!lll L.

Lane
CenLer for lnsLrucLlonal uevelopmenL | ClayLon SLaLe unlverslLy
2000 ClayLon SLaLe 8lvd., Morrow, CA 30260
hLLp://cLl.clayLon.edu/cld
revlsed 8-3-2008
!"#$%&'()*+,- /,*&"%"0

As faculLy, we engage ourselves ln lnqulry LhroughouL our academlc careers when we explore
quesLlons and Lry Lo make sense ouL of whaL ls golng on ln our flelds. My guess ls LhaL mosL of
us chose our fleld of sLudy because one quesLlon, somewhere along Lhe way, peeked our
curloslLy and moLlvaLed us Lo flnd an answer. A common quesLlon asked by faculLy ls, Pow can
l moLlvaLe my sLudenLs' lnLeresL and geL Lhem exclLed abouL Lhe sub[ecL Lhey are sLudylng?"
Cne way Lo do Lhls ls Lo glve your sLudenLs lnqulry-based asslgnmenLs and acLlvlLles LhaL are
relevanL Lo Lhelr llves and fuLure careers and glve Lhem Lhe opporLunlLy Lo engage ln course
concepLs and Lasks. AfLer readlng Lhe nexL few pages, you wlll learn more abouL lnqulry-based
learnlng (l8L) and along wlLh some Llps on effecLlvely lnLegraLlng l8L lnLo your course.

12*3 %+ !4/5

lnqulry-based learnlng ls a research-based sLraLegy LhaL acLlvely lnvolves sLudenLs ln Lhe
exploraLlon of Lhe conLenL, lssues, and quesLlons surroundlng a currlcular area or concepL. 1he
acLlvlLles and asslgnmenLs ln an l8L classroom can be deslgned such LhaL sLudenLs work
lndlvldually or LogeLher Lo solve problems lnvolvlng boLh ln-class work and fleldwork. Whlle Lhe
sLraLegy ls meanL Lo be hlghly sLudenL-focused, Lhe exLenL of Leacher-dlrecLed vs. sLudenL-
dlrecLed learnlng can vary dependlng on Lhe level of Lhe sLudenLs ln your course and Lhelr
undersLandlng of Lhe lnqulry process. 1he amounL of faculLy lnvolvemenL ln Lhe process ls
explalned ln, ueslgnlng an lnsLrucLlonal lan, AcLlvlLles, and AsslgnmenLs, below.

12' 6+, !4/5

CLher Lhan lncreaslng sLudenL moLlvaLlon, one of Lhe maln reasons Lo Lhlnk abouL uslng l8L ln
your course ls because lL provldes a means Lo acLlvely lnvolve sLudenLs ln Lhe learnlng process.
WlLh Lhe Lrend ln hlgher educaLlon Lo move away from Leacher cenLered lnsLrucLlon Lo a more
sLudenL-cenLered approach, l8L glves you Lhe opporLunlLy Lo help sLudenLs learn Lhe conLenL
and course concepLs by havlng Lhem explore a quesLlon and develop and research a hypoLhesls.
1hus, glvlng sLudenLs more opporLunlLy Lo reflecL on Lhelr own learnlng, galn a deeper
undersLandlng of Lhe course concepLs ln an lnLegraLed fashlon, and become beLLer crlLlcal
Lhlnkers.

!"3,0&*3%"0 !"#$%&' %"37 32, 89*++&77:

1he process for lnLegraLlng lnqulry lnLo your course conLalns phases LhaL are slmllar Lo Lhose
used ln Lhe deslgn of any course: deLermlnlng your goals and ob[ecLlves, an analysls of your
poLenLlal sLudenLs (Lhelr experlence, prlor knowledge, and academlc level), your role ln Lhe
learnlng process, developlng an lnsLrucLlonal plan, and deslgnlng acLlvlLles, asslgnmenLs, and
assessmenLs. As you proceed Lhrough each phase of Lhe process, keep ln mlnd LhaL your
Leachlng meLhod (l8L) and all of Lhe acLlvlLles, asslgnmenLs and assessmenLs should be
!lll L. Lane
CenLer for lnsLrucLlonal uevelopmenL | ClayLon SLaLe unlverslLy
2000 ClayLon SLaLe 8lvd., Morrow, CA 30260
hLLp://cLl.clayLon.edu/cld
revlsed 8-3-2008
congruenL wlLh Lhe goals and ob[ecLlves for your course. 1herefore, you need Lo conLlnually
revlslL each phase as you go Lhrough Lhe process, maklng sure LhaL Lhls congruency exlsLs.

;3*3%"0 <7$& =7*9+ *"- >)?,@3%A,+

1hlnk of your course as an enLlre sysLem of lndlvldual unlLs and lessons. When you do Lhls you'll
reallze LhaL you noL only have goals and ob[ecLlves for Lhe enLlre course, buL also Lhe lndlvldual
unlLs and lessons. 8egardless of Lhe parL of Lhe sysLem, all of your goals and ob[ecLlves should
be relaLed. lf you declde Lo use l8L ln your course, Lhen Lwo of your goals should be: 1) Lo have
sLudenLs become beLLer problem solvers and crlLlcal Lhlnkers and 2) Lo have your sLudenLs
engage ln hlgher-order Lhlnklng skllls. 8eyond Lhese, your goals should focus on whaL your
sLudenLs should know (concepLs, prlnclples, and rules) or be able Lo do (procedures and Lasks)
when Lhey leave your course.

