Over the past 10 years in my online courses, I've used scavenger hunting as a fun way for students to investigate a topic, find answers to questions, and create a final project. A scavenger hunt requires students to actively search for a variety of types of media. This is different from an ordinary assignment, which often only requires one type of resource, such as academic articles or the textbook. By forcing students to search a variety of types of media, the scavenger hunt better teaches the twenty-first-century skill of information gathering from different sources, which is what students will need to do in the real world.
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What is online scavenger hunting?
Over the past 10 years in my online courses, I've used scavenger hunting as a fun way for students to investigate a topic, find answers to questions, and create a final project. A scavenger hunt requires students to actively search for a variety of types of media. This is different from an ordinary assignment, which often only requires one type of resource, such as academic articles or the textbook. By forcing students to search a variety of types of media, the scavenger hunt better teaches the twenty-first-century skill of information gathering from different sources, which is what students will need to do in the real world.
Scavenger hunting can be used to complete activities such as labs, practice problem sets, quizzes, and projects. They can also be used to produce shared artifacts such as wikis, websites, or courses created by individual students, groups, and the entire class. Through scavenger hunts, students learn topics more thoroughly and can apply what they've learned to their professional and private lives.
One scavenger hunt activity that I give in my computer course involves the topic of green computing and takes one to two weeks to complete. Students are placed into groups and given a subtopic to research. Some of the subtopics are how to recycle computers, corporate green computing efforts, and the environmental impact of disposing of electronic materials. Each of the groups is given a scavenger hunt list that instructs them to find types of information in order to construct a wiki, website, or slideshow on their subtopic. A typical list might require students to find (1) a website, (2) image or infographic, (3) video or podcast, (4) authoritative citations, and (5) a company or person to interview. After the hunt, each group uses their information to create a wiki, webpage, paper, or online discussion thread on their subtopic.What kind of learning takes place in scavenger hunting?
Scavenger hunts can encourage deeper learning mainly because they require students to engage materials using multiple cognitive levels from Bloom's Revised Taxonomy— Remembering/Understanding/Applying/Analyzing/Evaluating/Creating (Pohl, 2000). In my activity, students first have to understand what green computing is to know what information to look for and where they might find it (understanding). Because the final product (e.g., wiki, website, slideshow) must be a digestible version of the information they find, students must figure out whether the information should be included by evaluating each piece of information on its relevance and importance to the subtopic (analyzing, evaluating). Finally, the final product itself must be synthesized in a clear and understandable way, so students need to create something that makes sense (Creating). The activity uses about three to four Bloom levels.
In scavenger hunts, students will often use their own experience and prior knowledge to search for and gather appropriate information. For example, with green computing, students may not know much about electronic materials, but they may know that their computer contains a lithium battery. This prior knowledge leads them to investigate lithium as a material. Likewise, students may not know how to recycle computer hardware, but perhaps they know of a recycling program at Best Buy. This knowledge would offer a good starting point to investigate other corporate programs on recycling.
I find that scavenger hunting brings a subject closer to students by allowing them to expand on what they already know. Students like forming their own understanding about a topic instead of receiving it from a book or instructor. The green computing activity in my class is so enjoyable that many of my students tend to apply what they learn almost immediately. For instance, one of my students stored an old smartphone in her car for a year because she didn't know what to do with it. After a recent green computing activity, she immediately turned the phone into a local recycling program. Another student took her old computer out of her family's garbage can (which was slated for pick-up the next day) after learning the proper ways to dispose of a computer from the scavenger hunt assignment.Scavenger hunt approaches
Luckily, my computer courses contain useful topics for everyone. However, I have taught courses such as college algebra, which are not always as relevant. So what do you do in these cases? Scavenger hunts are still great activities to use to deepen your students' learning. Here are more versions of scavenger hunts that may be useful in your subject.
One document scavenger hunt. In the first week of class, use your course syllabus to create a scavenger hunt as a quiz and give students credit for answering all or most questions correctly. Ask questions that require students to delve into your class policies about handing in late work, participating in class, and communicating with others. Avoid questions that ask quick facts. For instance, ask students, “What three areas make up the final grade?” instead of, “What percentage does the midterm make up?” This type of activity works with a syllabus, an information sheet, or a lesson handout.Body of information scavenger hunt. This scavenger hunt type uses a body of information and not just one document. Consider giving students a website, video repository, or book chapter to use. Ask questions that require them to read and understand the concepts/topics in the material to find the answers. You can give a book chapter and ask students to answer critical thinking, analysis, and/or reflective questions regarding topics in the chapter. Students first need to find the information, then comprehend it, and finally, synthesize the appropriate answers to the questions.Shared artifact scavenger hunt. Finally, I've used this type of scavenger hunt for groups of students or the entire class when I want students to learn about a body of knowledge through its time periods or different eras. Students use a scavenger list to collect information on historical periods to form a timeline. This same example can also be used to curate a bibliography of resources for a subject. Working in groups or as an entire class, students search the Internet and the school's library to find appropriate resources. The timeline (or bibliography) can then be shared and used by the entire class.Deeper Learning through Online Scavenger Hunting
Online scavenger hunting is a great learning activity for today's student. It promotes active learning and encourages students to build on their own knowledge to understand topics and find information. Students empower themselves to learn successfully by creating useful and memorable artifacts that they can refer to in the future. This activity will be a valuable addition to your class.
Angela Heath teaches online computer courses at Baptist Health Systems in San Antonio, Texas.
