Web sites and off-line resources are listed for each role, so that team members do not have to spend extra time looking for initial resources. Students pool their results to decide on a focus for their paper. During the writing process, students also have individual roles that require them to interact with their teammates. When they finish their paper, they will publish it on the Web so that the US-based political experts that have agreed to help them can give them feedback and insight on the contents of their essay. After this process is complete, they will publish their paper to the Web for others to comment on.
Interaction is added to the research project in two ways.
First, the students must interact with their teammates to compile their information and compose their paper. Second, the team must interact with their experts to answer questions and respond to feedback. The change in audience from teacher to expert makes the task more authentic and perhaps more interesting and motivating for students. In addition, students are active because each has a role in each step of the process. They are also more focused on language and content because they must express both clearly for their experts and because the WebQuest process has streamlined much of the off-task activity.