To our knowledge, this website and collection of webquests is the first webquest development centre to focus on health education. We have tried to integrate the knowledge about webquests with the research on effective teaching and learning about health education. This research suggests that more positive healthoutcomes can be achieved if there is a focus on functional knowledge, specific and general skills, relevant attitudes/beliefs, self-knowledge, showing how to access health services or social support and how to handle specific situations or issues. To learn more about health education go to Elements of Effective Health Education.

Webquests can vary in length and complexity. Short-term webquests (an hour or two) can ask students to synthesize information and perform other simple tasks with the information. Medium term webquests (a week or two, with small groups of students) perform more complex tasks that include several activities. Long-term webquests (several weeks, with several students) include several tasks and activities.

The essential steps in a webquest are explained in Preparing Student Instructions. These include Introduction, Task, Process, Resources (optional), Evaluation and Criteria.

There are at least four different aspects to designing a webquest that need to be woven together to create a truly effective webquest.

• Relevant Learning Outcomes. Students should be able to construct meaning easily from the assigned task and process (activities) of the webquest because these features are relevant to them and to the prescribed outcomes of your curricula.
  
  The outcomes should aim at a higher order of thinking and other skills as described in SchoolNet's adaptation of Bloom's taxonomy or Dodge's "Taskonomy". Use the curriculum drop-down menu (left-hand margin) to identify the prescribed outcomes for your jurisdiction. In health, webquests should seek to aim for outcomes that research shows have an influence on behaviour (e.g. functional knowledge, specific skills or beliefs). See Webquests in Health Education for more information.
   

• Carefully Selected Web and Real Life Activities. The overall task of the webquest should motivate the students as well as challenge their intellect and ability to work together. Take a serious tone in explaining the webquest. Select from a wide range of tasks and activities shown on the Student Tools page. These activities are drawn from a wide range of academic disciplines but can all be used in health education. Please read the page on How to Search for Content for Webquests.
   

• Clear Structure, Process, Organization and Presentation. Webquests should not rely on visual gimmicks or entertainment-only websites. Use a simple format and plain language. Whenever possible, webquests should have different assignments for different members of the group doing the webquest.
  
  Read Rubric for Evaluating Webquest that provides detailed criteria for writing webquests.
   

• Age/Grade Appropriate Evaluation and Reflection. Students should be informed, as part of the webquest, about the criteria that will be used to evaluate their work products from the webquest. Provide and discuss the evaluation rubrics that you will use. Students should also have an opportunity to reflect on how well they worked together in group-based webquests. Whenever possible they should also have an opportunity to reflect on the personal significance or interest of the webquest. In health education, this can be done through the use of a Personal Health Journal that includes private thoughts as well as specific assignments to be completed and shared. Read the list of evaluation rubrics on the Teacher Tools page. It would also be useful to read the page on Learning More About Rubrics.
  
  Read the selected articles on webquests for more on why and how webquests can be used effectively. You can also take the online courses/workshops on webquests that have been selected for you.
  
  To develop your own webquests, we suggest that you read.  Prepare Your Own Webquest page that has full instructions on how to prepare a set of Student Instructions and a Teachers Guide for each webquest as well as a complete online template that you can use to publish your webquest on this website.
  
  Please read also Guides/Tips on Webquest Design for a more complete explanation of how to prepare a webquest.