A WebQuest for a Very
Large Principles of
Economics Class
By Michael J. Hilmer
Department of Economics
Goal
→ Introduce new technology to a 500-person class
Expected Benefits
(1) Provide a learning experience beyond the lecture
→ Force students to find information for themselves
→ Encourage use of the internet as a research tool
(2) Add a more vigorous writing component to course
→ Previously included two essay questions on each exam
→ Now ask students to write a 7- to 8-paragraph paper
Assessment Strategy
(1)
Assign two different WebQuest assignments during
semester
(2)
Randomly assign half of students to each WebQuest
assignment
→ Students not assigned a given WebQuest will
only be introduced to topic through lectures
(3)
Administer a 10 question quiz both before material is
is covered in lecture and after WebQuest assignment
is due
(4)
Compare quiz score improvement between WebQuest
students and lecture-only students
WebQuest 1
→
Students were asked to examine US monetary policy
since May 2000 and analyze how the respective changes
in the federal funds rate would have been expected to
affect producers, consumers, and the overall state of the
US economy
WebQuest 2
→
Students were asked to examine how the recent
depreciation in the dollar has affected seven different
stakeholders in the global economy
Statistical Approach
→
Students were randomly assigned into one of the two
groups with 247 students being assigned to each group
→
Despite repeated reminders and a follow-up email after
the final 10 students failed to complete all 4 quizzes
→
Computer glitches prevented scores from being
accurately recorded for 45 other students
→
Final sample is 439 students who completed all 4 quizzes
219 completed WebQuest 1
220 completed WebQuest 2
Distribution of Score Improvements on 10-point Quiz
WebQuest 1
WebQuest 2
Change
Group 1
Group 2
Change
Group 1
Group 2
< -3
8
14
< -3
18
12
-2
10
13
-2
11
15
-1
9
15
-1
23
21
0
27
35
0
29
29
+1
30
26
+1
34
35
+2
22
22
+2
40
41
+3
27
27
+3
31
19
+4
24
24
+4
15
16
+5
20
20
+5
12
15
+6
17
14
+6
4
10
+7
12
7
+7
1
5
> +8
13
3
> +8
1
2
Statistical Analysis Improvement Between Pre- and Post-Quiz
WebQuest 1
WebQuest 2
Group 1
Group 2
% Who Gain
.753
.650
% Who Gain
.630
.650
Average Gain
2.680
1.823
Average Gain
1.192
1.486
(3.016)
(3.011)
(2.383)
(2.675)
Pr(WQ1 - WQ2 > 0) = .0015
Group 1 Group 2
Pr(WQ2 - WQ1 > 0) = .1119
Statistical Analysis
Performance on Midterm Exams
Midterm 2
Midterm 3
Group 1 Group 2
Average Score
72.407
71.486
(1.112)
(1.200)
Pr(WQ1 - WQ2 > 0) = .2867
Average Score
Group 1
Group 2
57.647
58.726
(1.086)
(1.266)
Pr(WQ2 - WQ1 > 0) = .2593
Conclusions
→
Statistical evidence suggests that student performance
increased significantly on a quiz directly related to the
assignment but not on a more general midterm exam
→
WebQuest may be a promising teaching tool for
a large Principles of Macroeconomics course