B"*9'C%"0 <7$& D73,"3%*9 ;3$-,"3+

When you are deslgnlng a course for lnqulry-based learnlng, you need Lo look aL your sLudenLs
on Lwo dlfferenL dlmenslons. llrsL, you need Lo conslder Lhe academlc level of your sLudenLs.
1haL ls, whaL do Lhey already know abouL Lhe concepLs and procedures ln your course. Pave
Lhey Laken any prerequlslLe courses? uo Lhey have any real-world experlences LhaL wlll help
Lhem undersLand Lhe conLenL ln your course? ls Lhere any oLher prlor knowledge LhaL Lhey
mlghL possess? Second, you need Lo conslder ls Lhe amounL of experlence Lhey have dolng
lnqulry or underLaklng Lhe research process? lL ls lmporLanL ln Lhls analysls LhaL you do noL
overesLlmaLe Lhelr experlence because when you begln Lo plan your lnsLrucLlon, Lhelr level of
experlence wlll dlcLaLe Lhe amounL of sLrucLure and modellng you need Lo do ln Lhe beglnnlng
of Lhe semesLer.

E,3,&:%"%"0 <7$& F79, %" 32, /,*&"%"0 D&7@,++

Lven Lhough l8L ls consldered a sLudenL-dlrecLed approach, lf your course ls Lhe flrsL Llme LhaL
your sLudenLs encounLer Lhe lnqulry process you wlll need Lo provlde more sLrucLure early on ln
Lhe semesLer. 1oo ofLen, sLudenLs experlence frusLraLlon because Lhe asslgnmenL ls Loo dlfflculL
for Lhelr level and Lhey do noL know where Lo sLarL. 1o avold Lhls dllemma, lL helps Lo assume
LhaL Lhe ma[orlLy of your sLudenLs are noL ready Lo go solo: and provlde Lhem wlLh prompLs,
cues, and a chance Lo waLch you model Lhe process for Lhem.

E,+%0"%"0 *" !"+3&$@3%7"*9 D9*"G B@3%A%3%,+G *"- B++%0":,"3+

A large parL of Lhe faculLy and sLudenL roles ln an lnqulry-based course are dlcLaLed by Lhe
lnsLrucLlonal plan you choose. 8onsLeLLer (1998) provldes a gulde for plannlng lnsLrucLlonal (see
llgure 1) LhaL ls based on Lhe percelved knowledge, skllls, and ablllLles of your sLudenLs wlLh
respecL Lo Lhe lnqulry process.
!lll L. Lane
CenLer for lnsLrucLlonal uevelopmenL | ClayLon SLaLe unlverslLy
2000 ClayLon SLaLe 8lvd., Morrow, CA 30260
hLLp://cLl.clayLon.edu/cld
revlsed 8-3-2008


H&*-%3%7"*9 ;3&$@3$&,- =$%-,- ;3$-,"3
E%&,@3,-
;3$-,"3
F,+,*&@2
H7I%@ 1eacher 1eacher 1eacher 1eacher 1eacher/
SLudenL
J$,+3%7" 1eacher 1eacher 1eacher 1eacher/
SLudenL
SLudenL
K*3,&%*9+ 1eacher 1eacher 1eacher SLudenL SLudenL
D&7@,-$&,+LE,+%0" 1eacher 1eacher 1eacher/
SLudenL
SLudenL SLudenL
F,+$93+LB"*9'+%+ 1eacher 1eacher/
SLudenL
SLudenL SLudenL SLudenL
87"@9$+%7"+ 1eacher SLudenL SLudenL SLudenL SLudenL
M%0$&, NO lrom 8onsLeLLer, 8.!. (1998). lnqulry: Learnlng from Lhe pasL wlLh an eye on Lhe
fuLure. LlecLronlc !ournal of Sclence LducaLlon, 3(1).

1o use Lhls model effecLlvely, lL ls besL Lo ldenLlfy your sLarLlng polnL" for Lhe semesLer. lf your
sLudenLs have llLLle or no experlence wlLh lnqulry, Lhen Lhe '1radlLlonal' column ls Lhe place Lo
sLarL. ln Lhls column, you are dlrecLlng sLudenL learnlng by modellng Lhe enLlre lnqulry-process.
Cnce you feel LhaL your sLudenLs are ready, you can work your way Lhrough Lhe sLrucLured,
gulded, eLc. plans. 1he key ln Lhls plannlng gulde ls Lo recognlze LhaL as you progress Lhrough
Lhe semesLer, your lnvolvemenL lessons becomes more as a faclllLaLor and less as a dlrecLor
(see Lhe appendlx for an example of how one problem can be used ln Lhree dlfferenL Lypes of
lnsLrucLlonal plans).

