Designing inquiry learning into courses

Designing inquiry learning into courses Mick Healey HE Consultant and Researcher, UK mhealey@glos.ac.uk; www.mickhealey.co.uk

HE Consultant and Researcher and Emeritus Professor University of Gloucestershire, (UoG) UK; Adjunct Professor Macquarie University; Previously Director Centre for Active Learning, University of Gloucestershire Ex-VP for Europe Society for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow HE Academy Co-Editor of International Journal for Academic Development (IJAD) (2010-13) Visiting expert to Higher Education Authority for Ireland evaluating teaching and learning components of Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (2003) Advisor to Canadian Federal Government ‘Roundtable on Research, Teaching and Learning in post-Secondary Education’ (2006) Advisor to National Academy for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (Ireland) (2007-12); Visiting Teaching Fellow UCC (2012) Advisor to Australian Learning and Teaching Council / Office of Learning and Teaching Projects on the ‘Teaching-research nexus’(2006-08), ‘Undergraduate research’ (2009-10); ‘Teaching research’ (2011-13 ); and ‘Capstone curriculum across disciplines’ (2013-14) Advisor to EU Bologna and HE Reform Experts on research-based education (2012) Research interests: linking research and teaching; scholarship of teaching; active learning; developing an inclusive curriculum; students as change agents; students as partners Brief biography

What does the term inquiry or inquiry-based learning mean to you?

Model of the inquiry process (Justice et al., 2007) Engaging a topic & building basic knowledge Taking responsibility for learning Developing a question Evaluating success Anticipating possible answers & determining relevant information Self-reflection & Self-evaluation Communicating new understandings Weighing evidence & synthesising understandings Identifying resources & gathering information Assessing information

Forms of IBL IBL activities may be designed to last over different lengths of time: • A short exercise in a class, • A whole class • A whole semester course • A whole program In pairs each look at a different whole semester IBL course (pp2-4 and pp5-8). Discuss the similarities and differences

IBL is a pedagogy which best enables students to experience the processes of knowledge creation Optional attributes of IBL: • Collaborative/group learning • Community involvement • Field-based activity • Resource-based learning • Multi or inter-disciplinary focus Students engaged in IBL should develop: • Critical thinking skills • The ability for independent inquiry • Responsibility for their own learning • Intellectual growth and maturity (Lee et al., 2004) IBL involves: Learning stimulated by inquiry i.e. driven by questions or research problems Learning based on a process of constructing new knowledge and understanding A student/learner/learning-centred approach with the teacher as a facilitator A move to self-directed learning The development of skills in self-reflection

Stage of inquiry learning Upon successful completion of this course a student should be able to: develop a researchable question and give a rationale for its significance; choose appropriate research methods to obtain information relevant to answering the question; critically evaluate the validity and relevance of sources; communicate a coherent response to the research question and interpret the findings in a wider context; critically reflect on the learning process.

Break out activity Establish 5 small groups (ideally from related disciplines) • Each group takes one stage of inquiry learning • Identify c3 activities that you could do with your stage to develop the students’ skills in this stage • Record your activities on the chart paper – be prepared to share in plenary Allocate 20 minutes

Mainstreaming undergraduate research and inquiry: discipline and department strategies “Once you have learnt how to ask questions – relevant and appropriate and substantial questions – you have learnt how to learn and no one can keep you from learning whatever you want or need to know.” Postman and Weingartner (1971, 23)

!nquiry planner, and active learning suggestions In groups of 4 look at: 3. Inquiry Planner – (pp9-10) 4. Inquiry Based Learning in a Professional Learning Context – (pp. 11-13) 5. Activities to get students active in their learning (pp14-17) (2 people) Discuss ideas which are transferable Time: 15 minutes

Modes of IBL Importance of scaffolding provided by lecturer and development of independence in learner Structured – where lecturers provide an issue or problem and an outline for addressing it Guided– where lecturers provide questions to stimulate inquiry but students are self-directed in terms of exploring these questions Open– where students formulate the questions themselves as well as going through the full inquiry cycle (after Staver and Bay, 1987)

Does IBL enhance student learning? Increasing evidence that shows: • enhanced academic achievement, student perceptions, process skills, analytic abilities, critical thinking and creativity (Prince & Felder, 2006) • deeper understanding, higher degree of reflection, more motivated and achievement of higher order learning (Berg et al., 2003) • higher grades, more Honours, better retention (Justice et al. 2007b)

(Spronken-Smith et al. 2009)

Scaffolding inquiry throughout a degree 1st year 3rd year 3rd year 2nd year 2nd year 1st year

Anticipated Challenge Areas • Each table should come up with a question concerning a challenge they face in developing inquiry based learning into their classes which they would like help with. • Keep the question short and simple • Allocate 5 minutes

Break out activity • Pass your question to the next table • Identify one key strategy for answering the question that you have received. • Allocate 5 minutes

Action planning Decide on a key change you want to implement in your practice by yourself and or with immediate colleagues The central idea is … This is so important because … The (three) central ways that this will be implemented are … The (two) main challenges to implementation are … and how I expect to deal with them … Something else I want to say about this idea is … Display these on a poster (20 mins)

THE END For more pictures and a 1.5 min movie of Tess see: www.mickhealey.co.uk

Designing inquiry learning into courses