Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to present the strategies, principles, and challenges of an innovative laboratory curriculum design that is based on the implementation of an inquiry-guided laboratory manual (IGLM) as part of an undergraduate engineering laboratory course. The IGLM is incorporated into the laboratory curriculum as an innovative instrument for enhancing student learning through the strategic scaffolding of inquiry-guided learning levels. This pedagogical approach allows learners to construct their own understanding of engineering concepts and applications by virtue of experimentation in a laboratory environment by systematically increasing the independence of learners during the inquiry process. The strategies and principles of the IGLM’s design are anchored within the pedagogical platform of the Renaissance Foundry model, which leverages the paradigms of knowledge acquisition and knowledge transfer through an iterative process that guides learners across stages of inquiry and design (Arce et al. 2015). The challenge of implementing such an instrument to enhance learning, as well as develop skills of inquiry within undergraduate engineering students, will be discussed within the context of an engineering, educational laboratory in a chemical engineering department. The potential impact for enhancing learning through the innovative curriculum design of an inquiry-guided laboratory will be a key factor for the future success of learners as the need for constructing new knowledge through independent inquiry becomes more demanding for both higher-level courses and real-world, engineering professions (Halbe, Adamowski, and Pahl-Wostl 2015).

References:
[1] Arce, P. E., J. R. Sanders, A. Arce-Trigatti, L. Loggins, J. Biernacki, M. Geist, J. Pascal, and K. Wiant. 2015. “The Renaissance Foundry: A Powerful Learning and Thinking System to Develop the 21st Century Engineer.” Crit. Conversat. High. Educ. 1 (2): 176–202.
[2] Halbe, Johannes, Jan Adamowski, and Claudia Pahl-Wostl. 2015. “The Role of Paradigms in Engineering Practice and Education for Sustainable Development.” Journal of Cleaner Production 106 (November): 272–82.

Keywords:

Engineering Laboratory, Inquiry-Guided Learning, Renaissance Foundry, Laboratory Curriculum.