E,A,97I%"0 B++,++:,"3+

1he besL way Lo assess lnqulry-based asslgnmenLs ls Lo use a rubrlc (gradlng gulde) LhaL
ldenLlfles Lhe areas you wanL Lo assess and Lhe crlLerla for dlfferenL levels of achlevemenL
wlLhln each area. 8ubrlcs Lake Lhe mysLery" ouL of gradlng and help sLudenLs undersLand whaL
you are looklng for as you grade Lhe asslgnmenLs.

M%"*9 H27$023+

ln summary, lnqulry-based learnlng ls a meLhod LhaL can be used Lo acLlvely engage sLudenLs ln
an ln-depLh exploraLlon of Lhe concepLs and skllls assoclaLed wlLh your course. 1he lmporLanL
Lhlng Lo remember lf you are golng Lo adopL Lhls sLraLegy ls Lo gauge how much experlence and
prlor knowledge your sLudenLs have dolng lnqulry-based Lasks so you can deLermlne Lhe
amounL of dlrecLlon you need Lo glve Lhem. lf you would llke Lo meeL wlLh a consulLanL Lo
dlscuss changlng your course Lo an lnqulry-based learnlng envlronmenL, please send an emall Lo
Lhe CenLer for lnsLrucLlonal uevelopmenL, Clu[clayLon.edu.

!lll L. Lane
CenLer for lnsLrucLlonal uevelopmenL | ClayLon SLaLe unlverslLy
2000 ClayLon SLaLe 8lvd., Morrow, CA 30260
hLLp://cLl.clayLon.edu/cld
revlsed 8-3-2008
BII,"-%P

QP*:I9, !"#$%&' D&7)9,:

When Lhe uarmok" eplsode of SLar 1rek: 1he nexL CeneraLlon was flrsL shown on Lelevlslon,
Lhe quesLlon ls 1amarlan a posslble human language?" was hoLly debaLed among professlonal
llngulsLs. 1he oplnlon of llngulsLs was dlvlded equally among Lhose who belleved 1amarlan
could be a posslble human language and Lhose who belleved LhaL lL lacked some of Lhe feaLures
LhaL all human languages possess. ln an essay, make a sLrong and convlnclng argumenL on
wheLher 1amarlan does or does noL demonsLraLe each of Lhe deslgn feaLures of human
language. (8. 8ullock, Su LlnC 100, 2001)

D7++%)9, !"+3&$@3%7"*9 D9*"+
(laculLy-dlrecLed sLeps ln red, faculLy and sLudenL collaboraLlve sLep ln green, sLudenL-dlrecLed sLeps ln
blue)

SLrucLured lnsLrucLlonal lan
Show uarmok" vldeo
ose Lhe problem Lo sLudenLs
resenL a serles of lessons on Lhe deslgn feaLures of human language and provlde
sLudenLs wlLh resource maLerlals
Model how Lo use Lhe maLerlals and noLes along wlLh Lhe maln polnLs of Lhe vldeo
AsslsL sLudenLs wlLh Lhe analysls based on noLes, maLerlals, and Lhe vldeo
Pave sLudenLs wrlLe Lhelr own concluslons based on Lhe evldence

Culded lnsLrucLlonal lan
Show uarmok" vldeo
ose Lhe problem Lo sLudenLs
resenL a serles of lessons on Lhe deslgn feaLures of human language and provlde
sLudenLs wlLh resource maLerlals
AsslsL sLudenLs ln Lhe deslgn of how Lo research Lhe quesLlon and conducL analysls
SLudenLs analyze Lhe resulLs lndlvldually or ln groups
Pave sLudenLs wrlLe Lhelr own concluslons based on Lhe evldence

SLudenL-ulrecLed lnsLrucLlonal lan
Show uarmok" vldeo
ose Lhe problem Lo sLudenLs
SLudenLs research and flnd lnformaLlon on Lhe deslgn feaLures of human language
SLudenLs deslgn how Lo research Lhe quesLlon and conducL analysls
SLudenLs analyze Lhe resulLs lndlvldually or ln groups
SLudenLs wrlLe Lhelr own concluslons based on Lhe evldence

!lll L. Lane
CenLer for lnsLrucLlonal uevelopmenL | ClayLon SLaLe unlverslLy
2000 ClayLon SLaLe 8lvd., Morrow, CA 30260
hLLp://cLl.clayLon.edu/cld
revlsed 8-3-2008
SLudenL 8esearch lnsLrucLlonal lan
AsslsL sLudenLs ln developlng a quesLlon or lssue Lo research LhaL ls based on Lhe unlL of
lnsLrucLlon
SLudenLs research and flnd lnformaLlon abouL Lhe quesLlon or lssue
SLudenLs deslgn how Lo research Lhe quesLlon or lssue and conducL Lhe analysls
SLudenLs analyze Lhe resulLs lndlvldually or ln groups
SLudenLs wrlLe Lhelr own concluslons based on Lhe evldence