Effects of process-oriented guided inquiry learning on approaches to learning, long-term performance, and online learning outcomes

ABSTRACT

Extensive research on process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) has addressed its impact on student performance but little attention has been devoted to approaches to learning and performance on delayed tests. The use of POGIL in online education must also be explored. This research concerns changes in students’ approaches to learning and their performance on delayed tests after the implementation of POGIL and demonstrates the challenges faced in implementing POGIL online. Various changes that could be made to adapt this methodology to online learning are also outlined. In this quasi-experimental exploratory mixed-method study, two cohorts in an undergraduate architecture program formed the control (n=79) and treatment (n=91) groups. The results of surveys, performance tests, and interviews showed that student performance on delayed tasks was significantly better (t=3.719, p=0.000, d=0.50) following the implementation of POGIL and that there was a higher increase in deep approaches and a lower increase in surface approaches to learning in the treatment group after its application. We also provide recommendations for overcoming these challenges using a POGIL framework with some modifications to its eight typical characteristics.

KEYWORDS:

• POGIL
• approach to learning
• learning outcome
• online teaching
• interactive learning

Acknowledgment

This research is supported by the Ministry of Education, Singapore, under its Tertiary Education Research Fund (MOE2017-TRF-013). We thank our colleagues Ella Eleazar, Nitika Sharma, Natasha Kumar, Stuti Jain, Seow Ling, and Aishwarya Kumar for their support and assistance during the research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Ministry of Education, Singapore [grant number MOE2017-TRF-013].

Notes on contributors

Noopur Joshi

Noopur Joshi received her Bachelors in Architecture from Pune University and Master of Science in Intergrated Sustainable Design from National University of Singapore in 2014 and 2018 respectively. She worked in the industry in an international design firm, Corduff Oman as an architect from 2014 to 2017. Since 2018 she is working at the National University of Singapore as an Educational Researcher and is also a part time teaching assistant. Her research interest is in sustainable architecture pedagogies and undergraduate education.

Siu-Kit Lau

Siu-Kit Lau received the B.Eng. degree in building services engineering (with first-class honors) and the Ph.D. degree in acoustics and vibration from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, in 1997 and 2003, respectively. He held industry positions with Emerson Climate Technologies from 2002 to 2005, Johnson Electric Industrial Manufacturing Ltd. from 2005 to 2006, and Armstrong World Industries form 2013–2015. He was an Assistant Professor with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and The University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 2006 to 2009 and 2009 to 2013, respectively. Since 2015, he has been with the National University of Singapore.