Participating in faculty development is one key way instructors can learn how to apply active learning approaches. Our group has been evaluating workshops on Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) to learn what makes them effective in changing instructors' teaching practices - results show 60-80% of instructors reported using IBL in the year following the workshops (See here & here for more information). One key feature is that these workshops help participants learn how to implement IBL in a variety of contexts from large, introductory courses to small, upper-level courses. Building upon the results of these evaluations, the Academy of Inquiry-Based Learning and E&ER have recently begun a new NSF-funded project, PRODUCT , to increase capacity for training greater numbers of instructors to use IBL. Over 5 years, they will train new workshop facilitators, who will offer a dozen intensive workshops as well as shorter workshops. They are great hands-on opportunities for those interested in active learning to learn from skilled colleagues how to implement IBL in their courses and develop plans for an IBL course that fits your own context.
(Shared by Chuck Hayward, Ethnography & Evaluation Research, UC Boulder)
