of the literature regarding successful use of the Internet.
Although nursing accreditation bodies have recognized critical thinking as a significant outcome for graduates at the baccalaureate and master's levels, no consensus exists on its definition and measurements. In addition, schools of nursing that are completely online do not agree on how to evaluate critical thinking in online responses. This study explains the development of a 10-item tool that uses a Likert scale to evaluate critical thinking skills in students' online responses in three master's-level courses in a nursing school in the midwestern United States.
The developed tool has adequate reliability coefficients, as measured by Pearson's r and Cronbach's alpha. The critical thinking skills of the tested students were adequate in the areas of analysis and synthesis but needed improvement in the evaluation domain.
Educating nursing students using Internet technology, in conjunction with case studies, is rewarding for both faculty and the learner The authors describe an Internet journal discussion format used as an adjunct assignment in a senior clinical nursing course. Adapting a traditional teaching strategy such as case studies proved successful online. Results showed students were able to think critically about a clinical situation and recognize the importance of peer communication.