Reigniting Curiosity and Inquiry in Higher Education: A Realist's Guide to Getting Started with Inquiry-Based Learning

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is a powerful pedagogical approach that develops students' capacities as independent learners, builds their confidence, and motivation, and facilitates their critical thinking and research skills. It is a scaffolded learner-centered, student-led approach to inquiry whereby students progressively design and lead their own inquiry process, with support from the instructor. IBL offers varying levels of engagement, from structured support to formative guidance, and positions students as co-constructors of knowledge. It is flexible, student-driven, creates engagement, develops a curiosity mindset, promotes group learning, fosters metacognition, and builds confidence. This book offers higher education instructors a realistic guide to incorporating curiosity and IBL into their classrooms to promote long-term knowledge creation and retention and life-wide learning.

Format: Hardback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 27 October 2022
Publisher: Stylus Publishing

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is a powerful pedagogical approach that empowers students to become independent learners, build their confidence, and develop their motivation to identify their own research agendas. It is a scaffolded learner-centered, student-led approach to inquiry that allows students to progressively design and lead their own inquiry process, with support from the instructor. IBL offers varying levels of engagement, from structured support to formative guidance, and ultimately promotes self-directed and independent learning.

One of the key benefits of IBL is that it shifts the student-instructor relationship, with the former leading and the latter supporting. Students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning and to engage in critical thinking and research skills for effectively exploring their chosen topic. IBL promotes a curiosity mindset, fosters collaborative group learning, and builds confidence as students learn to deal with ambiguity and risk.

To develop students' capacities as independent learners, build their confidence, and facilitate their critical thinking and research skills, IBL can be progressively adopted and developed without a specific formula. Each chapter in this book offers personal stories, vignettes, examples of practice, and discussions of issues that help to illustrate the benefits of IBL and provide practical strategies for implementing it in the classroom.

In conclusion, inquiry-based learning is a powerful pedagogical approach that empowers students to become independent learners, build their confidence, and develop their motivation to identify their own research agendas. By adopting IBL, educators can create engaging and effective learning experiences that promote critical thinking, collaboration, and student-driven learning.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781642674446