Understanding the Use of Technology for Facilitating Inquiry-Based Learning

In this chapter, we argue that if online education moves toward a dynamic, collaborative, and humanized experience, inquiry-based learning can result almost naturally. We begin by briefly tracing the history and growth of online education and discussing the real, and often negative, perceptions about online education. The readers are then asked to consider their assumptions about student’s learning experiences in the face-to-face environment before making decisions about strengths and limitations of online education. The chapter then provides an overview of how online education and technology-enhanced classes create natural linkages to inquiry-based learning while meeting the unique needs of diverse learners; general examples of technology as a modality for inquiry-based learning are provided. The chapter culminates with four case studies that demonstrate how inquiry-based learning can be facilitated outside of the classroom walls and effectively integrated with technology. The case studies are drawn from education, chemistry, and business providing an example of how to investigate facts through collaborative presentations, develop informed opinions through asynchronous discussion, and make sense of concepts through curation.