Development and Assessment of Inquiry-based Active Learning Strategies for Online Open Educational Resources in Geosciences

Abstract:

Process-oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) is an active learning strategy that has been adopted and has shown evidence of positive impact in STEM education (Hein 2012; Walker & Warfa, 2017). Based on learning cycles and conditions, content presentation and learning guidance of POGIL are embodied by discipline-specific sets of key components of 1) model concepts and expositions presented in figures, text, or media, 2) critical thinking questions (CTQs), and 3) applications (Farrell, Moog, & Spencer 1999; Gagne 1979). In a classroom or laboratory, these components are usually implemented through group activities (Moog, Spencer, & Straumanis 2006). Transferring the principles of inquiry-based learning to developing open educational resources (OER) requires modification of the learning strategy, because students may interact with online textbook modules individually as well as part of a group activity. In this study, we demonstrate the development process of inquiry-based strategies for geoscience instructional resources and present techniques to assess student learning and use of materials. Two OER were developed for Analytical Methods in Geosciences and Introduction to Petrology courses. These resources guide students through video demonstrations, interactive H5P diagrams, and questions in a structured inquiry-based format. This format of content presentation is intended to engage students in a guided inquiry approach with the exploration-concept invention-application progression learning cycle. Learning objectives and CTQs were used as a framework to develop the interactive content. Student learning was assessed through usability and learning perception surveys, as well as in-person and video conferencing observations over multiple semesters of development and use. The effectiveness of OER was also witnessed in the high usage (>6,200 unique users) when shared with geoscience community in the first half of 2020. We will demonstrate opportunities to assess usage and learning from truly open resources using Google Analytics data.