A scavenger hunt enables learners to visit and explore destinations relevant to course concepts and aligned with course learning objective. The scavenger hunt can introduce learners to course concepts or provide an opportunity for in-depth exploration of course content. I frequently use a scavenger hunt at the beginning of a course to provide a “big picture” of the content we will be studying during the course or to introduce abstract concept in a non-threatening manner. While each scavenger hunt is unique, the following are general steps in the creation of a scavenger hunt activity.
Identify concepts or objectives to be explored.
Identify destinations consistent with the objectives of this learning activity. Everyone may visit the same destinations or a choice of destinations may be presented to the learner. Sometimes learners are directed to search for a site to explore. Provide criteria for the types of sites that are acceptable. Remember the destinations to be explored are determined by the desired learning outcome.
Script a scavenger hunt introduction and list of the activities to be completed. A fun and colorful introduction sets the tone for the activity. Remember learning can be fun!
Provide a general focus or what the learner needs to achieve during their scavenger hunt. In other words, what treasures do you want them to find.
Give the URL to the destination. If passwords are required be certain the learner can access the site. Provide any direction needed to access the destination site.
Provide a step-by-step instruction to get the learner to the portion of the destination web-site that will facilitate achievement of the learning objective. Are they looking for abstracts, articles, or a pod-casts – clear direction make the journey smoother.
Give clear details of what learners need to look for, collect or observe while at the destination.
Create an activity where each learner shares and discusses the sites they found and what they learned with other in the class. A discussion board, wiki, blog or voice-thread are all mechanisms for this sharing activity.
Create a rubric to assess the learner outcomes.
Make it fun – include graphic and color in the announcement.
An example of a scavenger hunt activity used in a recent course is included as an attachment below.
Here is a link to an example of how the Scavenger hunt is presented to the learner. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Oy8_DpVSlja6HVbbDkmxCgNMwBFZMYdMeDBgiDvABJU/edit?usp=sharing