Chapter 6: Strategies and Tools for Success in Inquiry-Based Online Collaborative Learning Environments

There is a consensus among researchers, scholars, and policymakers in science education that students learn best when they experience inquiry. While the National Research Council’s Five Essential Features of Classroom Inquiry framework guides many studies on science teaching within in-person classroom settings, more work is needed to implement these features within a virtual environment. This chapter provides a set of guidelines and strategies for implementing meaningful inquiry within online science classroom settings. This chapter will discuss strategies for implementing scientific inquiry in an online elementary classroom and highlight how these features can guide meaningful online science learning.