Lead editor/author(s): Mohammed Galib Hasan
Project Title: Inquiry Based Learning
License: CC BY SA 4.0 International
Introduction & Project Details: The purpose of this collection of modules is introduce educators in the context of higher education to Inquiry Based learning (IBL) using a variety of Open Educational Resources (OER) against the backdrop of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There are five modules in this Project and while each of the modules can be taken as a standalone module, the maximum benefit will be realized after completion of all five modules.
The learning assumptions/requirements for the course:
- Though this project/course is aimed at educators in the context of higher education in Bangladesh, the course may be useful for educators outside of the context of higher education, or in other parts of the world
- The course materials will be in English.
- Access to a networked computer
- About .5-1 hour per module
- Need to be interested surely!
What is the scope of this course: IBL has been shown to be a very effective and appropriate teaching strategy in the context of adult education. Participants in this project will be introduced to the characteristics and benefits of IBL in the context of higher education in Bangladesh. The project will use a variety of OER to illustrate/model to participants how to select appropriate OER and get a sense of the broader field of Open Education. After each of the modules, participants should be able to use what they have learned and explore IBL and OER in each of their respective contexts.
Outcomes for the (whole) course:
- Understand and effectively apply the basic principles of IBL in specific disciplinary, and educational contexts
- Search for, select and use OER effectively and appropriately with reference to different copyright and open licensing protocols and regimes
- Link the potential of IBL and OER to specific SDGs
- Have an appreciation of the broader context of Open Education and experiment with playing a role in the broader context of Open Education.
How will participants know that they have achieved the envisaged outcomes?
In each module participants will be encouraged to do a variety of self-assessments such as quizzes or learning activities. General feedback will be provided to these activities. In linking participants to the Open Education movement, participants will be able to explore and expand their personal learning environments and get feedback from other participants and people in their networks. Participants will therefore be able to assess themselves against the stated outcomes per course.
The course consists of the following modules:
[Module 1-Introduction to IBL: characteristics, potential and examples of use]
[Module 2: Introducing copyright and licensing protocols and OER using IBL]
[Module 3:]Searching for and selecting OER using IBL
[Module 4:]Applying IBL in a specific educational context]
[Module 5:]Becoming part of the broader movement of Open Education]
Module 1: Introduction to IBL: characteristics, potential and examples of use
Purpose of Module 1: In this 30-60 minute module you will be introduced to IBL ā its characteristics, its potential as well as be provided with examples of the application of IBL in a variety of disciplinary contexts.
Envisaged outcomes for Module 1:
On completion of this module you should be able to do the following:
- Provide a personal working definition of IBL
- Differentiate IBL from other teaching strategies
- Evaluate which of the characteristics of IBL will be most useful in your own disciplinary and institutional context
- Map a number of issues you want to have clarified in using IBL in your own disciplinary and institutional context
Self-assessment or portfolio activities that will provide evidence of competence for Module 1:
- Find five different definitions of IBL and compile a list of IBLās characteristics
- Contrast IBL with at least three other learning theories
- Using these definitions and list of characteristics compile a personal working definition of IBL
- Design an IBL strategy to solve a pedagogical problem in a specific disciplinary and educational context
- Compile a list of issues pertaining to using IBL in your specific disciplinary and educational context and engage with your personal learning environment to look for possible answers/solutions
Module 2: Introducing copyright and licensing protocols and OER using IBL
Purpose of Module 2:
In this 30-60 minute module you will learn more about copyright and licensing protocols using the basic principles of IBL as explored and practiced in Module 1.
Envisaged outcomes for Module 2:
On completion of this module you should be able to do the following:
- Describe the scope and implications of copyright
- Understand and select appropriate Creative Commons licensing protocols according to the need/context
- Define Open Educational Resources (OER)
- Give examples of repositories and websites to search for OER
- Find an OER (videos, course materials, images) relating to IBL and describe why you consider this OER to be a good OER
Self-assessment or portfolio activities that will provide evidence of competence for Module 2:
- In your opinion, why do we need a Copyright? List five advantages and five disadvantages of Copyright
- In addition to your answers to Question 1, think about the following questions, and write down or type your responses:
- How do I copyright something?
- How long does a copyright last?
- Can I use someone elseās song without their permission? Can someone use my song without my permission?
- How do I copyright something for free?
- Does my work have to be published before I can copyright it?
- Let us say you want to publish your answer to Question 1. Now look at the following website (https://creativecommons.org/choose/) and choose a licence. As part of the published article, list your reasons why you selected the particular licence.
- See if you can find at least three definitions of OER and make notes on how they differ and then choose the definition that you like the most.
- Compile a list of at least 5 repositories for OER and make a note of which repository looks the most useful and why
- In the light of the fact that this course is about IBL, find an OER on IBL (different from the ones already provided this course), and write a short evaluation on why you selected this OER and whether your selected OER is of good quality.
