VideoClipQuests as an E-Learning Pattern

VideoClipQuests (VCQs) are a teaching-learning approach focused on the learner’s self-activity while information is collected by searching the Internet, similar (but far from identical) to the well-established concept of WebQuests. They also share some of the key ideas of Anchored Instruction while being much easier to handle and adapt. Basically, a VCQ consists of a video clip embedded into a web page and one or more tasks that are related to the video. The central idea is to avoid the fundamental terms of the subject dealt with. In other words, the task must be verbalized in such a way that it cannot be completely understood without watching the video–an approach called “Mask the Task” in this chapter. In order to perform the task, the learner has to watch the video and look for a first cue as a starting point. Only with this cue is it possible to completely understand the task and to go after the solution. From a psychological point of view, a VCQ confronts the learners with an insolvable task that they want to transfer into a solvable one. In such a situation, motivation can evolve easily, which is one of the main driving forces of learning.