Supporting practitioners in designing and delivering Enquiry-Based Learning activities

Abstract

Enquiry-Based Learning (EBL) is a broad term given to learning activities which require participants to seek and apply knowledge in order to engage with an open-ended task. EBL could find multiple applications in Higher Education and may particularly aid the development of both content knowledge and process skills for those studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. EBL principles are already embedded in the standards for these subjects in US schools, where a number of initiatives exist to support teachers in designing and delivering EBL activities. Observation of one such initiative raised some issues which could have implications for Higher Education. The differing approaches adopted by school teachers depending on their interpretation of EBL indicate that a clear definition should be the starting point of any attempt to implement EBL.