Module 3: Searching for and selecting OER using IBL
Purpose of Module 3:
In this 30-60 minute module you will learn more about how to search for OER and what to consider when selecting an OER to solve a specific pedagogical or curriculum problem in a specific disciplinary/educational context.
Envisaged outcomes for Module 3:
On completion of this module you should be able to do the following:
- Discover indicators of good quality in OER
- Explore the factors that one should consider in selecting an OER
- Find OER resources (videos, course materials, images) for a specific pedagogical problem in a specific discipline/educational context
- Describe how you will use the OER in a specific pedagogical/institutional context
- Reflect on how difficult/easy it was to find an appropriate good quality OER for the pedagogical/curriculum issue you wanted to solve
Self-assessment or portfolio activities that will provide evidence of competence for Module 3:
- Find at least three different websites that list the criteria for a good quality OER. Compile your own list of criteria for a good quality OER from these three different lists
- Why do you think we should be concerned with the quality of OER? And, who do you think determines whether an OER is of good quality?
- Why do you think OER are important in higher education? Compile a letter that you can send to your local head of department on why you want to use an OER in your course? Also find an OER that would help you to address a pedagogical problem in your course and include a motivation why this OER will increase the quality and effectiveness of your teaching.
- Think of how easy or difficult it was to (1) find the OER in the previous question and (2) whether you could use the OER āas isā or whether you had to adapt the OER or use only parts of it?
- Think of your experiences so far in this course, what have you learned about IBL?
- What are some challenges that teachers may experience in implementing inquiry-based learning in their classrooms?
Module 4: Applying IBL in a specific educational context
Purpose of Module 4:
In this 30-60 minute module you select a specific pedagogical/societal/curriculum problem/issue that you want to address using the principles of IBL and design a short course selecting appropriate OER.
Envisaged outcomes for Module 4:
On completion of this module you should be able to do the following:
- Define/select a specific pedagogical/societal/curriculum problem/issue
- Using the characteristics/principles of IBL (Module 1), design a short 30-60 minute course by using one or two appropriate OER that would assist educators to address the issue
- Reflect on what made the design of this IBL short course interesting/difficult/easy
- Design a pamphlet/or Facebook post consisting of an advert for your course
Self-assessment or portfolio activities that will provide evidence of competence for Module 4:
- Identify a specific pedagogical/societal/curriculum problem/issue in the course that you are teaching or in your institution
- Think about everything that you have learned so far in this course. Design a short 30-60 minute course with the following structure:
- What is the purpose of the course?
- What are the envisaged outcomes focusing on IBL as core strategy?
- What OER will you use to address these outcomes?
- How will you assess these outcomes
- Write a short essay on the questions: (a) When will an IBL approach to teaching and learning NOT be an appropriate strategy? (b) Under what circumstances will IBL lead to deeper learning? Ā© How can you use IBL as an assessment strategy as well as a classroom activity?
- How would you respond to the following statement: āIBL is too time-consumingā to use as a teaching and assessment strategy? Choose one of the following:
- Write a one-page letter to the head of the school/department in which you respond to this statement
- Design a pamphlet in which you oppose the statement
Module 5: Becoming part of the broader movement of Open Education
Purpose of Module 5:
In this 30-60 minute module you will discover OER as part of a broader Open Education movement using the principles of IBL. You will discover various options how you can become part of the Open Education movement.
Envisaged outcomes for Module 5:
On completion of this module you should be able to do the following:
- Discover the Open Education movement ā its main proposals, a selection of organisations and persons who lead the movement
- Using the principles of IBL, select an organisation/a person that fascinate you in terms of their role in the Open Education movement and make a list of the most informative links/sources that you find about them.
- Define you own role in the broader Open Education movement ā how will you participate, why will you participate and what value will be participating in the Open Education movement have for you?
- Write a short blog piece on what this course meant for you, what you learned and what your next steps would be
Self-assessment or portfolio activities that will provide evidence of competence for Module 5:
- How would you describe the āOpen education movementā to someone in your department/school?
- In this course, we used IBL to discover OER, and now to engage with the broader Open education movement. If you had to design a number of key questions that can form the basis for discovering what the Open education movement is, what will they be?
- How do you see yourself in terms of the Open education movement? Define your role as one or a combination of (a) advocate; (b) producer of OER; Ā© user of materials; (d) being a passive member of the movement; (e) being a local organiser
- At the next departmental meeting, you have a ten minute time-slot to introduce your colleagues to the Open education movement and what it can mean for them. Design a 5-slide PowerPoint presentation that you may want to use. See if you can find CC licensed images and texts to use
- If you had to form a local interest group of academics and staff who may be interested in becoming part of the Open Education movement, who will they be? And how will you go about introducing them to the Open education movement?
- Look back at your PowerPoint presentation in (4) - and now redesign the last slide presenting a standpoint on how the Open education movement can change teaching and learning.
