What is Unique About Inquiry Courses?

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(Dale Roy, Erika Kustra, Paola Borin, 2003)

McMaster University has been involved in teaching Inquiry for over twenty years in elite programs and professional schools. Now, Inquiry is being offered to all first year students with a growing number of follow-up courses offered in subsequent years. In 2001, over 670 students in year one chose an Inquiry course. So, what is Inquiry you ask?

What is Inquiry?
Why Teach Inquiry?
What features characterize the Inquiry approach?
How is Inquiry related to engaging in research?
Who takes responsibility for learning?
How do Inquiry and Problem-Based Learning differ?

What is Inquiry?

Inquiry is a form of Self-Directed Learning and follows the four basic stages defining self-directed learning. Students take more responsibility for:

• Determining what they need to learn
• Identifying resources and how best to learn from them
• Using resources and reporting their learning
• Assessing their progress in learning

A comprehensive senior inquiry course will have all four of these elements. Students will take the initiative and be largely responsible for seeing they successfully complete their learning in a given area. Generally, students draft a “learning contract” and then execute it – the instructor submits a grade on completion of the contract.

A first course in inquiry may require more teacher direction and is likely to focus more time and activity on two or three of these skills. The instructor may start by expecting less initiative and responsibility on the part of students, but works towards increasing the responsibility by the end of the course. Why Teach Inquiry? Inquiry aims to build research skills in students. This seems a most appropriate outcome for students who graduate from a research-intensive university like McMaster. Moreover, successful graduates need to be skilled in self-directed learning because, if they continue in the discipline, they will need to keep current, and if they work outside the discipline, self-directed learning skills will be all the more important. What features characterize the Inquiry approach?

Teaching through “inquiry” involves engaging students in the research process with instructor support and coaching at a level appropriate to their starting skills. Students learn discipline specific content but in doing so, engage and refine their inquiry skills. An inquiry course:

• Is question driven, rather than topic or thesis driven
• Begins with a general theme to act as a starting point or trigger for learning
• Emphasizes asking good researchable questions on the theme, and coaches students in doing this
• Builds library, interview, and web search skills, along with the critical thinking skills necessary for thoughtful review of the information. Coaches students on how to best report their learning in oral or written form.
• Provides some mechanism (interviews, drafts, minutes of group meetings, bench mark activities, etc.) to help students monitor their progress within the course.
• Draws on the expertise and knowledge of the instructor to model effective inquiry and to promote reflection.

How is Inquiry related to engaging in research?

Inquiry is closely related to what we do when engaging in research as seen in the table below:

How research is conducted?	How Inquiry is conducted?
Researcher selects an area of study	Instructor identifies a general theme
Researcher forms “good questions” on which to base their research	Students determine what they need to learn in the area and draft “good questions” on which to base their Inquiry
Researcher identifies resources and how best to learn from them; consults primary literature and conducts primary research	Students identify resources and how best to learn; they consult research from primary and secondary literature and could engage in original research
Researcher reports their insights (learning) by publishing papers, giving presentations	Students use resources and report their insights (learning) in a variety of formats (symposium, skit, formal paper)
Researcher assesses their own learning and peers play a role in the review of research quality	Students assess their own learning, peers, peers may play a role but the instructor is responsible for assigning a grade
Researcher identifies the next set of research questions	Students may identify the next set of research questions

Who takes responsibility for learning?

Teaching methods can be seen along a continuum. At one end, the instructor takes complete responsibility for course content and the direction of the course; at the other end, students take complete responsibility for course content and the direction of the course requires more student initiative and responsibility.

Teacher takes more responsibility		Student takes more responsibility
<--------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------->
Lecture Course	Self-Paced Course	Simulation Role Play	Inquiry Problem-Based Learning	True Self-Directed Learning

How do Inquiry and Problem-Based Learning Differ?

This table outlines the major differences between the two different teaching methods.

	Inquiry	Problem-Based Learning
How does it begin?	General theme or issue.	Authentic, specific scenario or used as a trigger.
Timescale (Duration of Study)	Generally months. May repeat the inquiry cycle a second time within a single course.	From one class to a few weeks. Will examine a series of scenarios within a single course.
Breadth of Study	Varies by student interest, within theme.	Focused area of study.
Depth of Study	Opportunity for sustained study.	Study limited by time.
Final Product	Varies. Defined by students with guidance from class and instructor.	Expectations are fairly specific. i.e. discussion, presentation, role play, written submission.
The Instructor/Tutor	Chooses themes or issues under examination. Chooses triggers for learning (movies, books, articles, guest speaker, simulations, role play).	Creates a series of “problems” (scenarios) intended to bring about learning of a specified area of curriculum; often with specific content goals.
	Identifies general content objectives. Identifies specific skill objectives.	Identifies specific content objectives. Identifies specific skill objectives,
	Designs activities to help develop specific inquiry skills (i.e. how to critically read and assess information on the web).	Skills are developed inductively through repetition, with feedback.
	Facilitates the process of inquiry (to ensure skill and content goals are met).	Facilitates exploration of problems posed (to ensure skill and specific content goals are met).
	Moderates various activities.	Moderates discussion with a view to developing moderation skills in students
	Provides feedback on the quality of the question, research and communication.	Provides feedback on quality of issue identification, research and communication.
	Guides self and peer feedback.	Guides self and peer feedback.
	Assesses student performance usually with peer feedback.	Assesses student performance usually with peer feedback.
Nature of the Questions Asked by Students	Develops a good question. This may involve questions for which there is no known answer. (Could require primary research).	Identifies good questions from problems posed. Generally involves questions for which answers exist, i.e. what are the primary causes of ulcers?
	Students are not dependent on the research of others but benefit from their colleague’s research.	Students are dependent on the research of others to fully understand the opening scenario or situation posed.