Before you start your course, you must have a vision and a plan to engage your students in an inquiry-based learning environment. It is important to note that students learn best. They are actively participating in the learning process. This requires educators to make the learning process student-centered.

Facilitating inquiry-based learning requires educators to employ specific strategies to facilitate the learning process. Here are a few strategies you can use to promote inquiry-based learning in your online course:

Ask Open-Ended Questions.

Instead of asking students a question. They can answer with a simple “yes” or “no,”. Ask them questions that require them to engage in deep thinking and critical thinking.

Use open-ended questions to get students in the discussions. You can also encourage students to come up with their own questions and research the answers for themselves.

Create a Comfortable Environment

Many students have a tendency to hide their true thoughts and opinions because they fear being judged by others or because they feel embarrassed about what they have learned.

To encourage students to share their thoughts, you must create an environment where they feel safe enough to share their ideas without being judged by others.

Ask Questions Related to Student Experiences.

Students are always more engaged when they are able to relate what they learn in class with their personal experiences and life outside of school.

Ask your students about things that happened in their lives, such as a memorable experience or something exciting that happened while doing an activity or going on a trip. This will encourage them to share their experiences and encourage discussions among the students.

Invite Guest Speakers.

Sometimes, having a guest speaker or bringing in an expert to talk about a specific topic can be more effective than reading from a textbook or watching a video.

Inviting guest speakers to share their expertise can be a good way to engage students in an inquiry-based learning environment. You can also ask students to invite someone who has been affected by the topic you are teaching.

Create Your Own “Field Trips”

If you are teaching about a particular location, why not take your students there through your online course? You can create videos of places you visit and show them to your students, so they can get a first-hand experience of what it is like there.

They will also learn how to use tools such as Google Earth and Google Street View for their research, which will help them later on when they are looking for information about locations using these tools.

In conclusion, you can help your students learn more by encouraging them to engage in inquiry-based learning. By asking open-ended questions, creating an environment where students feel comfortable sharing their ideas, and inviting guest speakers to talk about a specific topic, you can encourage students to become active participants in the learning process.

Find more tips to help you improve the quality of your online course on Cudy Blog!