The nature of learning in a guided inquiry classroom

Active learning approaches are becoming of increasing importance within engineering education, and it has been established that an active learning environment leads to improved student outcomes. What is less known is the ways in which these classes support student learning. Our study takes place in the context of a Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) classroom. We use grounded theory to answer the research question: How do students construct knowledge in a POGIL classroom? Constructivist grounded theory was used to code student interview data and develop a theory of how student learning occurs. The resulting theory shows that the use of POGIL results in a concept-focused class, as opposed to focusing on discrete aspects of knowledge (facts). This concept-focused class provides for both conceptual understanding and improved retention of information. The findings illustrate one way to design a class for deep conceptual understanding and suggest broader implications for curriculum design.