WEBQUEST PROJECT ASSESSMENT Maria G. Butler CCS Department

INTRODUCTION Most students have studied U.S. slavery; however, little attention has been devoted to the study of African slavery in Mexico. Therefore, this lesson compared two slave systems before emancipation: Colonial New Spain (Mexico) and British/U.S. slavery (period covered: 1500 – 1800 C.E.)

ASSESSMENT APPROACH To promote active learning Students had to research, evaluate, relate historical information learned by writing a paper – and produce a collaborative PowerPoint presentation Evaluation Rubric was used to assess student work Student Collaborative Rubric evaluated each others’ PowerPoint responsibilities

ASSESSMENT REASON A great scoring tool. Improve student learning. Students understand expectations of the project.

STUDENT FEEDBACK (One on one discussion) Approximately 50 lower division students participated in the WebQuest Project. The comment most often expressed was: Many students were prepared to hate the assignment. However, once students did the research and took on roles assigned, they really enjoyed doing the work. All said they learned more than cramming for an exam and probably will remember information they researched.

Outcome Based on face validity and compared to previous exams which include: Written reports In class essay Multiple Choice/TF Students scored higher.

PROJECT LIMITATIONS Too much information: If student didn’t read the entire project, some points could be missed. Insert more hyperlinks For better clarity and easier access of information.

IMPROVING ASSESSMENT Some evaluation categories and content information needs to be adjusted